psychofox-88511

IMDb member since September 2021
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Reviews

Alien: Romulus
(2024)

It's great, but it could have been even better...
I'm not going to spend too much time reviewing the film in detail - plenty of people have already done that - but I will say that it was great to see the return to the dark. Claustrophobic environments that are as much a part of what the franchise should be as the titular creature.

The use of old-fashioned chunky keyboards, monochromatic CRT screens and sleepy computers, as well as the general sense of industrial grime in the locations really marked back to the original films in the best possible way.

The apparent choice to base the visuals of the mining planet after another Rodley Scott masterpiece (Blade Runner) was also a brilliant touch.

Unfortunately, this reliance on the source movies was the main thing that I felt kept Romulus from really being outstanding.

There are so many references to previous films, often shoe-horned in clumsily ("Get away from her, you b*tch!"), that they became distracting. I'd have much preferred if the film had stood on its own two feet rather than constantly making blatant callbacks to the earlier films.

I also felt that it tried to do too much, by incorporating elements from almost all of the Alien cannon - even entries many fans may not have cared to be reminded of. It's like it was trying to be the glue that tied the whole franchise together, when all it needed to do was telling a good story in a style that was faithful to the original.

While these issues really disappointed me, I can say that the film itself did not. Despite the unwelcome distractions and endless, unnecessary callbacks, I thoroughly enjoyed Romulus, and did feel like I was returning to the universe of the original films for the first time in decades.

Mind Body Spirit
(2023)

Yet another found footage film by people who don't have a clue how to make a found footage film
Found footage is a favourite choice for film-makers with miniscule budgets because the medium lends itself well to thrifty movie-making. You can get away with not showing the monster clearly; not worrying too much about mise en scène; not having flashy special effects. This is largely what makes found footage work: it's raw, unfiltered and, above all, it feels genuine.

Unfortunately, there seems to be a growing number of found footage films where the creators have opted for the genre to save money, without actually considering what makes an FF film work.

Mind Body Spirit is one if these films. Ostensibly a collection of recordings from a wannabe YouTube star making wellness videos, the film falls at the first hurdle by completely undermining the idea that this is anything but a low-budget film.

It breaks a cardinal sin of Found Footage by having a soundtrack. There is ambient music and non-diagetic sound throughout, which immediately makes the film seem completely disingenuous. The filmmakers seem to have added it because, y'know, that's what happens in scary movies, forgetting that this is meant to be a series of candid, unedited recordings from an amateur filmmaker.

Then there are scenes which seem to be showing what's going on in the protagonists head, despite the fact that it makes no sense that the camera would capture them.

There was the scene with the "string", which featured such laughably unrealistic and entirely unnecessary special effects, it brought the while scene to a grinding halt.

And there are all the scenes where the camera moves in it's own, with no explanation, in just the right way to capture things in a cinematic way.

If you're going to make a found footage film, every single attempt you make to be more cinematic weakens the authenticity, and ultimately just reminds the viewer that they're watching a zero-budget indy movie.

Imaginary
(2024)

A very, very poor Insidious clone
I'm going to keep this brief, because if I go into details about what's wrong with this film I'll run out of space. I almost never rate films this poorly but I really struggled to find anything positive in this movie.

The plot is a essentially the same as Insidious with a few cosmetic changes. It hits all the same beats and re-uses the same tired tropes (Family move into a house with a secret history - check. Teenage daughter has beef with warm, caring stepmom - check. Kid's creepy drawings - check. The truth about that childhood incident? - check. Unlikely 'expert' who somehow understands everything that's happening - check.)

The dialogue and scripting are cringeworthy, especially in the latter half when the drama ramps up (well, attempts to). The final twenty-or-so minutes were so toe-curlingly awful I was genuinely willing it all to be over.

Remember that famous scene from Deep Blue Sea where Samuel L Jackson get's eaten by a shark? Well, there's a moment just like that here, which whould have been hilarious if it wasn't so utterly predictable: I didn't just know it was coming; I knew exactly when it would happen. The whole film is like that: totally predictable and devoid of any scares whatsoever. Why? Because you've seen this all before, many times, and with better execution.

