And, as John Shooter (speaking through Morton Rainey) once said, the ending is the only thing that matters. The acting was slightly cheesy in the beginning part of the film, but it improved as it went on. Most of the characters seemed like they fulfilled roles rather than being actually rounded themselves, but a few of them seemed very realistic (such as the junky kid) or endeared themselves to the viewers. And yes, to me, David seemed like a very real, very flawed, human being.
The spoilery part:
But yes, the ending bothered me quite a bit. Just by its nature, it was obvious that the box would pick off the characters one by one. It's at this point during which the viewer could have used a bit more backstory with the characters, to understand their motivations. However, as it was never intended to be an Oscar nominee, the viewer could probably forgive this issue. The ending was, no doubt, truly a lazy ending because of the "mysterious" finding of the box in a grassy area at the close. I was disappointed that David actually died at the end--but he did the right thing and the brave thing by killing himself in an effort to combat the box. I wanted him to live, but a lot of films seem to go with the depressing ending these days, rather than what people consider the "Hollywood ending."
Overall, I enjoyed the film. I may have gone as high as an 8 with a different ending.
The spoilery part:
But yes, the ending bothered me quite a bit. Just by its nature, it was obvious that the box would pick off the characters one by one. It's at this point during which the viewer could have used a bit more backstory with the characters, to understand their motivations. However, as it was never intended to be an Oscar nominee, the viewer could probably forgive this issue. The ending was, no doubt, truly a lazy ending because of the "mysterious" finding of the box in a grassy area at the close. I was disappointed that David actually died at the end--but he did the right thing and the brave thing by killing himself in an effort to combat the box. I wanted him to live, but a lot of films seem to go with the depressing ending these days, rather than what people consider the "Hollywood ending."
Overall, I enjoyed the film. I may have gone as high as an 8 with a different ending.