***As you'll see below, my initial rating for this was a 4, but after thinking a little more, in comparison to other 4's in this genre, I raised it to a 5."
As the review title says, I had such high hopes for this after seeing the trailer and then reading the few reviews that are in IMDB. Alas...not only were my hopes not met, but they were sorely undershot.
The movie itself sheds absolutely no new ground. This is something I can totally get over, especially in the horror genre, as let's face it...it's difficult to come up with a fresh, new idea these days. That said, "In A Violent Nature" (IAVN) is the "20 something's at the cabin in the woods with undead killer chasing them" theme (a la Friday The 13th). Again, I have absolutely ZERO problem with retreads, but I know many IMDB reviewers who think they are God's gift to film critiques will soon put forth the reviews about how this is nothing more than a boring Friday The 13th ripoff. So with that, here are my thoughts. I will NOT discuss the plot, as I figure if you're reading this, you already pretty much have the plot down.
POSITIVES:
NEGATIVES:
Ultimately what it comes down to is that the script doesn't spend any time allowing tension to build. It just goes goes goes, boring boring boring, then BAM...one kill. Then it repeats...nothing nothing nothing, then BAM! Another very quick kill.
It should be noted that prior to the review, I had rated this as a 4. As I wrote, I felt like a 4 was likely a little low. If the acting had been ANY less than it was (which certainly isn't saying much), a 4 would have been appropriate, but as I ponder it the special fx and few gore scenes keep the film from rating too low. So...a 5 it is.
Look...this is nowhere near a BAD film. And there are some positive aspects to it, but it is really slow. As noted, the first 40 minutes is basically nothing. We don't even get to "meet" the characters, as we only see them in a group setting. What forthcoming reviews might look like are simple: "boring...Friday the 13th ripoff...nothing new," and to a point, they will be right. It is boring between kills, and it is definitely a genre film, but the kills are interesting. At least half of them I don't recall seeing so there's that. The writer, and subsequently the director, spent too much time TRYING to tell a story without words, but in attempting to build tension through silence, they failed to tell anything. It's almost as if they thought too hard and simply overthought what they needed to do.
None notes on content:
As the review title says, I had such high hopes for this after seeing the trailer and then reading the few reviews that are in IMDB. Alas...not only were my hopes not met, but they were sorely undershot.
The movie itself sheds absolutely no new ground. This is something I can totally get over, especially in the horror genre, as let's face it...it's difficult to come up with a fresh, new idea these days. That said, "In A Violent Nature" (IAVN) is the "20 something's at the cabin in the woods with undead killer chasing them" theme (a la Friday The 13th). Again, I have absolutely ZERO problem with retreads, but I know many IMDB reviewers who think they are God's gift to film critiques will soon put forth the reviews about how this is nothing more than a boring Friday The 13th ripoff. So with that, here are my thoughts. I will NOT discuss the plot, as I figure if you're reading this, you already pretty much have the plot down.
POSITIVES:
- The sound and sound editing are absolutely top notch. The opening scene where Johnny comes back to "life" sounds amazing. Each subtle movement of individual leaves can be heard as clearly as the day is long. Once awakened he starts his undead killer's stereotypical slow-walk, but the sound is super crisp. I really enjoyed that aspect of the film. This crispness carries over to the (relatively few) kills, making them sound really splattertastic!
- Ok, so TBH, I'm a gore hound! When I saw the trailers and the one-off print marketing, I was stoked thinking about the splatter mash I was in store for. Again, focusing on the positives, the special fx were really well done and gave me that awesome gore I was lookin for! Remember that crispy sound I mentioned? Now combine that with the creative kills and you've got a winner.
- I struggled to find something else that was positive, as I guess it wasn't THAT bad, but...yeh. The camera work was well done, and there were some really creative views that I don't remember seeing in horror. This, in combination with the directing were quite good. But even with the great sound, good fx, and the camera work, what really suffered was the script.
NEGATIVES:
- The movie had all the trappings of a killer horror movie with legs for years to come. Unfortunately the biggest drag on this movie is the script itself. Not necessarily the written script for dialog, rather what occurs between. Or, to be more precise, what didn't happen. Let me be clear...the film was actually rather boring, with the exception of the kills, and by kills, I mean the 5 scenes (only) that had kills. Nothing...absolutely nothing happens for the first 40 FREAKING MINUTES! The acting is not bad. It's not great, but it's not bad. The problem exists with long, extended passages of no dialog. An example is a full nearly-five minutes on screen of watching Johnny walk. Yep...just walking. This occurs multiple times and unfortunately it makes the film drag on & on at times. I would say that a good half of the film is spent with no dialog and no action. Another quarter is spent with setup, and the last (maybe) quarter ( if that) is the good stuff. But honestly, even the kills are kind of boring. They are certainly interesting, and as mentioned above, they are creative, but there is no sense of fear in half of them. The other half are over before you know it.
- The lack of any real noticeable soundtrack, or even ambient noises, negatively affected the tension throughout the film. If I remember correctly, there were even a couple of kills that had NO noise going on of any kind. No music, no noises, no sounds of dying. That was a poor decision by the filmmaker.
Ultimately what it comes down to is that the script doesn't spend any time allowing tension to build. It just goes goes goes, boring boring boring, then BAM...one kill. Then it repeats...nothing nothing nothing, then BAM! Another very quick kill.
It should be noted that prior to the review, I had rated this as a 4. As I wrote, I felt like a 4 was likely a little low. If the acting had been ANY less than it was (which certainly isn't saying much), a 4 would have been appropriate, but as I ponder it the special fx and few gore scenes keep the film from rating too low. So...a 5 it is.
Look...this is nowhere near a BAD film. And there are some positive aspects to it, but it is really slow. As noted, the first 40 minutes is basically nothing. We don't even get to "meet" the characters, as we only see them in a group setting. What forthcoming reviews might look like are simple: "boring...Friday the 13th ripoff...nothing new," and to a point, they will be right. It is boring between kills, and it is definitely a genre film, but the kills are interesting. At least half of them I don't recall seeing so there's that. The writer, and subsequently the director, spent too much time TRYING to tell a story without words, but in attempting to build tension through silence, they failed to tell anything. It's almost as if they thought too hard and simply overthought what they needed to do.
None notes on content:
- some sporadic profanity and insults. It is not extreme, but it's there
- alcohol, cigarettes, and pot are used. It's not gratuitous, but it's there
- no nudity, just some skin with bra & panties, some sexual jokes and innuendo.