There are a few attempts to do the right thing here, and these alone have bumped my rating up to two stars: There are lots of practical effects rather than copious CGI. Unfortunately, they're rarely up to the task and just look ridiculous (that bear?!). There are also some fairly nice-looking sets in the final act of the film, though even these are derivative of other things and are under-utilised. Some of the actors are clearly competent too, but they're just completely ham-strung by the awful scripts they've been given.

Take away the financial backing and distribution this film so undeservedly enjoyed and you're left with a derivative, soulless, and utterly amateurish attempt at a movie. Frustrating, because I've seen plenty of actual amateur movies that had way more thought and talent behind them, but lacked the budget to realise their potential. Maybe Blumhouse should try investing more in real upcoming talent rather than shameless cash-grabs like this.

Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin
(2021)

Not really a Found Footage film
I like William Eubank's movies in general, bit this one disappointed me. I think some Found Footage is just so far outside the regular style of film-making that experienced filmmakers just can't pull it off.

The story was engaging and there were moments of tension.

But I came into this expecting a Found Footage movie; something raw, with minimal noticable editing and post-production.

Not the case here. Many scenes seemed to be filmed from an outside POV, not hy one of the characters. There's also lots of obvious audio editing, such as non-diagetic music and sounds, often when transitioning between scenes.

None of these are bad in a regular movie, hit for a FF film they severely weaken the authenticity, which undermines the whole point of making a film like this.

TLDR: A perfectly fine movie that suffers for being shoehorned into being a Found Footage film.

He's Watching
(2022)

Disregard both the 1 and 10 star reviews: This is still worth your time
I'll just start by saying this isn't a 10-out-of-10. But, at the same time, anyone giving this film 1 star either hasn't watched anything but Hollywood blockbusters, or is so repelled by low-budget indie films that they're blinded to any actually talent those films may show.

I haven't looked into the production, but I'd guess this film was made on a maximum budget of about $300.

That's not a criticism.

It's unconventional and, in places, what people may call "arty". Then again, there are moments that seem overly familiar or even formulaic.

All that said, there is a lot to admire here, and I don't think I've ever seen anything quite like It. I was reminded of Skinamarink - another much maligned film - in some moments, but this is a very different movie.

If you're expecting a Found Footage film, this is not it. It uses a lot of FF conventions but it's really not trying to fit into that genre.

It's not without it's flaws, but I think a lot of reviewers here have just seen how low-budget it is and written it off, but that sells it VERY short.

The acting from the two young leads is brilliant. I hope they both have much success as actors in the future because I absolutely believed their performances in this and they're both clearly talented.

The plot was mostly orginal, and clearly a procuct of the Covid pandemic. I won't drop any spoilers but, while it clearly took inspiration from other things, this was not at all derivative.

In terms of referencing the pandemic, I think films and stories like this will really start to show their significance in a few years when we can properly look back on that period from the outside.

So, TLDR: An ultra-low budget, essentially amateur film, but with excellent acting and unique style. If you're capable of appreciating a film regardless of its budget (which, clearly, many other reviewers I here were not), you may really get a kick out of this.

Elevator Game
(2023)

The wring kind of low-budget.
So I was born in the early 80s and, as a result, I grew up in a time when video rentals were a thing. Back then, if you rented a horror movie, it could fall into one of three categories: Big-budget film that had had a major cinema release, small-budget indie that was made by creative people with limited resources, or small-budget cash grab, made by people who just viewed making films as a way to make some money, with no real creativity or imagination involved; make the box look interesting and someone will pay to watch it.

Movies are distributed differently nowadays but, had it been released back then, The Elevator Game would fall into the latter category.

The plot is formulaic and unimaginative, locking on to a particular idea that the filmmakers thought was current and popular (It's already out-dated). It tries to incorporate modern tropes, such as YouTube videos and influencers, but does it so ineptly that it just shows how little actual knowledge the people at the helm have of these things, resorting to exaggerated and inaccurate stereotypes.

The characters are all stereotypical horror archetypes with zero depth, and the casting of some characters defies belief (why does the "high-school intern" look older than his colleagues?)

The make-up and effects are about the level you'd expect from a mediocre Halloween party.

The acting is generally poor but, to be fair, I think there is some real talent here. The problem is the capable actors are stifled by awful scripting and direction. I won't single anyone out but there are actors in this film who I really can see - and hope I will see - going on to bigger and better things.

