Reservoir Hill (2009– ) User Reviews

Make up your own mind.

[edogould · 6/10 · 27 August 2013]

Just because it's not standard issue, it doesn't mean it's a bad film/video. There is so much high priced putrid doo doo(curse words are banned on IMDb reviews. In addition to the aforementioned fear of strong language, it is also required to write ten lines even if six would do. ( you also can't fill the quota by writing 300 blah blahs)) that comes out of Hollywood it is refreshing to see things like this. For a young(mostly)cast there is some decent acting. The cinimawhateverit'scalled is cool. The location: a suburban tract in New Zealand of all places is fantastic (I had higher hopes for our new Zealindian friends). Kind of cool; not great but not a waste of my time or the people who worked on it. Check it out.

So-So

[albrechtcm · 4/10 · 17 January 2013]

This had the makings of a pretty good mystery. The new girl in town happens to look exactly like an unpopular girl who disappeared five months ago. Lots of problems there, to be sure. All the interactions are interesting and the pace is good, but unfortunately, like so many films of this genre, the ending is a big disappointment. In fact it's so lame it's really annoying. I don't want to include spoilers, but I'm not sure the writers could work out a real ending so they just stopped. The film ends with a 'To be continued' attachment, so possibly the producers meant to have a sequel that helps explain everything, although surely it couldn't take a sequel to explain just how all this came to pass in the first place. I saw this as a complete film, so I don't know whether there ever was or ever will be a sequel, but that's all right. It kept me guessing for 90 minutes and you can't outguess them all, especially when they end as this one did. I saw it on Netflix so it didn't cost anything extra. You get what you pay for. Since reviewing this title above, I've learned that what I actually viewed was the first two episodes of a TV series. There has been an increasingly unfortunate series of chunks of TV series plopped onto DVDs and passed off as feature films. Steven Seagal's recent True Justice is another that comes to mind. Usually these are the first two episodes of a series, complete...in a way, but not complete in the way most features are. Most features, unless the producers are planning a sequel, close with a feeling that all the t's have been crossed and all the i's dotted. The story is over. We know most of the characters will still have a life after this, but essentially, it's a new life and a new story. With these TV episodes, even though they're reasonably complete in one or two episodes, too much is left up in the air for us to come away with the satisfaction of knowing the story is over. If we plan to watch every episode,that's fine, but to me at least, that's not a movie. It's more like the old timey serials, except they left the hero hanging over the fire pit or something. These just whimper out in the hope that next week you'll tune in to see what's going to happen next. Personally I object to taking a segment of one of these and trying to pass it off as a complete feature film. Overall, very unsatisfying.

Very clever

[carmen-99881 · 9/10 · 24 July 2015]

When you watch these two series of short episodes you need keep in mind what they are - interactive TV aimed at teens.

The texts that Beth receives throughout both series are from viewers and the filming is done each week, 2 days before airing. Something like those pick-a-path books you used to read as a kid (to think that used to be called interactive)

With this in mind I think the quality is fantastic and I think it is well suited for its audience. It keeps you guessing, the pace is good, the acting is great and the fantastic soundtrack would work with any decent thriller. I am also very, very pleased that the filming does not include that 'handheld camera' style which leaves me feeling sea sick.

If you are expecting a well rounded storyline with developing characters, this is probably not going to satisfy.