Poor writing and even worse acting.
I think making this film was someones high-school assignment.
Well I give it a D-.
I had to quit watching within the first hour. Please don't waste your time & money to see this 'Bomb!'
14 Reviews
Without a trace
TheLittleSongbird19 June 2018
'M.I.A. A Greater Evil' drew me into seeing it, with a cool poster/cover, an intriguing and very original premise and as someone with a general appreciation for horror. That it was low-budget, which from frequent personal experience is rarely a good sign due to that there are so many poor ones out there, made me though apprehensive, as did the low rating here.
It is sadly however yet another film seen recently, hence some reiteration because the exact same strengths and flaws those films have are present here, that to me was incredibly disappointing considering its potential which it doesn't do anywhere near enough with. 'M.I.A. A Greater Evil' is terrible, with a plethora of problems (huge ones too) and doesn't do enough with its potential, which was hardly small. There is next to nothing to recommend.
Lets start with the sole positive. The scenery is atmospheric and spooky.
Unfortunately, the scenery is not done justice by the rather direct to video schlocky way it's shot and edited, it was very clear that the film was made in a rush with no care or enthusiasm. In particular, the camera work was a nauseous assault on the eyes with its excessive amateurish-ness.
Going on further to the negatives, the story does feel paper thin, disjointed and over-stretched and some of it feels vague, under-explained in the last third where the film especially became duller, more predictable, more senseless and less scary. Too many characters are too sketchy and with nowhere near enough to make one want to endear to them. Their annoying and illogical decision making and behaviours frustrates.
Making the film feel bland and forgettable with not enough heart put into it. The effects are ropy at best, the sound quality is obvious and utilised cheaply (being too loud in the build ups and people's reactions) and it's best not mentioning the uniformly lumbering and histrionic acting, with them being so indifferent to what was happening to them it was impossible to connect with them.
Dialogue can be stilted and rambling, with lots of clichés and no depth whatsoever, while the pace goes to a standstill very quickly and drags on forever with very little going on worth caring about and useless padding, never recovering. Found too many the supposedly shocking moments not surprising or scary and the supposedly creepy atmosphere dreary, due to the excessive obviousness, a lot of dumb and vague moments and explanations and the lack of tension and suspense. Would not have minded the lack of originality, a perfect example of how to execute a creative idea with hardly anything new, if the story and atmosphere were at least alright in execution, in reality they were both very poorly done.
A lot of 'M.I.A. A Greater Evil' has underdeveloped plot elements and often nonsensical and confusing character motivations, while too many of the things to make you jump or shocked are far from creative or scary and are pretty tame. The ending makes the film finish on an incomplete and confused whimper.
There is not enough threat, and what there is of it tends to be used poorly, it is completely unimaginative and more odd than creepy, completely failing to show any sense of horror or creativity. Everything here is neither creative, suspenseful or nail-biting. Some badly sagging momentum too. The direction is leaden and like their heart was not in it or ill at ease. Some elements are gratuitous to overused and abused effect, further adding to the cheapness.
Overall, terrible. Am very sorry to not agree with those who liked it but it just didn't do anything for me. 1/10 Bethany Cox
It is sadly however yet another film seen recently, hence some reiteration because the exact same strengths and flaws those films have are present here, that to me was incredibly disappointing considering its potential which it doesn't do anywhere near enough with. 'M.I.A. A Greater Evil' is terrible, with a plethora of problems (huge ones too) and doesn't do enough with its potential, which was hardly small. There is next to nothing to recommend.
Lets start with the sole positive. The scenery is atmospheric and spooky.
Unfortunately, the scenery is not done justice by the rather direct to video schlocky way it's shot and edited, it was very clear that the film was made in a rush with no care or enthusiasm. In particular, the camera work was a nauseous assault on the eyes with its excessive amateurish-ness.
