Pages

Tuesday, 31 December 2013

The Children (2008)

Ladies and Gentlemen, it's the end of 2013 as we know it.
So let's celebrate it the only way we know how.
Getting drunk.
And then watch my review of 'The Children'.

Sunday, 29 December 2013

Top Ten Worst Films of 2013

And now it's time for the worst of 2013, and boy did we have a random selection this year. We've had films about animals, shellfish people, zombies, pretend zombies, ghosts, and...Movie 43.

10. World War Z

I'll be honest. Originally I didn't think of putting this film on the list of worst films of 2013. As I said in my review, it's a crap adaptation, and on its own merits it's just watchable. But then, hearing time and time again from people saying how good it is, how "brilliant". And it's really pissing me off, particularly because it keeps making me think about how bad it was. Brad Pitt, was the only good thing in that film, the rest of bullshit. The fake CGI zombies looked crap, the story was rushed, the film is riddled with pointless scenes, and it brings nothing new to the zombie genre. For all the hype it remains one of the biggest disappointments I've ever seen on the big screen.

The Harry Hill Movie (2013) Poster9. The Harry Hill Movie

Speaking of disappointments. Then again, as I said in the review, did I expect anything else? Harry has developed a certain sense of humour which I knew was going to be hard to transfer from the small screen to the big screen. The thing is, it worked at first, but then as the film went on it got worse and worse. I think the point when it started going downhill was when Johnny Vegas suddenly started talking as the hamster Abu, but I truly lost it when Michelle the Shellfish humanoid turned up, from that point I knew the film was going to struggle. And it did. I wish it didn't, but it did.


8. A Talking Cat!?!

Yes, 'A Talking Cat!?!' is on this list. But then again, did we expect anything else? Looking back on it, I can remember some bits and pieces I remember quite fondly, like Johnny Whitaker's acting, the overall story, but that doesn't make the film good. The acting is poor, the story is just bizarre, the effects of the talking cat are just horrendous, and the characters are so bland I completely forgot about one of them. Or thought two of the characters were the same person anyway. Although, talking about this film has reminded me that 'A Talking Pony!?!' was supposed to come out, but I can't seem to find a copy.
Birdemic 2 is now officially on the way from America though.

7. Sharknado

"Enough said!", that was what sold me on this film, and boy was this film stupid. But, like 'A Talking Cat!?!', what did you expect? It's a film where science is thrown out the window, where the story is stupid, where characters are introduced only to be killed off, where the sharks looked fake, where the acting is...to be honest kind of adequate. Well except for one person. You see, I could have accepted this as a standard bad film, but Tara Goddamn Reid. I will maintain what I've said, Tara Reid is the worst actress to ever grace the silver screen. Even in the good films she's in she's bad! Julia Roberts does a better job and, as I said in my rant in 'A Talking Cat!?!', she has the acting range of a piece of cardboard! Anyway, 'Sharknado', stupid, but fun...ish.

6. Stranded

From the mind behind 'Battlefield: Earth' of all people. Wish I knew that going in. But then again I suppose it's more my fault for expecting a completely different film. I was expecting to see a psychological horror, instead we got a bland, lacking, and dull alien film. We learn virtually nothing about the characters, which is surprising since there's only four of them, in fact, I remember nothing about the film. Oh yeah, I remember the basics, but I can't really remember what happens. I guess it was that memorable. This film was just one huge disappointment since it should have been something else, something a whole lot better.


5. Spring Breakers

Oh boy I didn't like this one. I mean, wow. Jesus, God damn wow. It tries to be clever but turns out confusing, it repeats itself for no bloody reason, it tries to be unique but ends up causing headaches, it repeats itself for no bloody reason, the acting for the most part is rubbish, and it repeats itself for no bloody reason! James Franco was the only good thing in this film, just like Brad Pitt was the only good thing in 'World War Z'. The only reason why this film made any money I bet was because of young attractive girls only wearing bikinis for a majority of the film. I bet for every ten people you ask why they saw this film, the males would say because of the girls in bikinis, and the females would say they thought it was a comedy. But the main reason why I didn't like this, was because the main characters are the scum of humanity. I cannot see any reason why people should like them. The lesson this film teaches the audience is that if you can't go on holiday, GO ROB A RESTAURANT!

