Hey, all. "Moriarty" here. I'll be seeing this film tonight at the lovely Academy theater, one of the finest in town, so no matter what, I'll enjoy the actual viewing experience. As far as what I'll be viewing... that's still up for debate. I've heard a pretty broad spectrum of feedback on this picture, and since it's Robert Zemeckis, I'm sure there's a certain amount of technical accumen that's to be assumed. I'll be honest, though... I loved the CAST AWAY trailer I saw last night in front of X-MEN, and that's the one I'm really jazzed about. This one's got a script that underwhelmed me, so I'm hoping the director and the cast found a way to make it hum. Let's take a look at how Brico responded to it.
This review may contain spoilers, but the movie's so predictable it doesn't really matter. The plot we all know from the trailer. Michelle Pfieffer and Harrison Ford's daughter goes off to college, and Michelle Pfieffer starts hearing/seeing things. This might be a ghost.
(I noticed that several moments in the trailer did not appear in the movie... an odd little sidenote.)
From the very beginning of the movie, the director shoves jump after jump in the audience's face. A face appears in the frame, an arm comes out of nowhere... etc. etc. ad nauseum. This is unfortunate because throughout the first half there are a number of big moments that build fear and tension, but are destroyed by these little ones. A note to filmmakers in general: "Jump" moments can be effective when used sparingly, but if there's more than fifty in first hour, the audience gets annoyed instead of scared, and then they start to laugh. And when an audience starts to laugh, continously, at what is supposed to be a horror movie, you know you're in trouble.
Of course... I was laughing right along with them.
What Lies Beneath had a strong first half, good characters that we liked, good actors, good setting. But those jump moments kept coming and coming and destroyed any fear the audience may have had. And by halfway through, the audience didn't care anymore, and just watched this insanity play out on screen. The finale leaves much to be desired except for one brief shot that's truly scary (It involves a necklace and a bathtub). I believe the lack comes from an attempt to include twist... after twist... after twist... when the audience stopped caring half an hour ago.
I wish I could say I hated this movie as much as the rest of my group. But I thought it was very funny and almost worth going to see for free. Sadly, it was supposed to be scary, and wasn't. There are bad movies much better than this that you can go see. The tickets may have been free, but I should have stayed home.
And THAT's what I have to say.
Hmmmm. I don't ever wish I could say I hated a movie. I hope I'm pleasantly surprised, like JoBlo of JoBlo's Movie Emporium was. Check how just how much.
Rating: 8/10
PLOT: The life of a happily married couple living in Vermont is suddenly jarred from its foundation when an entity (yes, that's right people, a ghost!) invades their home. The haunting is particularly geared towards the wife, who just can't seem to figure out what the heck is going on. The workaholic husband is also worried, but mostly because he thinks that his wife is going bonkers. Together, the couple attempt to solve the mystery of their haunted home.
CRITIQUE: A well-crafted thriller, this movie delivers on various fronts including the creepy suspense, the cheap scares via the excellent camerawork, the superior score, the even better use of silence, the solid acting card punched in by one Michelle Pfeiffer and the ending which grabbed me by the nuts and refused to let go. Does anybody remember a director by the name of Alfred Hitchcock? (sarcasm, folks). Well, Robert Zemeckis sure does and he's made certain to watch every single one of his movies in order to recreate a lot of that superb Hitchcockian feel, and by golly, it seems to have worked. But before I unwillingly make this film feel like a thrill-ride, please understand that it isn't one by any means, in fact, the only real "action" in the film takes place during its final half hour. This film works in a different way. It's slow, methodical and even a little longer than it should be, but once it gets going, I was hooked with a line and a sinker. Even Ford manages to make us forget RANDOM HEARTS for a couple of hours, and effectively emotes more than one feeling in this film (hey, it's a start!). And the story, you may ask?
Well, I can't honestly say that this film is original. In fact, it's not. I recognized various elements from other suspense features roaming around in this one, with the strongest vibes resounding from REAR WINDOW, FATAL ATTRACTION and PSYCHO. Okay, the last one is probably because the "bathtub" scene in this film is comparable to the shower scene in the latter, but only because it might actually instill a fear in some people to take more baths. Actually, there is a more than obvious homage to PSYCHO as well, so I don't think Zemeckis is trying to fool anybody here. But unoriginality aside, the film does work and work very well indeed. I personally am not a very jumpy person, but Mrs. JoBlo was bouncing off the walls at every other "boo!" moment presented in the film, and so were quite a few others. The film is extremely effective in that non-teen horror flick kinda way because it actually manages to creep you out before deafening the room with its deadly silence, and then boom! Fun stuff. The last thirty minutes also slapped me silly with appreciation for the work of the man behind the camera, and an excellent ending which had its twists and turns, some very tense moments and a satisfying resolution. But I would consider myself an ass if I didn't mention the consistently great work continued here by Michelle Pfeiffer for this film. This lady is bursting with talent, secures you in the film with her appearance as an everyday woman, and is completely gorgeous to boot! Wow. Give her an Oscar already, goddamit!
Don't go see this movie if you're the type of person who is gonna be asking your cinema partner the same question every two minutes "why don't they just leave the house if it's haunted?". Listen friends, this is a movie. Work with a little suspension of disbelief (or naivete in this scenario) and enjoy the movie for the creeps that it does manage to sway in you. It's kinda like the movie that THE HAUNTING was billed as being, but wasn't even close. And this one might actually scare you crapless if sitting at home alone in the dark. Take a friend, squeeze an arm (or whatever else is close) and enjoy the first great thriller of the summer.
PS: Pooh on the damn marketing people at Dreamworks for spoiling a good chunk of this film for everyone. It would've been nice NOT to know some of the things that they give away in the trailer, but alas, tis the business of show, and I guess that's all part of the biz.
