I had the uncanny ability of being able to predict what's going to happen in almost every movie or every book I experience. There have been few exceptions, and I'm sad to say that usually that doesn't make it a good story. Why this is important is because I take the time to enjoy the whole experience of the movie rather than just the story, unlike a good percent of the movie-goers out there.
The story was predictable even by the casual movie-goer's expectations. The villain of the story (Evans' brilliantly acted "Quaid") made his obsession clear from the beginning, and an obsession with the fear of others can only be taken to so many places. However, that does not mean it wasn't pleasant.
The script was excellent, each character's speech patterns different, yet far above the usual horror movie lingo. The actors were also wonderful at their jobs, dropping high-grade performances almost too crisp for their genre. The characters were almost amazing creations, each based off a typical cliché, but expanding beyond that thanks to their actors abilities. They are the kind of characters you don't want to see die, which is critical in a horror movie. The music was wonderfully indie, and the atmosphere was heavy coated with a constant sense of discomfort. Knowing what the villain planned actually helped the movie build dread, as you silently prayed for him to grow a conscience while knowing it wasn't going to happen.
What I enjoyed most about the movie, though, was the fact that it could be interpreted many different ways. The genius' behind Dread is that with the exception of their fears, most of what drives each character is only presented to you in their actions. It gives you the power to imagine, and it makes for great replay value, as you may find something the second time through that you missed.
Without reading the short story this was based off of, I give a 9/10. I especially enjoyed the strong female leads, although I wished their characters had evolved beyond the role of victims.
Now I'm off to find what story this is based off of.
The story was predictable even by the casual movie-goer's expectations. The villain of the story (Evans' brilliantly acted "Quaid") made his obsession clear from the beginning, and an obsession with the fear of others can only be taken to so many places. However, that does not mean it wasn't pleasant.
The script was excellent, each character's speech patterns different, yet far above the usual horror movie lingo. The actors were also wonderful at their jobs, dropping high-grade performances almost too crisp for their genre. The characters were almost amazing creations, each based off a typical cliché, but expanding beyond that thanks to their actors abilities. They are the kind of characters you don't want to see die, which is critical in a horror movie. The music was wonderfully indie, and the atmosphere was heavy coated with a constant sense of discomfort. Knowing what the villain planned actually helped the movie build dread, as you silently prayed for him to grow a conscience while knowing it wasn't going to happen.
What I enjoyed most about the movie, though, was the fact that it could be interpreted many different ways. The genius' behind Dread is that with the exception of their fears, most of what drives each character is only presented to you in their actions. It gives you the power to imagine, and it makes for great replay value, as you may find something the second time through that you missed.
Without reading the short story this was based off of, I give a 9/10. I especially enjoyed the strong female leads, although I wished their characters had evolved beyond the role of victims.
Now I'm off to find what story this is based off of.