This review contains minor spoilers, nothing that will crush the movie for you.
The Strangers is what I'd call one of the bigger disappointments of recent memory for me. While it is a scary film it's most definitely not great. I'm a man with a theory and that theory is that a film is only as good as its ending. A poor ending can completely ruin a movie even if what happened previous to it was above average. It can leave the viewer feeling ripped off and like they've wasted their time. This is the case with "The Strangers".
The opening monologue from the narrator would have you believe that you are about to watch as brutal a movie as you've ever seen. In fact he even takes the time to mention that "The brutal events that took place there are still not entirely known.". I would like to know exactly where the brutality is. There is barely any violence in this movie. While that's fine the opening kind of sets you up for a letdown.
It's a solid thriller but nothing ever really happens. There are lots of jumps and of course the occasional fake scare as we're used to in today's modern horror films but brutality there is not. Take this scenario into consideration: Protagonist walks down a long dark hall way with the camera facing his back. As he comes to a stop the camera suddenly switches to a view of his face as his ponders his next move. As we're waiting an antagonist slowly creeps towards the protagonist with a weapon in his hand. The protagonist turns around and nothing is there.
Now if you find that scary I would see why but nonetheless it's a fake scare and sadly that example mirrors every thing that happens in "The Strangers". It happens over and over and over again. And then we're left with the ending. The poor sad excuse for an ending. I won't spoil it for you but I will say that it's realistic and that's part of the problem. I understand the movie is based on real events but let's look at that word "based".
Did the film makers have any idea what that means? Well I guess not because they went for the ultra real approach. Think about what would happen if you were awaken suddenly in the night by 3 strangers and you have your outcome. The problem with all this is that when I see a movie I realize that I'm watching one. There has to be a plot that drives you to ask "What happens next?". We all realize we're watching a movie and it's for entertainment and the ending certainly doesn't do any thing to entertain the moviegoer.
Let's take a look at the antagonists of the film, what have we got to work with? Three strangers (hey look at that) wearing spooky masks. We get nothing more than this, no back story, no reasoning, they just do what they do. Sounds pretty cool right? Well it's really not. The real drive behind any good movie is that the antagonists are motivated by something. You know, revenge or something like that? Well not these guys, nope they are here because they felt like it. Seriously, we never get any more elaboration than that.
I was impressed by Liv Tyler's performance as it showed the range and depth of emotion she can add to a character. It's just too bad she chose this movie to show it in. Cinematography is alright but not phenomenal. A good use of browns and earthly tones when there is any color but overall a very hard film to watch because of how dark it is. You can't really fault it for that, though it can be uncharacteristically dark even for a horror movie. The Strangers can be commended for trying to stand out as it sets us up with characters we like at first.
Both are in a dire situation that only adds to the tension they are faced with later. At one point we're treated to a back story that elaborates on things. Again none of this does any thing to alleviate the inevitable let down that happens later. After about 45 minutes of watching the characters make what are decidedly some of the dumber decisions I've ever seen people in general make I would say you may end up disliking them and want them to die.
Overall I'd say "The Strangers" is solid entertainment for about 45 minutes to an hour depending on how much repetition you can take.
The Strangers is what I'd call one of the bigger disappointments of recent memory for me. While it is a scary film it's most definitely not great. I'm a man with a theory and that theory is that a film is only as good as its ending. A poor ending can completely ruin a movie even if what happened previous to it was above average. It can leave the viewer feeling ripped off and like they've wasted their time. This is the case with "The Strangers".
The opening monologue from the narrator would have you believe that you are about to watch as brutal a movie as you've ever seen. In fact he even takes the time to mention that "The brutal events that took place there are still not entirely known.". I would like to know exactly where the brutality is. There is barely any violence in this movie. While that's fine the opening kind of sets you up for a letdown.
It's a solid thriller but nothing ever really happens. There are lots of jumps and of course the occasional fake scare as we're used to in today's modern horror films but brutality there is not. Take this scenario into consideration: Protagonist walks down a long dark hall way with the camera facing his back. As he comes to a stop the camera suddenly switches to a view of his face as his ponders his next move. As we're waiting an antagonist slowly creeps towards the protagonist with a weapon in his hand. The protagonist turns around and nothing is there.
Now if you find that scary I would see why but nonetheless it's a fake scare and sadly that example mirrors every thing that happens in "The Strangers". It happens over and over and over again. And then we're left with the ending. The poor sad excuse for an ending. I won't spoil it for you but I will say that it's realistic and that's part of the problem. I understand the movie is based on real events but let's look at that word "based".
Did the film makers have any idea what that means? Well I guess not because they went for the ultra real approach. Think about what would happen if you were awaken suddenly in the night by 3 strangers and you have your outcome. The problem with all this is that when I see a movie I realize that I'm watching one. There has to be a plot that drives you to ask "What happens next?". We all realize we're watching a movie and it's for entertainment and the ending certainly doesn't do any thing to entertain the moviegoer.
Let's take a look at the antagonists of the film, what have we got to work with? Three strangers (hey look at that) wearing spooky masks. We get nothing more than this, no back story, no reasoning, they just do what they do. Sounds pretty cool right? Well it's really not. The real drive behind any good movie is that the antagonists are motivated by something. You know, revenge or something like that? Well not these guys, nope they are here because they felt like it. Seriously, we never get any more elaboration than that.
I was impressed by Liv Tyler's performance as it showed the range and depth of emotion she can add to a character. It's just too bad she chose this movie to show it in. Cinematography is alright but not phenomenal. A good use of browns and earthly tones when there is any color but overall a very hard film to watch because of how dark it is. You can't really fault it for that, though it can be uncharacteristically dark even for a horror movie. The Strangers can be commended for trying to stand out as it sets us up with characters we like at first.
Both are in a dire situation that only adds to the tension they are faced with later. At one point we're treated to a back story that elaborates on things. Again none of this does any thing to alleviate the inevitable let down that happens later. After about 45 minutes of watching the characters make what are decidedly some of the dumber decisions I've ever seen people in general make I would say you may end up disliking them and want them to die.
Overall I'd say "The Strangers" is solid entertainment for about 45 minutes to an hour depending on how much repetition you can take.