Bird Box is a genuine hit from Netflix. With a lot of recent Netflix film originals being firmly categorised as misses, this one most certainly landed with me. A great cast and an interesting concept marry perfectly to provide a suspensful second act, where a knock on the door is played out in a way that genuinely had me terrified. The characters are written well, although there is the odd awkward script moment which spoiled a little of the tension. One final issue I took with the movie was its length; two hours felt a little overstretched. This film is definitely worth a watch and, in my opinion, one of the best Netflix originals I have seen in a while.
Reviews
4 Reviews
Insidious
(I) (2010)
There is hope left for the genre after all
19 May 2011
As a hardcore Horror-fan I had begun to lose hope in the genre over the last few years, what with films such as Scre4m being churned out of the mixer. I can honestly say that after seeing this gem, my faith has been restored.
The film takes time to build suspense for the viewer meaning the action takes a while to kick off, however once it does, you are somewhat thankful that it took so long. Throughout the film, the writers use different styles of 'scares' ranging from your typical 'something jumping out of the closet to a sharp Violin solo' to 'creepy, spine-tingling imagery'. This meant that you literally had no clue where the next 'jump out of your seat' moment was coming, a feat not upheld by the majority of the genre today.
Despite James Wan; responsible for 'Saw', directing Insidious, there was not a spec of gore or a hint of torture-porn involved in it. This made it feel fresh and proved how films can be scary without having to sling intestines at us in 3D.
The film, however was not perfect. The last 20 minutes of the film act as a metaphorical gust of wind to the pyramid of cards that the first hour had built up. Some poor attempts at CGI and a flurry of pointless cheap thrills make it seem that the writers lost their way a little bit near the end. The whole concept of the film, although fresh in modern Horror terms, is not as unique as the writers would have you believe, which in some ways is not so bad however some fans may feel ripped off. There was also a degree of light humour provided by Leigh Wannell and his partner, which distracted from the fear slightly (altough I personally welcomed it).
Overall the film is suspenseful and immersive, taking the best parts of films such as Poltergeist, Shutter and Paranormal Activity and making a brilliant piece of cinema. This is almost certainly a 'must-see' for horror fans, especially those who haven't felt a true scare for a while.
The film takes time to build suspense for the viewer meaning the action takes a while to kick off, however once it does, you are somewhat thankful that it took so long. Throughout the film, the writers use different styles of 'scares' ranging from your typical 'something jumping out of the closet to a sharp Violin solo' to 'creepy, spine-tingling imagery'. This meant that you literally had no clue where the next 'jump out of your seat' moment was coming, a feat not upheld by the majority of the genre today.
Despite James Wan; responsible for 'Saw', directing Insidious, there was not a spec of gore or a hint of torture-porn involved in it. This made it feel fresh and proved how films can be scary without having to sling intestines at us in 3D.
The film, however was not perfect. The last 20 minutes of the film act as a metaphorical gust of wind to the pyramid of cards that the first hour had built up. Some poor attempts at CGI and a flurry of pointless cheap thrills make it seem that the writers lost their way a little bit near the end. The whole concept of the film, although fresh in modern Horror terms, is not as unique as the writers would have you believe, which in some ways is not so bad however some fans may feel ripped off. There was also a degree of light humour provided by Leigh Wannell and his partner, which distracted from the fear slightly (altough I personally welcomed it).
Overall the film is suspenseful and immersive, taking the best parts of films such as Poltergeist, Shutter and Paranormal Activity and making a brilliant piece of cinema. This is almost certainly a 'must-see' for horror fans, especially those who haven't felt a true scare for a while.
Monsters
(2010)
It had much more to give
24 April 2011
Warning: Spoilers
So after having read a number of reviews that stated this was not your typical monster carnage flick, I sat down with an idea on what not to expect. The plot is original and I particularly enjoyed the political aspects regarding border control which are well addressed.
The film seemed to have potential from the start, with an action-packed opening sequence that impresses considering the limited budget. The action subdues for a long period after this, but is replaced with a rather confusing love story arc between the two protagonists. The film follows these two main characters and their journey through the "Infected Zone", or monster central, where only the desperate venture. The main question you find yourself asking throughout the film is "WHY?!". Why anyone would travel through an area full of huge hostile alien nasties, during a period where they are exceptionally aggressive, is beyond me. The reason the writers give is that otherwise the characters would have had to wait for another 6 months for the next ferry to take them around the coast.... well I'm sorry but I'd make myself comfortable and wait! The film delivers with suspense, in that whilst in the infested jungle, you rarely actually see the monsters but are constantly made aware of their presence. There is also a scene at a gas station that is particularly creepy involving a monster and some lightning. The film ends soon after this leaving the viewer with a "Is that it?" feeling. The love story is not well concluded and the 'semi-twist' (if you can call it that) seemed a bit pointless.