Ultimately, this just felt like an unimaginative, made-to-order movie that was created solely to pad out Shudder's library of original films and earn someone, somewhere a few extra bucks.

Children of the Corn
(2020)

Not great, but not as bad as some would have you believe
I'm going to start off by saying that I did not like this film. But then, I didn't like the original film either. Some reviewers seem to compare this film unfavourably to the original effort, but honestly, that wasn't any better.

The good: The acting is, for the most part, pretty good. Kate Moyer, in particular did a brilliant job. Her character, eden, is smug, arrogant, and contemptible, but all of that is down to her ability to portray such a character, and she does it brilliantly. The acting from the remaining cast is fine, though many of the actors essentially played emotionless zombies, so it's hard to rate.

The bad: There are a number of scenes that really push the boundaries in terms of the audience suspending their disbelief. There are a lot of blatantly obviously bad decisions characters make that it's hard to let go. And, the final scene is appalling; a cringe-inducingly feeble attempt at a final scare that doesn't even qualify as a twist.

What others have said: I've already mentioned that this has been unfavourably compared to the first film. I really don't think that was any better, though nostalgia has maybe altered some people's views.

I've also seen a lot of reviews lambasting the CGI. It certainly won't win any awards but it's nowhere near as bad as some of these reviews would have you believe. The same is true of the plot, which many reviews seem to regard as non-existent. There is a definite story told here, albeit imperfectly.

The main reason I disliked this film was the absolute ineptitude of the protagonists. There were so many opportunities to disrupt what was going on. I know the film wouldn't have worked if these things had been easily stopped, but it seemed like lazy writing to not out real, insurmountable barriers in the way.

Overall, not a bad film, but not one I would recommend either. If you're curious though, give it a shot and don't be dissuaded by the overly-negative reviews.

Harpoon
(2019)

Not for me.
I tried, I really did.

I won't say it's a bad movie. The acting is good. The direction and camerawork are fine. A lot of the humour and unconventional edits have been done before, but they're still totally serviceable here. A couple of portions of the script pressed firmly against the borders if disbelief, but no more than a great many films do. It really did make full use of a limited budget.

The problem for me was that there was nothing and nobody in the film that I could connect with. I disliked all three of the main characters from very early on (not the actors - they gave it their all - but the characters they played). I think this may have been the intention, but the affect for me was that I really didn't care what happened to them one way or the other, which rendered pretty much the entire film pointless and, ultimately, uninteresting for me.

I made it a little over half-way, then scanned ahead in the hopes that at least a single additional character would turn up.

Apparently not.

Realising I simply was not going to get any enjoyment from the movie, I gave up.

I honestly can't say it's a bad film, and I know a lot of people who have watched it loved it. It just wasn't my thing.

If you're curious, by all means give it a shot - you may be one of the folks who this really works for. But if you like to have a character you can root for, you may well be disappointed.

The Tank
(2023)

Starts strong but basically implodes in the final act
For the most part, I really enjoyed The Tank. The brooding build-up, the sense that something is wrong, we're really well done.

Aside from a few forgivable and forgettable missteps in the first two-thirds of the film, this was a thoroughly enjoyable caper. The acting, though not Oscar-worthy, was strong, the direction and cinematography was tight, and events bubbled along at a satisfyingly mysterious and suspenseful way.

As I said, there were a few missteps. The nature of the creature and the methods the characters will use to defeat it are both over-obviously signposted very early on, but these are minor criticisms.

When the creature is finally revealed, I was pleased to see that is was, as far as I could tell, CGI-free. Yes, it seems to be a person in a costume, but it's a convincing costume! Far preferable to lacklustre CGI.

However, shortly after this, the film enters it's final act, and everything goes out of the window. The characters begin making really stupid, illogical decisions that clearly won't end well and, while I get that these are people facing something unimaginable, their choices just don't add up.

We're being hunted by bloodthirsty monsters and I hear something banging at the door? I'll open it to see what it is.

I'm setting a make shift bomb out of highly unstable chemicals and my flashlight has gone out? I'll just use a lighter (despite the fact that there's clearly enough light to see by anyway and - what's this? My torch starts working again as soon as I've finished!) The dialogue also takes a sharp downturn towards the end, peppered with clichéd phrases and unbelievable melodramatic sentiments.

