Film Filter: Off- I have to admit that the first film had the element of intrigue because it was the first. The second one was mildly interesting, as it leads into the story of the first one. Did this film really need to made, though? Really?
Pros- As I found with the other two movies, the acting in these films is very believable. The character interactions feel very realistic, and even the children seem to have a very believable niche in the film, in terms of their characterization.
If you're into the ever-so-slowly-built anticipation and suspense type of thrills, you will enjoy this franchise. I will admit that it is effective in ways, but the manner in which this scare tactic should be used is the real key to building a successful film. This film doesn't quite get there.
Again, the analytic in me likes the expansion of the story, and the answers that are provided to fill in the gaps. There comes a point, though, when stories don't likely need to be continued, and I fear this franchise will reach this point sooner than they will stop putting out movies.
For any other "pros", check out my reviews of the first two films. They're all kind of the same at this point.
Cons- The beginning of the movie was slightly hard to follow through it's time changes, but once the time stamps started occurring on the film, it cleared everything up. Maybe it had just been so long since I had seen the other two, and knowing that this one is a prequel that took place when Katie and Krista where kids, I was confused to see them as adults.
As soon as the movie started taking place in 1988, it was a little odd to me that Dennis was so gung-ho on filming everything. In the first film, Micah gets a camera and is oddly obsessed with filming, and the second one uses security cameras. It makes a bit more sense when the audience realizes that Dennis is a videographer, but why would he waste his resources filming random things in the house? Eventually, enough evidence presents itself for him to want to document things, but at the beginning of the film it doesn't seem logical to me that he's wasting film on pointless things.
This. Film. Is. So. Slow. In the one hour and forty some odd minutes of its runtime, we learn probably three things total. And most of that information is awarded toward the end of the film. When you're creating the first film in a series, by all means, build the suspense and make us wait for it. But in the third installment? Please. We're invested this time for the information. Not the 72 minutes of pointless footage that includes a swinging lamp that bursts and a young girl standing in her mom's bedroom for three hours. Not to mention, when information is disclosed, it is mighty difficult to decipher it. I could figure out the connections between the witches and the markings and the house, but the whole wedding/first boy in the family really went over my head. When you line it all up from film to film it makes sense, but it took awhile for me.
There are multiple opportunities for there to have been frightening moments that were not properly taken advantage of. Examples being the Bloody Mary scene, and the baby-sitter in the kitchen. There was something that occurred, yes, but was it scary? Eh...not so much. There is a difference, to me, between a truly frightening moment, and something that seems scarier than it is because in contrast to the slow paced, boring scenes that take up 92% of the film it stands out. Anything would be scary in contrast to, well, nothing happening. I know some argue that this movie is able to deliver scares by not really doing anything but playing on people's fears of what goes bump in the night, and to a degree they have a point. If you want to save the money to see it in theaters, though, I'll show up in your bedroom and scare you for a dollar. Way cheaper.
Wrap up- This movie does a good job of creating suspense, and never fulfilling its promise of delivering anything actually scary. It's literally an hour and a half of waiting to be scared, and then watching the credits and saying, "Oh. Really? That's it?". Le sigh. I would say I have high hopes for 4 & 5, but based on eviews of the new one, I might just quit while I'm ahead. Er, behind. Whatever.
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