Overall not a bad film, with a good concept and decent narrative, however the ending was slightly lacking in substance. You can't help but feel after watching it, that it had more to give. Hopefully the director, Gareth Edwards, will fulfil his potential on the recently announced reboot of Godzilla, where he will undoubtedly have a much larger budget.
The film seemed to have potential from the start, with an action-packed opening sequence that impresses considering the limited budget. The action subdues for a long period after this, but is replaced with a rather confusing love story arc between the two protagonists. The film follows these two main characters and their journey through the "Infected Zone", or monster central, where only the desperate venture. The main question you find yourself asking throughout the film is "WHY?!". Why anyone would travel through an area full of huge hostile alien nasties, during a period where they are exceptionally aggressive, is beyond me. The reason the writers give is that otherwise the characters would have had to wait for another 6 months for the next ferry to take them around the coast.... well I'm sorry but I'd make myself comfortable and wait! The film delivers with suspense, in that whilst in the infested jungle, you rarely actually see the monsters but are constantly made aware of their presence. There is also a scene at a gas station that is particularly creepy involving a monster and some lightning. The film ends soon after this leaving the viewer with a "Is that it?" feeling. The love story is not well concluded and the 'semi-twist' (if you can call it that) seemed a bit pointless.
Overall not a bad film, with a good concept and decent narrative, however the ending was slightly lacking in substance. You can't help but feel after watching it, that it had more to give. Hopefully the director, Gareth Edwards, will fulfil his potential on the recently announced reboot of Godzilla, where he will undoubtedly have a much larger budget.
Scream 4
(2011)
Things can only get worse!
23 April 2011
Warning: Spoilers
I was bitterly disappointed with the announcement of Scre4m to begin with. So what happened to "The Scariest scream is always the last"- tag line of Scream 3? Wes Craven has just exposed himself as a massive lying money-grabber by even attempting to continue this series. Despite my reservations I did pay good money to go and watch this abomination.
With due respect, the opening sequence was intelligent and humorous, however it went rapidly downhill from there. The film tried extremely hard to make fun at itself, to a point that it became quite uncomfortable to watch. For example, (SPOILER!) the scene where the young film-maker boy gets killed off, he decided to pretend that he was gay in a failed attempt to bargain for his life. This was weak and made it unbelievable. It felt more like a scene straight out of Scary Movie 0.5! Other than the poor humour, the film's plot and motive of the killer was the weakest of all four films. I mean the other three were far-fetched, with possibly the most believable of them all being a vengeful mother, but this was absolutely ridiculous. A girl who is so fed up of hearing people talk about her infamous estranged cousin that she feels compelled to kill a bunch of people, including her own mother is a stretch of even the most impressionable of imaginations.
One of the strong points of the film had to be the likability of Hayden Penitieirieire's character, who she portrayed quite well and it was also good to see Ms Campbell back on the screen again. Overall I feel that if, as has been suggested, this film is continued into a Saw-like polygy, that things can only get worse.
With due respect, the opening sequence was intelligent and humorous, however it went rapidly downhill from there. The film tried extremely hard to make fun at itself, to a point that it became quite uncomfortable to watch. For example, (SPOILER!) the scene where the young film-maker boy gets killed off, he decided to pretend that he was gay in a failed attempt to bargain for his life. This was weak and made it unbelievable. It felt more like a scene straight out of Scary Movie 0.5! Other than the poor humour, the film's plot and motive of the killer was the weakest of all four films. I mean the other three were far-fetched, with possibly the most believable of them all being a vengeful mother, but this was absolutely ridiculous. A girl who is so fed up of hearing people talk about her infamous estranged cousin that she feels compelled to kill a bunch of people, including her own mother is a stretch of even the most impressionable of imaginations.
One of the strong points of the film had to be the likability of Hayden Penitieirieire's character, who she portrayed quite well and it was also good to see Ms Campbell back on the screen again. Overall I feel that if, as has been suggested, this film is continued into a Saw-like polygy, that things can only get worse.
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