In the final scenes, all reason is lost. That creature on the car roof is suddenly, somehow inside, despite all of the doors and windows being closed and unbroken. I'm not kidding, the scene seamlessly goes from the monster looking through an unbroken windscreen to apparently crawling through a frame with no glass.

It really feels like the first two thirds of the film were made by a director and team with passion, but they just handed everything over to someone else to finish towards the end.

It's a shame because, as I said to start with, this movie really started strongly and only lost its way in the final portion. I've rated it a five because there are the makings of a decent film here and I refuse to base my whole review on the final act.

Such a missed opportunity. I think the filmmakers have talent and I hope they continue, I just hope they can see the flaws in this film and improve on them in future.

Malum
(2023)

Less is more and, apparently, more is less.
I really liked Last Shift. It did a lot with it's low budget and managed to be a genuinely unnerving and interesting horror movie that felt new and original.

I was really quite excited to see Malum. Some more critical folks out there said it was unnecessary, but I really liked the idea of seeing what Di Blasi would do with the original story given feedback from the original, a bigger budget, and time to think.

Well, for the most part, Malum follows Last Shift quite closely. The overall plot is almost entirely the same and a lot of plot points from Last Shift are recreated.

But Malum does add a fair amount of background and extra exposition, either by adding to existing moments from the original film, qnd by adding entirely new scenes.

The problem is, these additions actually take away far more than they add to the film. It was the vaguearies of the original that helped it shine; the viewer being trusted to make connections and fill in the blanks. Malum, by comparison, spells everything out.

There are other issues too. The deranged cultists are so stereotypical that it's hard to take the performances seriously. The special effects, though apparently more sophisticated and expensive, are actually a lot less convincing (I'm trying to avoid spoilers but The Reveal is probably a prime example). And the ending is not only predictable, irrespective of whether you've seen the original film or not, but also deeply unsatisfying and frustrating.

I want to be clear: I didn't hate Malum. I actually enjoued it, despite some serious flaws; it kept me interested and entertained.

But, having seen Last Shift, the "original draft" of the film, I'm left wondering why it was made, because it has literally already been done much more effectively. By the same director, no less!

Doors
(2021)

Better than most reviews here suggest, but...
... I can totally understand why it has the low ratings it has.

The overall premise is really interesting. It could have made for a solid, mononarrative film just fine. The film-makers have opted for an anthology instead which has it's pros, but also it's cons.

The first segment essentially sets the scene. It does a good job of painting the picture of some huge, unknown event taking place and people gradually learning about it.

There are few moments, particularly towards the end of the segment which are a bit predictable but, overall, it's a solid start, with a couple of interesting creative flourishes.

Segment Two is also fairly strong, and is more philosophical and introspective than any if the other segments. This does mean it can seem a little pretentious at times, but never to the point that it is too much. Fan's of YouTube's The Backrooms may get a familiar feeling from this section, even if it doesn't exactly look the part.

Segment Three is a mixed bag. The underlying story and main character are both great and add a new aspect to the overall narrative of the film, but some glaring holes really let this part down.

I've avoided speaking specifically about the what happens in the segments before now, but I'll have to here.

The scientist's boyfriend. He makes no sense.

Aside from it actually being stated that this is her boyfriend, there would be almost no way for the audience to tell. And, as the story transpires, it seems that he is only there as an excuse to make things go badly for the main protagonists. It's a very flimsy and cheap way to progress the story and could surely have been done better.

And the there's the final segment. This is just awful. We have the radio host we've heard throughout the film having a Zoom interview with a very strange individual who seems to have inside knowledge of the "doors".

This segment has no redeeming features. The acting is awful, the scripting is awful, and the constant, glitching video feed, which is clearly meant to be suggestive of... Something... Is just annoying.

And then the film ends.

For a film to finish with no real answers or closure is not a deal-breaker for me. Some of the best films leave the queatuins hanging. But, when a film finishes, the final scenes are what are most salient in the audiences' minds. In this case, all of the best parts happen early, and the weakest parts are left for the closing secrions of the film, leaving them as the things the audience is left mulling over. I think this has led to the review scores being as low as they are.

It's by no means a masterpiece, but it's also not a complete disaster. It's just a shame the disaster elements are the bits the audience will be left with.

There's Something Wrong with the Children
(2023)

Frustrating when it should be scary.
I wouldn't call this a bad movie overall. The acting, direction and cinematography are all fine, but I just found the film painful to watch.

