Shell follows Samantha, played by Elisabeth Moss, a struggling actress whose career is faltering as she begins to age out of roles. She undergoes a rejuvenating treatment from the shady beauty company Shell, run by glamorous CEO Zoe (Kate Hudson). While Samantha’s life seems to improve after the procedure, strange things start happening with her skin, leading her to question the company’s true motives.
The film’s opening minutes are so poorly executed that they feel like a movie-within-a-movie gag, but they actually set the tone for the rest of the film. Director Max Minghella aims for campy, over-the-top material, but to make that work, the film needs a compelling central presence. Unfortunately, the usually reliable Moss is miscast, never fully embracing the absurdity of the role and seeming caught between playing it straight or corny. The casting itself is wrong as well, as Moss is not know for a has-been. The role would have been better suited for someone like Alicia Silverstone, whose own career trajectory mirrors the film’s themes of aging out of the spotlight. In contrast, Hudson dives fully into the madness—whether her performance is brilliant or awful, it’s hard to say, but at least she’s having fun.
Aside from Hudson’s committed performance, there are a few moments of intrigue, like the bizarre concept of characters eating skin, and an early audition scene that stands out. However, the movie suffers from poor production quality, with cheap score and inconsistent world-building. The film’s futuristic aesthetic feels jumbled, with outdated elements like old cars sharing the streets with sleek, futuristic Ubers, and Samantha’s transformation appears more like layers of makeup than a genuine rejuvenation.
Ultimately, Shell rushes through its key moments, particularly in the third act, missing the chance to fully lean into its campiness. Instead of embracing its potential for fun, the film ends up feeling rushed, cheap, and underdeveloped, leaving me wondering during the film how 2004’s Catwoman managed to do certain things better.