It is of little surprise to come across a lame horror film in the early year studio dumping grounds but it is however surprising to learn that such a film is not an Asian horror remake even if it seems to be trying quite hard to be one. One thing I would like to clear up is that this is not The Uninvited (a superior thriller) this is The Unborn (a superiorly bad chiller), so make sure you don't go to the wrong one.
David S. Goyer is a peculiar man. Having scripted and developed stories for fantastic films such as Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, Blade and some other upcoming superhero efforts, every time he fortes' into directing the results are all but underwhelming. That is not to say all writers can direct as this is certainly not the case, but I am confused as how even the writing in the features he directs are poor such as with the finale, Blade: Trinity the disappointing The Invisible and now this. He is certainly talented so his failures are even more disillusioning.
Many horror films go downhill around the time of their finale, but after a solid opening, The Unborn succumbs to the doldrums after the thirty minute mark roles around and continues shooting itself in the foot until the yawn inducing climax. What I found to be the largest determent to this fright flick is its lack of atmosphere. When looking at movies like The Uninvited or The Orphanage their stories are smart and the twist is never at the expense of the preceding acts. They are about atmosphere and build-up and are only perforated by 'boo' moments. The Unborn on the other hand is all about the boogie monster popping out and the story exists only as a mould for its dirt cheap scares.
Following the suicide of her mother years earlier Casey Beldon (Odette Yustman) has all but moved on with her life. She enjoys hanging with her sarcastic friend Romy (Meagan Good) and sees a future with her boyfriend Mark (Cam Gigandet). But following an odd encounter during a babysitting job across the street her past is forced back upon her. She learns she is a twin following the discovery of a genetic eye colour abnormality. Casey's father explains the young Beldon died in utero with her cord wrapped around his neck. Subsequently she is haunted by strange visions and horrible dreams and seeks council from a rabbi (Gary Oldman) and her long lost grandmother and is willing to do anything to rid herself of the possession slowly taking control of her.
I am not going to delve into the full plot in this review because to be honest, it is far to jumbled to fit into a coherent paragraph. And jumbled is exactly what the story becomes and as Casey's newly found grandmother (why her father failed to tell her, or why she failed to look Casey up is never explained) begins to ramble about dead twins, Nazi's and ancient lore it becomes too convenient and too stupid to invest in. Jane Alexander who plays Casey's grandmother, a former Auschwitz resident, is utterly awful and whose idea it was to simply add V's to the beginning of all her words to emulate a German accent. Gary Oldman seems lost and partially embarrassed to be in such trash and is actually overshadowed by Yustman who made her equally well acted debut as the damsel in distress in Cloverfield.
Even with some effective, if not cheap, scares The Unborn boasts far too many lulls between the frights to remain at all involving. The downtime is crammed with expositive plot elements and Casey running around in her underwear. One thing that can sometimes keep a film lacking this much afloat is a strong lead. While Yustman is strong her character acts so irrationally and evokes such a bizarre demeanour even I found it hard at time to believe her stories about demon Nazi babies and I knew what was going on (mostly). With some fun slasher flicks entering theatres and The Uninvited providing a far smarter and more effective outlet for horror fans, The Unborn seems dead on delivery.
3.5 / 10.0
Read all my reviews at: http://www.simonsaysmovies.blogspot.com
David S. Goyer is a peculiar man. Having scripted and developed stories for fantastic films such as Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, Blade and some other upcoming superhero efforts, every time he fortes' into directing the results are all but underwhelming. That is not to say all writers can direct as this is certainly not the case, but I am confused as how even the writing in the features he directs are poor such as with the finale, Blade: Trinity the disappointing The Invisible and now this. He is certainly talented so his failures are even more disillusioning.
Many horror films go downhill around the time of their finale, but after a solid opening, The Unborn succumbs to the doldrums after the thirty minute mark roles around and continues shooting itself in the foot until the yawn inducing climax. What I found to be the largest determent to this fright flick is its lack of atmosphere. When looking at movies like The Uninvited or The Orphanage their stories are smart and the twist is never at the expense of the preceding acts. They are about atmosphere and build-up and are only perforated by 'boo' moments. The Unborn on the other hand is all about the boogie monster popping out and the story exists only as a mould for its dirt cheap scares.
Following the suicide of her mother years earlier Casey Beldon (Odette Yustman) has all but moved on with her life. She enjoys hanging with her sarcastic friend Romy (Meagan Good) and sees a future with her boyfriend Mark (Cam Gigandet). But following an odd encounter during a babysitting job across the street her past is forced back upon her. She learns she is a twin following the discovery of a genetic eye colour abnormality. Casey's father explains the young Beldon died in utero with her cord wrapped around his neck. Subsequently she is haunted by strange visions and horrible dreams and seeks council from a rabbi (Gary Oldman) and her long lost grandmother and is willing to do anything to rid herself of the possession slowly taking control of her.
I am not going to delve into the full plot in this review because to be honest, it is far to jumbled to fit into a coherent paragraph. And jumbled is exactly what the story becomes and as Casey's newly found grandmother (why her father failed to tell her, or why she failed to look Casey up is never explained) begins to ramble about dead twins, Nazi's and ancient lore it becomes too convenient and too stupid to invest in. Jane Alexander who plays Casey's grandmother, a former Auschwitz resident, is utterly awful and whose idea it was to simply add V's to the beginning of all her words to emulate a German accent. Gary Oldman seems lost and partially embarrassed to be in such trash and is actually overshadowed by Yustman who made her equally well acted debut as the damsel in distress in Cloverfield.
Even with some effective, if not cheap, scares The Unborn boasts far too many lulls between the frights to remain at all involving. The downtime is crammed with expositive plot elements and Casey running around in her underwear. One thing that can sometimes keep a film lacking this much afloat is a strong lead. While Yustman is strong her character acts so irrationally and evokes such a bizarre demeanour even I found it hard at time to believe her stories about demon Nazi babies and I knew what was going on (mostly). With some fun slasher flicks entering theatres and The Uninvited providing a far smarter and more effective outlet for horror fans, The Unborn seems dead on delivery.
3.5 / 10.0
Read all my reviews at: http://www.simonsaysmovies.blogspot.com