4. Infection Z

Oh Michael Madsen, this just wasn't your year was it? I mean, you had to star in a film which rips off the title to 'World War Z', starring infected people pretending to be zombies. But my God this film was awful. Awful acting, crap acting, no character development, poor story, terrible everything! Even if the zombies were actually zombies and not a mutation of Lyme disease, it brings nothing new to the genre, it's a repeat of 'Night of the Living Dead' only without the messages or the decent characters.
And yet it's still not the worst zombie film I've ever seen.


3. Paranormal Incident 2

Oh boy I wasn't looking forward to this one. I mean, what, with how pointless they made the first 'Paranormal Incident'. I mean, it's always a good sign that a girl shows her boobs within the first thirty seconds isn't it? It continuously mistakes the prison for an asylum, the characters are unmemorable, the plot, as I said in the review, has been done at least five other times, and the deaths and psychological aspects make little sense because we know nothing about the characters backgrounds. And to make it worst it's one of those films which says it's based on true events, even stating it's a "dramatic recreation", before stating in the credits that the whole thing is fictitious. Makes you wonder what the point in saying it's real is.
But hey, the ending didn't make the film pointless, so that's a plus.

2. 30 Nights of Paranormal Activity with the Devil Inside the Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

The worst thing about doing this list of the top ten worst films of 2013, is that it reminded me that I saw this film. Craig Moss is helping to kill off the spoof genre, with 'Breaking Wind' and 'The 41 Year Old Virgin Who Knocked Up...' blah blah blah, then again the people who helped make that genre with 'Scary Movie' seemed to be doing a good job killing it as well. Anyway, this film. IT'S NOT FUNNY. The spoofs, most of the time, don't make sense, some aren't even recent, the acting is off, and I was just praying that the characters would just die. And yet, there's one worse. You know what it is!

1. Movie 43

THIS MOVIE IS HORRIBLE! This movie is horrendous! This movie is God awful! Crap! Bullshit! Terrible! Bad!...Not good!...I've run out of words to describe this film! The overall story is confusing, the jokes are insulting, the film goes on for too long, and, despite 17 writers, it appears the script didn't know how people actually acted! Which is bizarre seeing as how this film had so many well known names who gave this film a strong performance for some unknown reason. Hell, if you open your January 2014 issue of Empire and turn to page 38, you will see the following quoted from Richard Gere:

"If you've not seen it yet, you probably don't have to. In fact, please don't. I'm telling you now: do not see it, it's not worth it"

How about this one from Hugh "I got testicles put on my chin" Jackman:
"You've got to keep trying to do different things and risk failing. Hey, look at Movie 43. Or don't! I've got two things to say: I'm sorry. And...I'm sorry"

It also has Stephen Merchant being a dick and saying:
"I just did it for the fun of being in a scene with Halle Berry. I didn't do it for your amusement"

Every single person associated with this film should hang their heads in shame! Hell, do a spiritual cleansing and burn a copy of the film!



And that was my list of the top ten worst films of 2013, let's hope 2014 brings us something better than 'Movie 43'!

Tuesday, 19 November 2013

Sleepstalker (1995)

Currently I'm planning to fix my schedule and get a whole load of backlog posts out, so if you see some coming up referring to Halloween, yeah, it was originally suppose to come out in October.
In the meantime, here's my review of Sleepstalker

Monday, 4 November 2013

Curse of Chucky (2013)

Chucky's back! I, am a big fan of the 'Child's Play' films. I really enjoyed the first three films, and while 'Bride of...' and 'Seed of Chucky' were pretty much the low points, I still enjoyed them. And so, after a nine year hiatus and returning to being mainly a horror film, we're now hoping for a great return for the killer doll.

