Since my brother was in town this weekend, I thought we'd celebrate by going to see a 3D horror flick. Since my brother's girlfriend came with him, she came with us and for the first time watched a horror movie all the way through.
The 3D part was interesting and oddly effective in a way I didn't expect. Yes, the film-makers did use the 3D for all it was worth in a couple of gorey scenes, but I found myself really getting into it with the mundane scenes - a bizarre thing when the camera's going down a grocery store aisle and I felt like I could reach out and grab a box of cereal. Put it in a horror movie, and it's especially cool - I mean, if the cereal is real, it makes the horrific parts feel a bit more real, too.
Aside from that, of course, there was the stuff of the movie itself. I liked the scenes in the actual mine, very atmospheric. I kinda liked Jensen Ackles (he's better in Supernatural) but the writing of the movie was not good enough for me to be impressed by his taste.
Best part of the movie: the gimmicks with the baddie himself. (Save the fact that one dude with a pick-ax kept killing people who shouldn't have been that easy to kill - I mean, come on, dude has a pick-ax. Pick-ax vs. gun shouldn't be a close thing. Gimme a break.)
Oh, and the part where a gun went off with the barrel aimed at the camera and people in the audience freaked out and ducked. That part was hilarious.
Worst part of the movie: lots of people doing typical, moronic horror movie stuff that really shows bad writing and makes the characters annoying. Oh, and there were plot holes, too.
In the end, I'm not sure if I'm glad I saw it or if I want my money back. If it hadn't been in 3D, I'd say money back. But I will admit the 3D was used well - and it was throughout the movie, none of this "Put your glasses on now" monkey business that basically says, "Okay, now we're going to throw something at the camera in a few seconds."
Still, the writing... not so good. They threw in a twist at the end, too, which they just didn't pull off, thus making the whole climax much less, "Whoa!" and much more, "Seriously? That's where you want to take this?" You know a horror movie isn't working when you're annoyed instead of creeped out.
2 comments:
Actually, to comment on the pick-ax thing, in real life it doesn't take much to take a guy with a gun. If a person with a knife is within something like 40 feet, the odds are pretty even. People can move pretty quick and if the gun-guy misses, well, it's hard to fight a knife or pick-ax close up with a gun. You're just as likely to shoot yourself.
Huh. Well, that makes sense once I think about it. Still didn't work in the movie, though - not close enough to make the difference.
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