Krishna
This movie was released in 2011 in the US but came to Canada only in 2012 and already has created a lot of buzz. And it kind of lives up to it too, when you go see it. Read on for more details.
Interesting that Chris Hemsworth is in this movie. It is still his early days....
This movie is about five friends going to spend a fun vacation in a cabin that they have rented in the woods. It is a secluded spot, and the five have no idea what is in store for them. By this time, you are yawning and saying, ‘Yes, have seen it like a million times, not another zombie/ slasher/ ghost flick!” But you are dead wrong.
To tell you the truth, zombies are there, you see ghosts, slashers but the story line is about none of them. It becomes apparent when you see an eagle soar in the sky and then suddenly hit an invisible barrier which appears to be electrified or something and disappears in a puff of satisfying fireball and feathers. You also know it by watching a big crowd watching their every move on cameras and taking bets on what will happen in the cellar, and also controlling their actions by specific injection of chemicals to influence behaviour.
The five people include Dana, the studious good girl who wants to bring books to the cabin but is overruled by the other friends, Curt and Jules, the blonde, who are dating, Holden the serious man with a plan, and Marty, the half geek half doped out man who seems to be smoking or snorting something constantly, but also is deeply insightful (like Dana also is). It is ultimately Dana who puts most of the things together. The other mix is the virtuous virgin (Dana), the whore (Jules), the Hunk (Curt), The Clown (Marty) and The Scholar (Holand).
The movie’s tense moments are there, when they play Truth or Dare, and Jules is asked to romance a wicked looking wolf head on the wall and you definitely know that it is going to move with a horrible background score to jangle your nerves… (But it does not)
The story is very interesting with the twist thrown in and is very creepy. It also manages to be humorous in many parts, and the unique thing is that it manages to be both funny and scary in some scenes. The mix is like ‘Drag Me to Hell’ but is much better planned and intelligently executed.
Definitely, there are also parallels with The Hunger Games, and may have been partly inspired by the book (because the movie version of The Hunger Games, reviewed here earlier, came out only in 2012)
What works, apart from the stunning ending – the last half an hour or so is a complete riot and exhilerating – is the tone of self mockery. It mocks all horror film cliches in a subtle way (look at the sample of the Japanese show that is revealed or the bear trap used by zombies to torture people or people celebrating, while, in the background, the last person is being tortured by the zombie) while being one such movie.
The ending is excellent, and visually stunning. The explanation for the whole thing given by the “wise old lady” at the end is weak, but how else do you explain what is being done?
The final ending – decision by the surviving member(s) – is also very unexpected and is kind of fun, if you think about it.
I know it is a lot of cryptic speak, but I am trying not to give away anything and spoil the experience for you.
All in all, I think it deserves a 7/10
— Krishna