Nica (Fiona Dourif) is a paraplegic who lives with her mother Sarah (Chantal Quesnelle). One day Nica receives a parcel, which turns out to be a Good Guy doll. So it's not long before Chucky's (Brad Dourif) up to no good once more and the bodies start piling up.

Okay, first things first, Chucky looks fucking creepy. Seriously this new version of Chucky looks soooooo....fucking creepy. And that's before he goes psycho. And that's mainly because of the effects, yeah the gore is standard I suppose, but the way the doll moves and talks is really good. It is also good to see Brad Dourif is willing to come back and voice Chucky, even after 25 years. There's only one Chucky and that is Brad Dourif. Granted bringing someone knew in would have been understandable, but after seeing the new Freddy Krueger in 2010's 'Nightmare on Elm Street', it will raise concerns. But Dourif does continue to do a great job as the doll from Hell.

The thing is, the story doesn't really feel new. For the majority of the first half the film acts out with the mystery behind Chucky, but we already know that he's the soul of a serial killer possessing a doll, it just feels odd that the film is tiptoeing around this. When Chucky does start moving about onscreen, that's when it feels right. Then they do some rewriting of the past which really throws things out of whack.

Now, the other characters...they're okay. They're not the best bunch in the world, but they've certainly got that certain something which keeps you watching. They are wonderfully acted as well, I do have to say that, with particular praise to Fiona Dourif, and Brennon Elliot for his portrayal of Ian.

In all honesty, it's a pretty damn good entry to the franchise. Yeah it's a bit of the tiresome old cliches you'd expect in horror films, and they pointlessly (and infuriatingly) rewrite part of the past, but it's still a pretty solid film. The acting is spot on, the story flows nicely with some nice references to the past films, and it's always a blast to watch Brad Douriff plays Chucky. A good return to form for the plastic killer.

Friday, 1 November 2013

Thor: The Dark World (2013)

The next film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe has arrived and it's the God of Thunder's turn. And following everyone's love-it-or-hate-it feelings towards 'Iron Man 3' (Personally I don't see anything wrong with it), 'Thor: The Dark World' faced a bit of an uphill struggle to show the Marvel Universe still has it.

With Loki's (Tom Hiddleston) imprisonment following his actions on Earth, Thor (Chris Hemsworth) is bringing order back to the Nine Realms. Jane (Natalie Portman) meanwhile is trying to find Thor but comes up a weapon known as Aether, which causes an ancient race known as the Dark Elves, lead by Malekith (Christopher Eccleston), to rise from an ancient slumber. Now Thor reluctantly needs to join forces with Loki in order to defeat Malekith before he causes the Nine Realms to be consumed by darkness.

With this film we see a lot more of the Marvel universe being repaired after the events of 'Thor' and 'Avengers Assemble', primarily with the Seven Realms, with the reconstruction of the Bifrost and bringing the other realms back under control. But then again we get to the end of this, so we don't really see a lot more of the aftermath of Loki's actions.

While there isn't too much wrong with the story, it does feel rushed at times, mainly because the film hops around from location to location. It works late on in the film, but at first it's sort of meh. That and you feel most of the scenes on Earth, mainly the ones involving Eric Selvig (Stellan Skarsgard), feel pointless. But the film does flow and it does still manage to blend humour, action, and dark moments really well.

One of the main problems though is the relationship between Jane and Thor. In 'Thor', you can see a really good relationship between the two, in this one, not much has happened. Jane is angry one second that Thor took so long to come back to her, but then completely forgets about it a second later. Heck, the film seems to have been building up to a rivalry between Jane and Sif (Jaimie Alexander), but they don't even share a line of dialogue together. In fact the main relationship that is focused in this film is between Thor and Loki, which is done really well, particularly when Loki morphs into a certain figure. It kind of makes sense actually that the film focuses more on the relationship between Thor and Loki, it's certainly the one we care more about, but it makes the other connections feel dull.

