I was eagerly awaiting this film because of its star, Jessica Alba, who will be seen this fall as the title character in the upcoming James Cameron sci-fi TV series, "Dark Angel."
Finding out that it went straight to video in the US was a tip off. The quick review is this. The principals of "Paranoid" do have plenty to worry about.
First, the log line is completely in accurate, although that line has been carried in industry information for some time.
Jessica plays a young model who goes off for a weekend in the British countryside with a date. Her car does NOT crash near this mysterious lodge, she is taken there by her date.
I don't want to go too deeply into the plot, other than to say she is held against her will there by a villainous former musician and his cohorts.
The problem is that Jessica, who has cropped up of late in "Idle Hands" and "Never Been Kissed" as high school sexpots, simply falls completely flat in "Paranoid."
She is supposed to be playing a budding super model, and there is a high energy first scene at a fashion show under the opening credits. It's high energy for everyone but Jessica who looks like she can barely keep awake. The plot has her suffering from jet lag or sleep deprivation or something, but she carries that mood out for the rest of the entire movie. That's a big mistake, because in later scenes when she is being held against her will, we have nothing to think back on. There never was a fiesty, fresh, "I'm 19 and I'm beautiful and I rule the world" image to remember. There's none of the energy of the girl who stole the show for two seasons on "Flipper." There's just this tired girl who gets tiring as the movie drags on.
The same can be said of the villain, who is supposed to be able to convince people to go along with his evil plans. But he is equally uncharismatic. The best acting is done by a starker living across the street from the model. He actually seems human. Most others in the story are too busy being laid back.
That in the end seems the director's fault. He has handcuffed almost everyone in the cast, pun intended.
A weak effort, but hopefully, Jessica will shine in "Dark Angel." She is one of the most beautiful young actresses around today, but she has her work cut out for her if she is to overcome her poor debut as a lead character in "Paranoid."
Finding out that it went straight to video in the US was a tip off. The quick review is this. The principals of "Paranoid" do have plenty to worry about.
First, the log line is completely in accurate, although that line has been carried in industry information for some time.
Jessica plays a young model who goes off for a weekend in the British countryside with a date. Her car does NOT crash near this mysterious lodge, she is taken there by her date.
I don't want to go too deeply into the plot, other than to say she is held against her will there by a villainous former musician and his cohorts.
The problem is that Jessica, who has cropped up of late in "Idle Hands" and "Never Been Kissed" as high school sexpots, simply falls completely flat in "Paranoid."
She is supposed to be playing a budding super model, and there is a high energy first scene at a fashion show under the opening credits. It's high energy for everyone but Jessica who looks like she can barely keep awake. The plot has her suffering from jet lag or sleep deprivation or something, but she carries that mood out for the rest of the entire movie. That's a big mistake, because in later scenes when she is being held against her will, we have nothing to think back on. There never was a fiesty, fresh, "I'm 19 and I'm beautiful and I rule the world" image to remember. There's none of the energy of the girl who stole the show for two seasons on "Flipper." There's just this tired girl who gets tiring as the movie drags on.
The same can be said of the villain, who is supposed to be able to convince people to go along with his evil plans. But he is equally uncharismatic. The best acting is done by a starker living across the street from the model. He actually seems human. Most others in the story are too busy being laid back.
That in the end seems the director's fault. He has handcuffed almost everyone in the cast, pun intended.
A weak effort, but hopefully, Jessica will shine in "Dark Angel." She is one of the most beautiful young actresses around today, but she has her work cut out for her if she is to overcome her poor debut as a lead character in "Paranoid."