Ahoy, squirts! I have an update from the below reviewer who wanted to respond to some of the talkback critiques, so below the initial review you'll find more about the plot and what he didn't like about the ending (minus any specific spoilers, in case you were worried about reading). Enjoy!
Ahoy, squirts! Quint here with our first look at RED EYE, the newest work of horror from Wes Craven. I really wanted CURSED to be good, but even when I saw the R-rated cut at an early screening it just wasn't up to snuff. I find it hard to see the Wes Craven that directed THE HILLS HAVE EYES and A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET and SERPENT AND THE RAINBOW in anything he's done in a long while. People slag on it now (mostly due to the sequels, is my guess), but if you remember the first SCREAM was damn gruesome and had terrific pace, but even then his films were looking too bright and sharp. NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET felt like a dirty film, you know? There was a grit to it. I hope he can pull RED EYE together with continued editing, pacing and sound designing... I certainly don't like watching bad Wes Craven movies, that's for sure... Anyway, here's the review!
I hate to be overly critically of test screened films, especially those that aren't set to release for another four months, but I am sorry to announce that Wes Craven's latest is probably his worst. Last night, I saw Red Eye. So I guess in this post-Notebook society, Rachel McAdams is going to be the cheap Jennifer Garner, but I don't really get it. Stop me when I get too offensive, but when you name your bad guy Jackson Ripner, you're kind of asking for it. Most of the dialogue is really cheesy. I'm sure most of the best examples that come to mind will be cut, but not all. Too much focus is placed in the beginning of the film on the other passengers who wind up playing a negligable role in the film. I know that in this kind of suspense thriller movie, the filmmaker sometimes stretches the limits of believablity, but for me they just about snapped halfway through. Cillian Murphy is at least consistantly creepy, but the combination of the acting on the part of the secondary cast and the unnecessary, unmotivated plot turns turn me off to this film. Good thing it was free.
Perhaps-overly-critical Anonymous Test Screener Attendee
And here's the follow-up!
McAdams is on a flight back to Florida and the hotel she manages after her grandmother's funeral. On the flight, fellow passenger Cillian Murphy explains that in order to assassinate a member of the homeland security board, he needs her to call the hotel and move the guest to another room. When she resists, Murphy explains that people are waiting outside her father's house, ready to kill. The film's premise, as stated here, is not built upon to any significant level but ends in a wholly unbelievable chase sequence with continuity errors galore and a final, anti-climactic showdown.
I was just trying to warn people about it, I didn't realize all they wanted was the plot.
This would have been a talkback but I can't register as I am an aol user. I will understand if this doesn't end up on the page. I'm just on the defensive now.
Perhaps-overly-critical Anonymous Test Screener Attendee