Going on further to the negatives, the story does feel paper thin, disjointed and over-stretched and some of it feels vague, under-explained in the last third where the film especially became duller, more predictable, more senseless and less scary. Too many characters are too sketchy and with nowhere near enough to make one want to endear to them. Their annoying and illogical decision making and behaviours frustrates.
Making the film feel bland and forgettable with not enough heart put into it. The effects are ropy at best, the sound quality is obvious and utilised cheaply (being too loud in the build ups and people's reactions) and it's best not mentioning the uniformly lumbering and histrionic acting, with them being so indifferent to what was happening to them it was impossible to connect with them.
Dialogue can be stilted and rambling, with lots of clichés and no depth whatsoever, while the pace goes to a standstill very quickly and drags on forever with very little going on worth caring about and useless padding, never recovering. Found too many the supposedly shocking moments not surprising or scary and the supposedly creepy atmosphere dreary, due to the excessive obviousness, a lot of dumb and vague moments and explanations and the lack of tension and suspense. Would not have minded the lack of originality, a perfect example of how to execute a creative idea with hardly anything new, if the story and atmosphere were at least alright in execution, in reality they were both very poorly done.
A lot of 'M.I.A. A Greater Evil' has underdeveloped plot elements and often nonsensical and confusing character motivations, while too many of the things to make you jump or shocked are far from creative or scary and are pretty tame. The ending makes the film finish on an incomplete and confused whimper.
There is not enough threat, and what there is of it tends to be used poorly, it is completely unimaginative and more odd than creepy, completely failing to show any sense of horror or creativity. Everything here is neither creative, suspenseful or nail-biting. Some badly sagging momentum too. The direction is leaden and like their heart was not in it or ill at ease. Some elements are gratuitous to overused and abused effect, further adding to the cheapness.
Overall, terrible. Am very sorry to not agree with those who liked it but it just didn't do anything for me. 1/10 Bethany Cox
This is a real stinker.
psxexperten15 May 2018
Warning: Spoilers
I Have to write because this is not right.
It has 6.1 rating from 64 voters.
It's a disaster, bad acting, bad camera scenes, bad movie effects, bad everything.
Third rate, low budget crap.
The actors have zero experience, and it looks like they reading the lines form a notebook.
Words cannot express how horrible this movie is.
Watching paint dry is quicker & more interesting.
Script non existent as well as a plot.
Bore yourself to death.
Worse Than Passing a Kidney Stone.
They're out there and they're coming.
nogodnomasters23 May 2018
Warning: Spoilers
A college professor and three students go pan for gold along a river on the Vietnam-Laos/Cambodia border. I assume they were going north up the Mekong river until they hit rapids that indicated they were going down river. This threw off my geography, apparently as bad as our foursome who become lost, talking to dead MIA, picking at a wound long healed over.
A movie with bad acting and a horrible plot does not pay tribute to anyone. It would have been better off not made. Not much in horror or action. Just a bad drama high school drama with a junior high script.
Guide: F-word. Sex. No nudity.
A movie with bad acting and a horrible plot does not pay tribute to anyone. It would have been better off not made. Not much in horror or action. Just a bad drama high school drama with a junior high script.
Guide: F-word. Sex. No nudity.
MIllennial Mess
UltraMaximal10 August 2018
Warning: Spoilers
This is a perfect example of the hip cool trendy we think we know everything children being given a camera. What you get here is 4 perfectly pedictable cliche' characters.
The punk,
The professor banging bimb,
The professor whom isn't old enough to be a professor,
The hippie wanna be hipster who knows less than the others but won't shut up.
Oh and throw in the twisted ankle, lost map and missing medications.
/WHATEVER!
Good
jbwkzts16 May 2018
Caught a screening of this at the silicon beach film festival. Didn't really know what to expect, but I was glad I saw it. Watched the trailer afterwards which makes it look a bit like a horror film, it's more of a mystery or thriller. The acting is patchy but the story was interesting... definitely held my attention and the ending was clever. If you're into the Vietnam war and that part of American history it might be worth a watch.