The biggest issue for me is that the protagonists just make the wrong - and often stupid - choices at every possible opportunity. Even when the plot suggests a character has done the right thing, common sense dictates that they could have made a smarter choice.

This is especially obvious in the later half if the movie, when even characters who seem to have figured out what is happening do things that make no sense to anyone who isn't following a script.

I just found the entire movie to be a frustrating, shout-at-the-screen experience that ruined the potential enjoyment of some of the ideas the film had to play with.

Ultimately, I want a horror film to make me feel tense and anxious, not angry and frustrated.

Grimcutty
(2022)

What the hell is this film trying to say?
One of the best things about many great horror films is the way they use the medium to convey a message.

Grimcutty's message (if there is one) is not only terrible, but also irresponsible.

A Ring-like viral curse is being spread by social media. Kids are injuring themselves and even killing people - including family members - as a result. The parents, understandably alarmed, start to limit their kids' access to their phones and social media.

But the twist... It's the parents causing the problems. Whenever a parent gets too worried about what their kid is getting up to online, this makes said kid a target for the demonic Grimcutty.

So the message is: parents being protective of their kids and trying to keep them away from potentially harmful stuff online is the the real danger, and kids will be safer if they're just allowed to do what they want without restrictions.

I'm not a parent, but even I can see that this is a ridiculous idea to try and float. Admittedly, I don't think many people will try and read that deeply into this particular flick but, for those that do, it's not a great message.

I get the feeling that the film-makers just sat round a table and brainstormed ideas for how to make a film appeal to modern teenagers.

"Teens love Tim Tok, Instagram and YouTube. Can we do something with that?" "Teens hate it when their parents get preachy about what they're into, so let's make them the bad guys."

To be fair, the acting was largely good. Usman Ally as the dad pushed suspension of disbelief pretty close to its limits but this had far more to do with the script than his acting skills: if you're handed a rotten steak, it's going to be rotten no matter how good a cook you are.

The Grimcutty monster itself was laughably bad. It was cartoonist in design (seemed like the designers went for the obvious low-hanging fruit and just put Momo's head on Slenderman's body) and was further let down by poor CGI and absolutely no attempt at a subtle reveal; first time we see it, it's just there. No subtle suggestion, no mystique, just a big, clumsy Goosebumps monster on full display

These are just some of the issues, but this review is already long enough.

Maybe somebody thought this was a clever idea for a film, but I was left with the distinct impression that this was a cynical cash-grab exploiting the friction between the popularity of social media amongst kids, and their parents' well-meaning efforts to keep them safe.

At best: a bland and underwhelming effort.

At worst: toxic.

Where's Rose
(2021)

If slowburn indie horror is your thing, this is for you.
Took me a while to get round to this purely because some of the reviews were very negative.

When I did eventually watch it, I was so glad I did.

It's a great little mystery horror. Despite a low budget, the cinematography is great, the acting is on-point (with a few forgivable exceptions) and the script is clever. Theres' a twist that is sign-posted throughout but never obviously enough that it ruins the ending. I had suspicions of what was going to happen but still found the final reveal rewarding.

There are several negative reviews on IMDB but, for the most part, these seem to miss the point. In particilar, a review titled "Doesn't make any sense" misses the point entirely. There's more than one way to interpret this film and there is a lot of scope to unpick the symbolism; that reviewer clearly just took the whole thing literally.

As I said in the title, if slowburn horror appeals to you, and you don't mind lower-budgey (but still very well made!) indie films, you could do a lot worse than this!

Slender
(2016)

An indie film with the odds stacked against it.
I'll start off by pointing out that Slender had some major post-production hurdles to jump. Due to ownership rights of the Slenderman character, the film-makers apparently had to edit out a lot of references to, and on-screen representations of the familiar character. I write this review with that in mind.

In all honesty, I think the film-makers had some good approaches and nice ideas. There are several scenes where the actors are clearly off-script and just ad-libing their lines and actions. These scenes really stand out as believable and memorable, and hark back to the "guerilla filming" approach of The Blair Witch Project.

Sadly, and unlike The Blair Witch Project, this film has a script that is both badly thought-out, and seems to be too rigidly adhered to for the style of film the creators seemed to be trying to make.