The effects are good for the most part, the main problem is that they do look like they belong in a video game. But for the most part they do look stunning, in particular the Dark Elf ships and the fight scenes, especially the climatic battle. The Elves themselves look good and the scenes involving the Aether look well done too.

The acting is fantastic, everyone is great in their roles, though Hiddlestone leads the pack with his charm and prowess. Hemsworth does great as Thor and Ecclestone brings a great dark persona to Malekith. Portman, I must admit, I felt was quite anonymous. It's like her intern Darcy, played by Kat Dennings, had a bigger role than Portman did. I think it was more what the film did with her character rather than Portman's acting though, I want to stress that.

Overall, it is a fun film to watch. It's got the odd problem but it's certainly one of the better films this year has seen. The acting is great, the effects are fantastic, the story is really well done, and the battle scenes are brilliant. The strained relationship between Thor and Loki and the rebuilding of that relationship is the main focus point of the film and it is extremely well done, but that's not the only thing you have to enjoy in this film.

Thursday, 31 October 2013

Top Ten Scariest Moments

Happy Halloween!
So my next post is something I've always wanted to do, though there were a fair few problems doing this, including a busy schedule, editing software playing up, internet being slow, having to do re-shoots, etc etc etc.
But I hope the final product is still something for you to enjoy.
Ladies and gentlemen, here are my top ten scariest moments.

Wednesday, 2 October 2013

Dead Men Walking (2009)

Zombie month is back! And believe me, the list of zombie films is endless, kind of like the zombies themselves really isn't it? And let's get the ball rolling with a look at 2009's 'Dead Men Walking'; also known as 'Autumn', based on the book 'Autumn' by David Moody. I have not read the book, I have never heard of the book, so I'm going into this movie blind.

After the deaths of billions of people, so about 99% of the planet, a group of survivors attempt to survive. That's generally it.

I'll have to say, I barely remembered anything from my first viewing of this film, so I had to watch it again. And boy could I see why I couldn't remember anything. For a large majority of this film, barely anything happens. Even the zombies aren't much of a threat, there are even multiple scenes where the human characters walk RIGHT UP to the zombies, who do NOTHING. There's only a few scenes where the zombies are actually, somewhat, a threat, but the scene either doesn't last long, some of which are resolved simply because the zombies just magically disappear, or some questionable editing and camera work makes the scenes unclear as to what is actually happening.

This film doesn't take the action approach as most zombie films do, like 'World War Z', where we learn nothing about any of the characters besides Brad Pitt, and like 'World War Z' we barely learn anything about the characters in this film. Or rather they're portrayed as so uninteresting you can't focus on them and therefore care about them. And there lies the main problem with 'Dead Men Walking'. It tries to be in the same vein as 'The Walking Dead' and aims to make it more about character development, but the characters, Michael (Dexter Fletcher) and Carl (Dickon Tolson), are one trick ponies, everything we really learn about them is revealed in the opening. And even then it's never really brought up again; except for one aspect, but it's pretty much forgotten about until the very last ten minutes. In fact, the main characters are shadowed by a clown pimp (Yes, a clown pimp. It was a clown, dressed more like a pimp than a clown) and a man that Carl meets randomly, Philip (David Caradine), since we learn more about him, how he survived, and his God damn mother! In all honesty, I can't even comment on whether the acting was good or bad, because from the looks of it the characters were written that way rather than acted that way.