You're better off MIA than watching this movie
jlw121630 January 2021
Not a bad movie with a surprise ending
cary-5966115 May 2018
I found the movie interesting and watched it all the way through. I was not expecting an Academy Award winner here, I was looking for new movie makers with new ideas and watch them develop a story and keep me watching. I was not disappointed.
Acting was raw, not raw as in bad, it was more of a group of actors who are finding their was an exploring roles, which given the setting I think they all did a pretty good job. The setting was great, the actual story (if you watched it to the end) had a great spoiler and the photography was solid.
I am not sure what people are looking for in a movie, but I want to be entertained, have a few laughs, some excitement and at the end of the movie be able to say "hey that wasn't bad, it hit the boxes in what I was looking for in a movie"
The movie was popcorn worthy and you can like it or not like it and I saw it as a solid effort with some nice surprises along with some young actors we might see in other films.
Overall a good time!
Acting was raw, not raw as in bad, it was more of a group of actors who are finding their was an exploring roles, which given the setting I think they all did a pretty good job. The setting was great, the actual story (if you watched it to the end) had a great spoiler and the photography was solid.
I am not sure what people are looking for in a movie, but I want to be entertained, have a few laughs, some excitement and at the end of the movie be able to say "hey that wasn't bad, it hit the boxes in what I was looking for in a movie"
The movie was popcorn worthy and you can like it or not like it and I saw it as a solid effort with some nice surprises along with some young actors we might see in other films.
Overall a good time!
Promising debut.
michaelroo-8306610 June 2018
Some other reviewers here are being unfairly harsh.
Surely, a first offering from a group of individuals new to the industry, and working with a micro budget should be judged on what it is, on what they have succeeded in achieving, rather than what it is not. The story and pacing are strong, as is the photography, and there are some intriguing ideas being explored here by people who clearly love the medium. I also think it worth making special mention of screenwriter Peter Lloyd, no doubt this guy will be one to watch out for in the future.
This debut is worthy of your attention.
This debut is worthy of your attention.
Horrible
bonniath-1396824 November 2021
A greater evil is how one of the main characters views himself in the world. If you are going to make a film in a foreign country, at least have respect. I hated the first 25 minutes, and didn't want to view any more. Sorry. Just bad, bad, bad.
A well spun tale connecting the past and present
kentrot11 June 2018
I quickly got wrapped up in the plot and lost track of time. You had me guessing all the way through. The lighting was excellent - around a campfire at night - not easy I'm sure. Nice to watch a film that has a plot not centered around CGI and car chase scenes.The "establishing shots" set in the jungle eg. snail on a tree , were artistic and made for excellent visual transitions. I very much enjoyed it. Valerie Bentson was my pick for best performance
An utterly original, terrific little flick.
jackjolisjack24 May 2018
I watched this clever little film with a growing interest of where it was taking me, then BAM! I could never have guessed the ending! A very thoughtful, unusual tale, misdirected as a horror film, with mysterious twists and turns throughout.
The underlying subject matter of the film, the allegations that men were left behind in the jungles of Asia after the Vietnam War had ended, is poignantly handled and cleverly dealt with, right up to the final scene.
An excellent movie.
The underlying subject matter of the film, the allegations that men were left behind in the jungles of Asia after the Vietnam War had ended, is poignantly handled and cleverly dealt with, right up to the final scene.
An excellent movie.
A good little movie
Purr-ple1 June 2018
A nice independent film with some beautiful scenery and some historical facts mixed in the story. The twist the end made for a nice ending. As an advocate for those with mental illnesses, it was nice to see a character with bipolar disorder openly talk about his illness and the others accept him as he is.
An Intriguing Story Well Told
philip-676-6235647 August 2018
The theme of this movie has always been one of interest to me personally and this is a good story well told. I especially enjoyed some of the cinematography and the movie is well paced. Suspense and mystery are maintained throughout the movie and I also enjoyed the fact that the producers and directors did not seek to shock with blood and excessive violence.
See also
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