There are frequent moments where its hard to believe that any single person - let alone and entire film crew - could go along with what they have planned. The final section, in particular, sees one character behave like an utter sociopath, and the surrounding characters initially object before quickly deciding to join in, despite all of their moral and logical objections, with no real reason for doing so.

There are several scenes where Slender Man was clearly pictures or mentioned, but was then edited out. To be fair. These edits are presented as visual or audio glitches which fit in with the story and myhtis of the character, and are largely well-handled. I've watched this film twice and it was only after reading about the legal issues before my second viewing that I could spit that these edits were censoring things out. Some of these scenes suggest there were subtle hints of Slenderman in the background but they could just have easily been cheap jumo-scares in some scenes. Given the editing and censorship, it's hard to tell what these scenes would have looked like if presented as originally intended.

Overall though, and even making allowance for the troubled post-production, Slender just doesn't hit the marks it aims for.

Far too much of the film is taken up with letting us get to know the main characters, with very little left for plot profession. The horror aspect, which is what a film like this is really all about, only really comes into play in the final 15-20 minutes and, even then, is largely a montage of angsty characters fretting over where other characters have gone.

The characters themselves are hard to pin down. In some scenes they seem genuine and relatable, but in others act as cheap movie clichés which are utterly unbelievable.

It's a shame. I thing the creators has good intentions for this film and approached some things in novel and effective ways. But, ultimately, these few imaginative sparks were obscured my poor writing and mediocre execution. Forced censorship of any direct Slender Man references wasn't so much the nail in the coffin as patting down the earth on the grave.

I would be interested to see what the film-makers do in future - there's potential there - but I don't think Slender demonstrates that potential anywhere clearly enough.

1974: La posesión de Altair
(2016)

Found Footage Horror - finally found again.
I am a fan of Found Footage movies but, I would be the first to admit that the majority are garbage.

When done well, these films feel like genuine artefacts from their own mythology. The rest of the time, they feel like unimaginative attempts to jump on a low-budget bandwagon.

The opening scenes of 1974: Le Posesion De Altair didn't fill me with confidence. The Super-8 film stock seemed a bit contrived and one particular early scene featured what seemed to me to be some very obvious and low-effort CGI.

But, I stuck with it, and I'm glad I did!

As the film progressed, the atmosphere and the intrigue only deepened, and the plot drew me in to the point of forgetting my earlier criticisms very quickly.

Now, for minor spoilers (but I won't give anything of weight away): I've always believed that FF movies should not have atmospheric music; sound should just be what the camera catches and any additional music just weakens the sense of realism. While I stand by that in general, this film actually made me rethink how solidly to stick to that. While it is subtle, there is plenty of ambient and atmospheric music present on this film, but it never weakens the scenes; rather, it adds to the feeling that we are watching some sort of documentary. I've rarely seen it work in FF movies before, but it works here.

Secondly - and the biggest POTENTIAL SPOILER I'm going to post: The film culminates with the revelation of a huge bait-and-switch. This could have totally killed the movie, but the way it is revealed, and the way it fits with all that the viewer has been shown so far makes it a moment of draw-dropping realisation.

I know I sound like I'm gushing, and I won't claim this film is without flaws (the black doorways and the delivery of their components are never really touched on. Nor is the "aging" if Carlo. Several threads are left dangling, in fact). Despite that, for me, this was one if the best examples of a Found Footage movie I've seen since Blair Witch Project, Lake Mungo or Savageland.

If you're a fan if the genre, I highly recommend it.

The Predator
(2018)

Felt like I was watching a movie from the early 2000's.
And not a good one.

Everything about this film seemed outdated and outclassed.

The music would have been more suited to a thrilling family adventure. The special effects were serviceable at best, sub-par for the most part. The "humour" was inane and massively overused. The characters were routinely lacklustre and clichéd and, in some instances, downright offensive.

On top of this, the story just doesn't make sense. So many things happen that we're just expected to accept.

The guy and the kid playing with the alien weaponry just manage to get it to do exactly the right thing through sheer luck every single time? Yep.

Child instinctively understands aliens motives even when the audience doesn't? Sure.

The alien understands how a US postal address works? Apparently.

If I really had to dig and find a redeeming feature of this film, it would be... ... . . .

Well, I have seen worse. I'm struggling to think of titles right now, but I'm sure I have.

