I liked this film, I'll admit that right off the bat. Though I'm not an advocate of the seminal "torture porn" subgenre that has emerged in recent years, I felt that the creativity of the torture methods is worth noting. The use of killing methods that evoke a bodily response from the viewer (we know what it's like to be sunburnt, we've all stumbled with acid in grade 9 science) makes for a truly terrifying set of spectacles. And on top of that, the acting is pretty solid - solid enough that you'll feel like you're watching an episode of Law and Order, albeit one that takes pleasure in emphasizing its gorier set pieces.
So, why a 6? Because this film is hopelessly irresponsible in its depiction of modern internet culture and technology. If I didn't know any better, I'd swear this film was made by a panel of conservative old men in white slacks and collared golf shirts; many of whom believe that, in light of the occasional depravity (I have no doubt that Saddam Hussein's YouTube hanging inspired this narrative), all the youth of today wants to do is watch people suffer.
This narrative assumes that the "YouTube Generation" (as much as I hate that connotation to begin with) consists of a legion of voyeuristic savages whose primal curiosity of the forbidden outweighs their capacity for morality. When people in Film Studies programs around the World write essays on this film (If I can even give it that kind of credit), they will be getting a very, VERY flawed message. For the most part, the only insight YouTube provides us is into the playful, sometimes imaginative minds of todays teens - whose postings are overwhelmingly harmless. The recent streaming video explosion is not the CAUSE of our fascination with death, it is at best just another MEDIUM to expose a tendency that has existed as part of the human condition for as long as we've been around.
So, why a 6? Because this film is hopelessly irresponsible in its depiction of modern internet culture and technology. If I didn't know any better, I'd swear this film was made by a panel of conservative old men in white slacks and collared golf shirts; many of whom believe that, in light of the occasional depravity (I have no doubt that Saddam Hussein's YouTube hanging inspired this narrative), all the youth of today wants to do is watch people suffer.
This narrative assumes that the "YouTube Generation" (as much as I hate that connotation to begin with) consists of a legion of voyeuristic savages whose primal curiosity of the forbidden outweighs their capacity for morality. When people in Film Studies programs around the World write essays on this film (If I can even give it that kind of credit), they will be getting a very, VERY flawed message. For the most part, the only insight YouTube provides us is into the playful, sometimes imaginative minds of todays teens - whose postings are overwhelmingly harmless. The recent streaming video explosion is not the CAUSE of our fascination with death, it is at best just another MEDIUM to expose a tendency that has existed as part of the human condition for as long as we've been around.