I'm a huge fan of horror and don't look down at all on any sub-section of the genre. Even though the whole found-footage thing feels a little played out, I still think that it can be an incredibly effective and powerful storytelling device when you used properly. So I am often willing to wade through the muck of bad and uninspired found-footage horror movies just for the joy that comes from discovering a really good and smart one.
Having watched this franchise go downhill more and more with each passing installment, I was ready this to be really bad but it somehow managed to land even below these almost nonexistent expectations. The writing and plotting are clumsy and obvious. The characters are completely generic and forgettable. And the acting is even uncharacteristically bad. The performances lack any shred of that very naturalistic, everyday quality that is essential to making the characters in any found-footage movie feel believable. Worst of all movie crimes, this thing is just plain BORING. Nothing grabs you, nothing compels you to want to know what's going to happen next.
This is a franchise that needs to be either discontinued or rebooted with some kind of new and fresh take or approach to the material. No joy or creative vision went into the making of this movie. It's clearly just people going through the motions on this one and it really shows on screen.
Just so this isn't a total downer, here are some good and lesser-known found footage movies that I've found that I would recommend checking out--THE CONSPIRACY, AFFLICTED, CREEP (more comedic and weird), LAKE MUNGO, THE TAKING OF DEBORAH LOGAN, THE ATTICUS INSTITUTE. Also, there's a movie called SAVAGELAND. It's not out yet, but I saw it at a film festival last year and can't wait to see it again.
Having watched this franchise go downhill more and more with each passing installment, I was ready this to be really bad but it somehow managed to land even below these almost nonexistent expectations. The writing and plotting are clumsy and obvious. The characters are completely generic and forgettable. And the acting is even uncharacteristically bad. The performances lack any shred of that very naturalistic, everyday quality that is essential to making the characters in any found-footage movie feel believable. Worst of all movie crimes, this thing is just plain BORING. Nothing grabs you, nothing compels you to want to know what's going to happen next.
This is a franchise that needs to be either discontinued or rebooted with some kind of new and fresh take or approach to the material. No joy or creative vision went into the making of this movie. It's clearly just people going through the motions on this one and it really shows on screen.
Just so this isn't a total downer, here are some good and lesser-known found footage movies that I've found that I would recommend checking out--THE CONSPIRACY, AFFLICTED, CREEP (more comedic and weird), LAKE MUNGO, THE TAKING OF DEBORAH LOGAN, THE ATTICUS INSTITUTE. Also, there's a movie called SAVAGELAND. It's not out yet, but I saw it at a film festival last year and can't wait to see it again.
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