People reviewing this movie cite a limited budget as a low key excuse for its lapses. Maybe to them a small budget can excuse things like poor script, poor acting and poor direction but not to me.
Poor writing -- the minute we're introduced to key characters we also have to endure the annoying melodrama of their lives which we don't even care about because we don't know them yet! Totally unnecessary goes-nowhere filler, inspired zero emotional involvement and gave me an eye-rolling migraine.
Poor acting -- everyone except the physician.
Poor directing -- it's simple things, like in the diner scene. Two working men (fishermen) with physically demanding jobs both order a hot juicy hamburger with chips and proceed to sit there -- wooden-like -- as the scene continues for over 5 minutes (!) without ever touching their food! Distractingly unrealistic. Obviously the director said "don't eat" but I've never seen two supposedly hungry human beings order food only to ignore it when it arrives. A director is an observer of human nature and observing others (and noting what is interesting about them) is FREE. Being street smart is free. Respecting the power of how a film can communicate fear or joy is free.
There were no elaborate costume requirements, no CGI costs, no set design or prop expenses. So i guess all the money went only to the logistics of filming.
Before you direct, or write or act in a movie again please study how humans behave because nothing in this movie was relatable and relatability can turn a "low budget" film into a cult classic. Here are some that were flawlessly executed on a tight budget: Halloween (1978), The Evil Dead (1981) and The Blair Witch Project (1999). You don't need a big budget to tell a story in a compelling and engrossing way.
1 star for the location.
Poor writing -- the minute we're introduced to key characters we also have to endure the annoying melodrama of their lives which we don't even care about because we don't know them yet! Totally unnecessary goes-nowhere filler, inspired zero emotional involvement and gave me an eye-rolling migraine.
Poor acting -- everyone except the physician.
Poor directing -- it's simple things, like in the diner scene. Two working men (fishermen) with physically demanding jobs both order a hot juicy hamburger with chips and proceed to sit there -- wooden-like -- as the scene continues for over 5 minutes (!) without ever touching their food! Distractingly unrealistic. Obviously the director said "don't eat" but I've never seen two supposedly hungry human beings order food only to ignore it when it arrives. A director is an observer of human nature and observing others (and noting what is interesting about them) is FREE. Being street smart is free. Respecting the power of how a film can communicate fear or joy is free.
There were no elaborate costume requirements, no CGI costs, no set design or prop expenses. So i guess all the money went only to the logistics of filming.
Before you direct, or write or act in a movie again please study how humans behave because nothing in this movie was relatable and relatability can turn a "low budget" film into a cult classic. Here are some that were flawlessly executed on a tight budget: Halloween (1978), The Evil Dead (1981) and The Blair Witch Project (1999). You don't need a big budget to tell a story in a compelling and engrossing way.
1 star for the location.