The make-up is pretty standard for a film with this budget, I actually have no problem with it. My main problem is more how they had the zombies look rather than what how they did it. But the main reason why this film is bad is because of the editing and camera work. The film is either too dark, tinted blue, tinted yellow, black and white, negative, or worse, while the camera shakes, a lot, while also seeming to cut out bits; one moment a zombie takes a swipe at Michael, but the very next cut is of Michael making his way away from the zombie, with no shot of him avoiding the zombie attack. There's even one scene where the footage is paused and the camera zooms in for no reason. That plus the disastrous character development and the long run time with almost nothing happening, it's a shame that this was the end result because, in the bigger scheme, this could have been so much better.

Saturday, 14 September 2013

The Fog (2005)

Well, here it is. The remake of one of my favourite films. If you remember from my 'Episode 50' review, I said that the 1980 version of 'The Fog' was in fact my favourite horror film.

So let's see how they screwed it up.

Friday, 13 September 2013

Day of the Zombie (2005)

Still celebrating my second year anniversary, but I've decided to have another look at a film I've reviewed back in my first year; 'Day of the Zombie'.
As you may remember I did want to do a video review back then, but it never happened. So! Here it is in video form!
Enjoy.

Wednesday, 11 September 2013

Sorority Row (2009)

So I decided for my second year anniversary I'll do video reviews. You know, something special. And I've decided to start off with 2009s Sorority Row. What do I think of it? Watch it and find out.

Friday, 6 September 2013

Top 15 Childhood TV Show Intros

Apologies first of all, I've been ill for a fair bit of this month and then I've been busy trying to sort out my specials for my anniversary month  here. But anyway, I've decided to finally get around to a post I've been delaying for a fair while now. And I had decided to have a look at something nostalgic, something from my childhood, the introductions to TV shows.

Come on, we've all been there. If the introduction to a TV show is boring, we're unlikely to watch it, especially as kids. And these are the intros which we remember even ten, fifteen, twenty years later. I was originally going to do a top ten, but I did come across some which I do still kind of want to talk about. So, here we are, my top fifteen TV show introductions.

I warn you now, some videos aren't of the best quality.

15. Round the Twist

I never really realised how much I missed this show until I started doing this post. A show about a family who reside in a lighthouse and have magical adventures. The intro to the show immediately grabs your attention with a bizarre...twisting noise; it's the best description I could come up with. From that point on it's a catchy tune and some well sung lyrics from the first series lead female cast member.

14. Kenan and Kel

Who loves orange soda? Seriously it's hard not to enjoy this upbeat song. It sounds great, you can sing along with it, it's got a great tempo, it's just a great cheerful song. It raises a smile every time I hear it, it's so nostalgic.

13. Swat Cats

Oh Hell yeah! This intro is brilliant. It's got monsters, it's got action, it's got a ripping guitar cord, this is a fantastic intro which gets you in the mood for anything. What? You don't like explosions? Monsters? Fighter jets? Rock music?...Well...how about kittens?

12. Goosebumps
The second you hear that "eerie music" you know what you're in for. The iconic piano keys, the papers flying through the air, the dog with the glowing eyes, the sign which degenerates, it's oh so catchy. It creates the eerie and creepy feeling that Goosebumps should bring, and it warns the viewer what to expect. And it even shows that you don't even need lyrics to make a great intro.

11. Dexter's Laboratory
Oh God I loved this show. Because of this show, when I was a kid, the first thing I wanted to be when I grew up was a scientist. It's flows flawlessly, it starts off sweet before gradually getting louder and more powerful. It's an inspiration, it's magnificent, it's SCIENCE.

10. Digimon
It's kind of surprising how much I liked the opening theme to Digimon. I mean, for the most part it's the same words repeated over and over. But, the beat of the song is what gets into your head and refuses to leave. Then we have the chorus segments which are upbeat and motivating, it really does get you into the right mood for the show. Hell, I like the digi-rap from the movie! That one is a lot faster in its tempo.

9. Saved by the Bell
Now this was an awesome theme. I haven't heard it for years and I still remember the words as if I've heard it five minutes ago. This was the song to the show which made you excited to go to school, with it's rocking opening theme and catchy lyrics, it was a great introduction.

