CREDIT: MAGNOLIA PICTURES
Tread carefully if decide to watch Rubber.

Throughout the history of motion pictures, audiences have been presented some truly heartless, cruel and dastardly villains. Darth Vader. Heath Ledger's portrayal of The Joker. That shirtless werewolf guy from the Twilight films. They all pale in comparison, however, to the protagonist in Rubber, a truly ground-breaking film I'll be taking a look at this week. Why? Well, because the lead character is a tire.

Rubber is a film within a film from renowned French director Quentin Dupieux. As the story begins, a group of individuals are gathered in a desert to watch a film. There is no screen, only binoculars. What they are treated to is the oddest occurrence in a "theatre" since Fred Willard decided to get out of the house one night this past summer.

A tire suddenly springs to life, and that's where things really get rolling. Literally rolling, as that is all the tire does at first. But it doesn't take long for the tire to cross paths with others objects, and eventually animals and people. And that is when this tire will make you squeal.

You see, this isn't your typical Disney-style anthropomorphism. This tire is pure evil. Through the power of telekinesis, the tire is able to make anything — or anyone — explode into bits. This leads to a thrilling and hilarious "tire-hunt" where buffoonish local law enforcement attempt to give this tire a flat.

I cannot say enough about the performance of the tire. Not since Kristen Stewart burst onto the scene with the aforementioned Twilight films has an inanimate object been given such a prominent role in a major motion picture. I hope to see the tire tackle other genres of film, and to really challenge itself with the roles it chooses. Perhaps a romantic comedy with Reese Witherspoon? Maybe a buddy action film with Jason Statham? The only genre I don't feel the tire would succeed in is pornography, since rubbers are not generally used. But as long as the tire's ego doesn't get too inflated, and it treads cautiously, its career will continue gain traction. The wheels are already in motion.

In an age when most movies seem to just be retreads, Rubber is a provocative and original film. If you want to have a good day — hell, if you want to have a good year — then be sure to check out Rubber.