If you enjoyed the original Predator and want a follow-up which is worth your time, watch the recently-released Prey. Now that is a film that understood what made the original work, and yet still managed to take it in a different direction.

The Predator, on the other hand, is everything a sequel shouldn't be.

Prey
(2022)

The first Predator follow-up of value since P2
And, in all honesty, this may actually be better than P2. I can't quite decide on that. Thst film was great but shows it's age a lot these days.

The story is solid and riveting, and the performances are mostly great.

Just as promised, this captures the feel of the original and what made it great without simply emulating the first film.

I've seen several negative reviews calling this out as "woke" and complaining about the female lead. I think these reviews say more about the reviewers than the film. Despite having a female lead, this film doesn't feel like it's just pushing an agenda, and everything is presented in a way that is believable within the scope of the film. All movies like this contain elements of pure fantasy. It's interesting to see which elements some people can accept and which they can't.

Ultimately though, I was impressed. With a strong script and great pacing, Prey easily outperforms most films that came before it in the franchise. My biggest niggle is that there were some moments of sub-par CGI, mainly involving animals, but these were far from a deal-breaker.

There are also several little nods to previous films which don't weaken the story but are satisfying when you recognise them.

If you enjoyed P1 and P2 (or just P1!) then this is well worth your time.

The Summoned
(2022)

Music was mismanaged
The film starts off as a slow burn mystery. Or it tries to. Clues to what is actually going on are handed out way to frequently.

When the big reveal hits, it feels a bit rushed and heavy-handed.

All that being said though, there is a solid, enjoyable film here.

My biggest gripe was the music. Don't get me wrong, it's well written, well orchestrated and well produced, but the way it is used just seems dated. It seems to try too hard, to the point that many scenes seem to have too much music. It made me think of soundtracks to late 90s and early 2000s straight-to-video movies. The music was by no means bad, but just overplayed. It's like the film-makers had no faith in the shots to create the desired atmosphere and fell back on the music to do the job. It should be a shared responsibility.

Wrong Turn
(2021)

Two films in one, but only one is worth watching.
I'm sure you've had that experience. You see a great film. Then a sequel is released so you go watch it only to find that it's not a patch on the original. It changes everything, lacks the intelligence and nuance of the original and just straight-up undermines what the first film was trying to say.

Now imagine you had both of those experiences in one film. That is Wrong Turn.

On the one hand, there is the movie about the group of teens who go hiking in the wilderness and, ignoring advice they've been given by the locals, stray off the path. That may sound like a huge cliche, but what the film does with the established tropes and the audience's expectations is actually very clever and subversive. I was genuinely impressed by how this storyline played out.

But, when I thought the film was reaching the end, another unexpected scene began. A quick press of the pause button showed that the film still had over 40 minutes left to go. This made no sense to me. The film had played out in a rewarding and intelligent arc. What could be left?

What was left was essentially a side-story, teased at the beginning, centred around Matthew Modine's character. Now, Modine does a great job and I'm not criticising him at all, but ever scene he is in is not only superfluous, but actually weakens the overall film.

This is essentially a sequel which plays out within the original film, and it is not good. Characters make ridiculous decisions.

Rules established in the first part of the film are abandoned with no explanation.

Things happen that make no sense, and are given no explanation.

And, above all, all of the clever social commentary, the unexpected, intelligent about-faces... every message it seemed like the film was trying to convey: all of it is swept aside to make room for a nonsensical, utterly shallow finale which makes absolutely no sense.

I have never seen a film where the phrase "less is more" should have been more relevant.

Don't get me wrong: there's actually a great movie in here. It's just such a shame that it literally got mixed in with a lacklustre and unnecessary side-story.

As much as I like Matthew Modine, if you really want to get the best from this film, only watch the parts that he is not in.

Escape the Field
(2022)

Entertaining but derivative
Ever seen the Canadian cult sci-fi thriller Cube?

How about Netflix's adaptation if the Stephen King story In The Long Grass?

Well, imagine the story of the first, but the setting of the second. That is what you have here.

And that's it. There's nothing new, nothing imaginative; just "Cube, but in a field".

Don't get me wrong, I wasn't bored at all, but everything just seemed too familiar. But there were other problems.

Some parts where painfully predictable. Others where the most over-played of clichés (the ex-soldier still haunted by how he let his platoon down, anyone?).