8. X-Men
It was only a matter of when this was going to turn up on this list wasn't it? It has one of the most iconic guitar riff in history, it's action packed, it's intense, it sends chills down your spine, it's pure adrenaline pumping through your veins. What else can I say about this?

7. Bucky O'Hare
I had completely forgotten about this one until recently. And how could I? While initially showing the menace of the Toad Empire, the opening gradually shows us the hero Captain Bucky O'Hare and his crew. And then it's an uplifting thrill ride with catchy lyrics and some great action clips. Oh I wish I knew where my video tapes of this show was.

6. Invader Zim
Okay the pilot episode of 'Invader Zim' was pretty bland, but the subsequent episodes got it just right. Every single time the aliens pump their fists into the air and cheer, I can't help but join in. It's got a great military theme, and the 'X Files' style bit also slots in perfectly. Invader Zim was probably the last television show of my childhood, but it was certainly one of my favourite ones, and the opening credits helped.

5. Dragonball Z
Dragonball Z, looking back it was one of my favourite shows, and the English version of the opening definitely helped. It's certainly a lot better than the original opening, in particular the season seven opening which is just basically Gohan going to school. Action, intensity, and a kick-ass soundtrack, you'll see why it's immense.

4. The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
The rise of the Fresh Prince everyone, an introduction so great that the audience of a Graham Norton show sang the entirety of it seventeen years after the show finished. Then again they also sang part of a Nicki Minaj song. The point is, if it's that memorable, it's that brilliant.

3. Pokemon
Of course this was going to be on here! "I wanna be the very best!" was sung across the land, it was the basis of most, if not every, childhood in the 1990s. And do I really need to say why? It's uplifting, it's got a great beat, fantastic lyrics, it's just awesome in every sense of the word.

2. Batman: The Animated Series
Ah the opening credits which everyone knew. The one which was so great, there wasn't a title card because the producers behind it knew that people knew who Batman was, and therefore knew what the show was. It grabs your attention with an explosion, it shows your the criminal underworld of Gotham City, before the Dark Knight himself does what he does best. The music is great, the animation is perfect, it is one of the most iconic openings to any television show, Hell, it's better than most film openings!

But it's quite bizarre that from most lists I see, this is number one. Heck, my number one didn't even appear on a majority of lists. And I don't know why, because the next one is awesome.




1. Mighty Morphing Power Rangers
Seriously? People forgot about this one? Not much can beat the original Power Rangers theme, not even the later Power Rangers themes could match the scale of 'Mighty Morphing...'. Fantastic guitar riffs, brilliantly addictive, it is pure perfection.


Now, you may feel that I haven't really done these choices justice, honestly I'm feeling that. But in the end, you need to hear them for yourselves. That's the only way to see why these are awesome, nostalgic themes.

Now, coming up next, a special video review.

Saturday, 31 August 2013

The Pact (2012)

To finish off August I'm going to look at a film I wanted to review last year but didn't due to...something, I can't really remember what. So let's have a look at the film which MSN movies gave four stars.

Following the death of her mother and the disappearance of her sister (Agnes Bruckner), Annie (Caity Lotz) goes to her late mother's house. However there is something strange happening in that house, and in order to investigate it Annie might have to dig into the dark secrets of her family's past.

The story, is okay. The main problem is that there are a few too many slow moments which feel out of place. However, while the film does start off slow, once it picks up the pace it is quite enjoyable. And the scares can actually be scary, the problem though is that some of the time when you think about it, the scares don't really make sense. Most of the time you'll be thinking "*Gasp!*...So?" Some bits do make more sense as the film goes on though. Oh, by the way, that 'scare' on the poster which is ripping off 'A Nightmare on Elm Street'? You know, this one?
Yeah, doesn't happen.

