Was really intrigued by the premise of 'Last Shift'. The poster/cover and advertising also looked quite creepy. Was encouraged a little by the average rating and divisive reviews, considering my recent viewings of low-budget films which tended to be poorly received on both counts. So it wasn't as if 'Last Shift' didn't have anything going for it. It actually did have a sizeable degree of potential.
'Last Shift' didn't really live up to much of its potential, turning out to be a film that was nowhere near as good as its premise. It is not unwatchable, it has its good things, and there are certainly far worse films, not just overall but of its genre. It is sadly a case of losing steam far too early after a promising start, with a good first third, and playing it too safe, not enough new ideas or risks and it gets silly and at points dull.
There are good things. Was pleasantly surprised by how good the production values were, the film is very well shot, eerily lit and makes the most of the simple but atmospheric locations. The editing is cohesive at least as well. The sound is not overbearing or obvious, not making the scares too foreseeable.
Juliana Harkovy is a credible lead and as said the first third is good. It is creepy and suspenseful, with not too much of an over-reliance on jump-scares and did find myself biting my nails and jumping a little at times.
Unfortunately, the rest of the acting is pretty non-descript and the character writing is yet another case of having bland characters and also being frustrating in how they behave, a bugbear of mine is hasty and less than logical decision making and there is a lot of that in 'Last Shift'. The script never feels natural or flows and it is very difficult to take it seriously. The direction is uneven, assured in the first third but somewhat leaden towards the end.
Momentum is lost and some of the film gets tedious. Furthermore, the tension, creepiness and suspense goes and is replaced by a lot of face-palming, predictability, tedium and silliness. The final act is a mess of incoherence and intelligence-insulting dumbness and then culminates with an ending that doesn't feel like one at all and reeks of the writers not knowing how to end the film and taking the easy way out.
Overall, lacklustre but not a waste of time. 4/10 Bethany Cox
