I enjoyed "Hours" and it had the potential for this to be an incredible powerful story of survival. It doesn't hurt that this was sadly one of Paul Walker's last performances and he does quite well in it with the exception of a few moments of terrible dialogue. The A is all for the effort in this film because the script tries very hard, the films struggles to move you but when you hold it up against something like The Impossible it just simply doesn't come close. However, Walker fans will be proud of his intensely dramatic turn (especially towards the end) and the story is still intense and powerful at certain times. In the hands of a more seasoned director and film maker this could have been one to really watch. The entire film essentially is in the hospital and the eerie isolation of being trapped there is not lost. They do a great job of conveying this man's hopelessness after losing his wife. I'm not sure the flashback scenes to him and his wife's relationship were necessary they felt more like add in to drag out the movie but they were not awful so I won't complain much about that. I would hazard to guess the film didn't cost them much but the beauty of this movie is that you wouldn't ever know that. It doesn't feel low budget and doesn't take anything from the story.
Paul Walker is the star of this film. In some respects its a fitting last film for him because with the exception of a few flash in the pan characters it is all him and this little baby. Walker holds his own and his mental and physical deterioration comes through perfectly. His only downfall is the poor script given to him in several situations. One reviewer referred to the dialogue as "forced" and that is the perfect explanation. It doesn't seem natural at times. Still Walker shows some amazing range and emotion in a few scenes that save this from being a mess. Genesis Rodriguez does a decent as his wife but its such a small role that there isn't much she could have done wrong I think.
Our writer and director Eric Heisserer falls victim to my rule (which does have some significant exceptions) but he proves the rule still stands. Writer's shouldn't direct their own material...especially for a first time outing. His writing credits include horror, horror and more horror but he decided "Pffft I can do survival drama and move people and I can direct it too." Great concept, hugely flawed delivery. It feels clumsy and its so unfortunate because the tent poles are there for this to be amazing but it keeps stumbling and pulling you away from how good it is. Nonetheless I enjoyed it and even had some tears for the final closing scenes so I can't bash it too badly. I am only hard on the film because I think it could have been amazing and instead will have to be content at being "good." Still well worth seeing especially for Walker fans. We lost a truly amazing talent in Hollywood who had yet to really show us what he could do I think. We see a small glimpse of that in "Hours." 7/10
Paul Walker is the star of this film. In some respects its a fitting last film for him because with the exception of a few flash in the pan characters it is all him and this little baby. Walker holds his own and his mental and physical deterioration comes through perfectly. His only downfall is the poor script given to him in several situations. One reviewer referred to the dialogue as "forced" and that is the perfect explanation. It doesn't seem natural at times. Still Walker shows some amazing range and emotion in a few scenes that save this from being a mess. Genesis Rodriguez does a decent as his wife but its such a small role that there isn't much she could have done wrong I think.
Our writer and director Eric Heisserer falls victim to my rule (which does have some significant exceptions) but he proves the rule still stands. Writer's shouldn't direct their own material...especially for a first time outing. His writing credits include horror, horror and more horror but he decided "Pffft I can do survival drama and move people and I can direct it too." Great concept, hugely flawed delivery. It feels clumsy and its so unfortunate because the tent poles are there for this to be amazing but it keeps stumbling and pulling you away from how good it is. Nonetheless I enjoyed it and even had some tears for the final closing scenes so I can't bash it too badly. I am only hard on the film because I think it could have been amazing and instead will have to be content at being "good." Still well worth seeing especially for Walker fans. We lost a truly amazing talent in Hollywood who had yet to really show us what he could do I think. We see a small glimpse of that in "Hours." 7/10