The acting, again it's like the story, slow but once the movie gets going, in particular Caity Lotz. I wasn't really that impressed with her at first, but, again, as the film went on she got a Hell of a lot better. Casper Van Dien meanwhile (Yes, Rico from Starship Troopers), you know what, bless him, he is a professional, he gave this film a good performance, but most of the time you get the feeling he doesn't really know why he's there. The only other performance was Harley Hudson, who played Stevie, and that's because I was wondering if she was doing a good performance or a bad performance, I just can't tell.

Despite that, I really can't tell you anything about the characters, because I don't really learn anything about them. I know that Creek (Van Dien) is a police officer who has a personality which is somewhat not expected. For Stevie I can see shades of Drusilla from Buffy the Vampire Slayer but, obviously, not as good. The most developed character is Annie, but even then there are huge chunks of her you don't learn about. You do get a hint that she's an ice queen whose heart grows three times when she is forced to take care of her niece (Dakota Bright), but the niece is easily forgotten about it and is kept out of the film for a big chunk of it.

In all honesty, it's a pretty decent film to watch. It certainly has it flaws, but at the end of the day it's one of the better horror films of the modern age. The opening scene is the best part as it manages to develop the character and generate chills down your spine, but it then feels like it stalled and had to stutter back to life. If you have a chance, give it a try, but don't expect it to haunt your nightmares.

Friday, 30 August 2013

Stranded (2013)

Okay, I know I implied that my next review was going to be 'You're Next' with the Wyatt Family, but from the looks of it I won't be seeing it in time for August. So it will probably be one of the first reviews for September, if I can put it around my plans for next month. So instead I'll be looking at another horror film, but one which has been on my radar for a few weeks now.

A lunar mining base comprising of four crew, Colonel Gerard Brauchman (Christen Slater), Doctor Lance Krauss (Brendan Fehr), Ava Cameron (Amy Matysio), and Bruce Johns (Michael Therriault), comes under a rogue meteor storm (Not entirely sure how it's a rogue storm, meteors hit the moon all the time. How do you think the craters are formed?) and the base is heavily damaged. As the crew attempt to contact Earth for rescue, they discover that they're no longer the only residents on the moon. And no, it's not Space Nazis.

You know, I had so much hope for this. I mean, stranded on the moon? Speculation going into it of course, but running out of oxygen, nowhere to go, with fear and paranoia, unsure as to what's real and what's not. And then, on the box it says "from the Oscar nominated and creative mind behind Alien", and by that Roger Christian was nominated for best art direction which he shared with three other people.

And boy what a disappointment this was. I was expecting a psychological and psychical horror in the vein of  the '82 version of 'The Thing', a dark environment, great character development, the characters not doing stupid things, that sort of thing. Instead we get a lackluster horror which held back its own potential. It should have been darker, more psychological. The premise of the film basically implies that the fear and horror is more what the characters think they see rather than what they actually see. Unfortunately the film doesn't even attempt to play with your mind. Heck, the film basically lays out what's going to happen, and it doesn't help that the film drags on like Hell. Now that I think about it this film seems to be ripping off an episode of Garth Marenghi's Darkplace.

It has been happening a lot with films I have been watching recently, but I don't really learn a thing about these characters. Oh as the film goes by I learn that Brauchmann is a goes-by-the-book kind of guy, and Krauss devotes himself to caring for his crew, but apart from that, they're a blank slate. And it's a shame because I like Christian Slater...simply because it's Christian Slater. As for the other three, you can kind of see them trying, but they're going uphill against a script that really doesn't like them.

My main problem with this was that I was expecting a completely different film. Putting this aside, the film really isn't that good. The acting is poor, especially considering Slater and Fehr are among the cast, the story is underachieving, the structure is bad, the effects and make-up are pretty good concerning the budget, but, once again, there's not much else to praise. Especially when the DVD tries to promote the director by saying he's the creative mind behind Alien. I wonder what else the directed has done?
...I...I really should have looked up what this guy previously did.