At one point, a character makes reference to something they couldn't have known about. It seems like a really clumsy hint that this character is not to be trusted, but it's never followed up, so why include it? Either the film-makers thought it was a clever way of second guessing the audience (it's not, because it makes things even more nonsensical) or they were not aware of their own continuity.

How about the "Impassable door" that totally blocks our heroes, only for one of them very shortly later to pass through (off camera and without any explanation or reference) with no apparent difficulty. Twice!

As I said, despite all the criticisms, I can't claim I wasn't entertained. The pace was good, and the acting largely fine (though a few of the characters were so 2D they would hardly have been missed however well acted).

It's just that, at best, it offered nothing new and, at worst, fell prey to all manner of clichés and plot-contrivences.

The River
(2012)

So disappointed.
I heard about this show several years ago and have been eager to see it ever since. Recently, I finally got the opportunity and, I have to say, I was extremely disappointed.

I was expecting a 'found footage' style show. Instead, what I got was a fake reality TV series, which is a very different thing.

Found Footage, when it works, relies on being believable. Reality TV, on the other hand, is usually heavily contrived and over-dramatised. This may make it more entertaining but also makes it far less believable.

So, to make a fictional show, and then present it in the guise of a genre which is already extremely fake and contrived, makes it very hard for the viewer to suspend their disbelief.

As far as the plot goes, it would have been entertaining at best as a standard mystery/thriller series but, presented as it is, it's just cringe-inducingly unbelievable.

Compounding all of these issues is the fact that, rather than having a core story that is steadily revealed, this show follows a 'Monster Of The Week' pattern, with the characters facing a new, totally indendant threat every episode. The central plot thread is always present to some extent, but for the main part the series plays out like Scooby-Doo, with a new villain to outwit and unmask with each episode. It feels cheap and contrived.

Had this been presented in a more 'standard' format, I think I'd have enjoyed it a lot more.

Had it been done in a real Found Footage style, it could have been great, but I think it may have maybe appealed to a more niche audience.

But, the choice to frame it as a cheap, generic reality show was short-sighted and cynical. It simply doesn't work.

Werewolves Within
(2021)

Highly enjoyable, but too predictable.
I'll start off by saying that, despite my criticisms, I really enjoyed this film.

The humour was good, with a pretty much constant flow of one-liners and zingers. Even when it wasn't laugh-out-loud funny, it was still entertaining and endearing.

The characters weren't particularly original or realistic, but suited the story perfectly.

My only real gripe is that the major plot reveal is just way to obvious. The identity of the werewolf is so heavily signposted from the very beginning that most of the movie is spent just waiting for the characters to catch up. In the final moments before the reveal I started to hope that I was wrong and the movie was just playing a huge bait-and-switch, which would have been far better, but this was not to be.

As I said though, despite the fact that I figured out the major it twist within the first 5-10 minutes, I still had a great time watching this movie. Give it a go.

Lured
(2019)

Hints at promise early on; doesn't deliver.
I could see past the low budget.

I could see past the amateurish acting.

I could see past the moments of cringe-worthy dialogue and monologue.

I could see past the unbelievable and illogical actions of some characters.

I could see past all this and more because I felt, despite everything, there was an interesting story underneath it all.

But then, at the eleventh hour, the filmmakers decide to throw in a "plot twist" that renders everything the audience has sat through so far basically meaningless. That may have been forgivable if the twist actually added something or even made sense, but it doesnt; it's simple an attempt to be unpredictable regardless of whether or not it works.

Ultimately, this is a film I sat through because I thought it may deliver despite its shortcomings, but actually ended up disappointimg me.

The Deep House
(2021)

Original but not perfect
First of all, bear in mind that this is an indy movie and, as such, it operates on a budget and doesn't have to conform to Hollywood norms. There's at least one 1/10 review on here already from a viewer who needs to either watch more movies or just stop posting reviews.

The acting is good and the cinematography is effective. This film uses a lot of POV and diagetic camera shots, but it doesn't try to be a 'found-footage' movie. These shots are used simply because they suit the scenes well.

The combination of these POV camera views and the claustrophobic, underwater setting add to the oppressive atmosphere.

Ultimately, it's a film that uses old and familiar tropes in an original setting. It doesn't reinvent the wheel, but it's original enough to be worth your time.

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