Six friends find maritime joy is not on the agenda of the fates when they go sailing one morning only to find themselves caught up in a freak storm. Barely surviving their way through the towering high seas and almost Biblical deluge, the capsized crew suddenly discovers an ocean liner in their path, providing a timely rescue. However, relief turns to bewilderment when the seemingly empty vessel proves more dangerous than any high seas-thunderstorm. And why does one of the group recognise the ship despite never having set foot on its decks? The answer seems to lie in an old Greek myth.
'Triangle' is not an easy film to review spoiler-free in any comprehensive way. Its strength lies in its level of complexity and the way in which it plays with multiple perspectives of a single viewpoint. Just how this complexity operates, however, is the crux of the whole piece and the key element that shouldn't be divulged to anyone who hasn't seen it.
This is not to say that it is anywhere near the brain-teaser it tries to be, although it bears the hallmark of decent mystery-horrors by leaving the ultimate questions of plot to the viewer while dropping hints along the way. Unfortunately, some of the script's attempts to tie together the various strands of plot that make it so multi-layered fail in key places where clarity is especially needed, raising questions more out of irritation than intrigue. While some viewers have seen this as an enjoyable challenge in the quest to unravel the 'ultimate truth' as it were, I can't help feeling that writer/director Christopher Smith simply realised his script wasn't quite as clever as he'd intended and threw in a few inadequately explored wild cards to keep the message boards alive with debate long after the popcorn had been consumed.
Neither is it terribly original, borrowing its central premise from other entries in the sci-fi and horror genres, from 'The Twilight Zone' to 'The X Files' on television alone, not to mention one very well-known mainstream Hollywood comedy film of the 90s. The viewer who tends not to be well-versed in the back catalogue of either camp will be better-served, seeing 'Triangle' as something more innovative than it is.
Yet for all this, I found myself compelled by the story enough to see it through to the end, genuinely curious as to how things would pan out. Pacing is fairly well built up and from the very outset, the brooding atmosphere makes it clear something is seriously askew. Much of this is conveyed by the acting talents of Melissa George: the actor has come a long way since her soap opera debut and really sells her alter-ego's troubled predicament through her performance. Alas, while much attention has been lavished on the plot, little has been spent developing the supporting cast, giving them a very B-movie presence. This is undeniably a tour de force for George, who, while being no Cate Blanchett or even Naomi Watts, clearly has the presence to carry the film through its 99 minutes of runtime.
The low-budget nature of 'Triangle' is most evident in the cgi, which I found suitably-placed, but terribly cheap and unconvincing where it really need to sell the drama. I tend to be of the opinion that if you can't afford good digital imagery, there is nothing wrong with practical effects. Still, the complete disinterest in hiding the fact that 'Triangle' was shot in Queensland, Australia rather than the Stateside shores of the Atlantic suggests that Smith was not terribly concerned about convincing visuals so long as they carried the plot sufficiently.
And they do, for the most part. 'Triangle' is an entertaining spin on an well-trodden concept, guaranteed to keep many viewers guessing throughout. A shame then that it lacks so much in execution across the board, from lazy writing to weak characterisation and cheap post-production. It is ultimately worth a watch for the interesting ideas it explores and manages to present them with enough suspense and mystery to see the audience through to the end.
'Triangle' is not an easy film to review spoiler-free in any comprehensive way. Its strength lies in its level of complexity and the way in which it plays with multiple perspectives of a single viewpoint. Just how this complexity operates, however, is the crux of the whole piece and the key element that shouldn't be divulged to anyone who hasn't seen it.
This is not to say that it is anywhere near the brain-teaser it tries to be, although it bears the hallmark of decent mystery-horrors by leaving the ultimate questions of plot to the viewer while dropping hints along the way. Unfortunately, some of the script's attempts to tie together the various strands of plot that make it so multi-layered fail in key places where clarity is especially needed, raising questions more out of irritation than intrigue. While some viewers have seen this as an enjoyable challenge in the quest to unravel the 'ultimate truth' as it were, I can't help feeling that writer/director Christopher Smith simply realised his script wasn't quite as clever as he'd intended and threw in a few inadequately explored wild cards to keep the message boards alive with debate long after the popcorn had been consumed.
Neither is it terribly original, borrowing its central premise from other entries in the sci-fi and horror genres, from 'The Twilight Zone' to 'The X Files' on television alone, not to mention one very well-known mainstream Hollywood comedy film of the 90s. The viewer who tends not to be well-versed in the back catalogue of either camp will be better-served, seeing 'Triangle' as something more innovative than it is.
Yet for all this, I found myself compelled by the story enough to see it through to the end, genuinely curious as to how things would pan out. Pacing is fairly well built up and from the very outset, the brooding atmosphere makes it clear something is seriously askew. Much of this is conveyed by the acting talents of Melissa George: the actor has come a long way since her soap opera debut and really sells her alter-ego's troubled predicament through her performance. Alas, while much attention has been lavished on the plot, little has been spent developing the supporting cast, giving them a very B-movie presence. This is undeniably a tour de force for George, who, while being no Cate Blanchett or even Naomi Watts, clearly has the presence to carry the film through its 99 minutes of runtime.
The low-budget nature of 'Triangle' is most evident in the cgi, which I found suitably-placed, but terribly cheap and unconvincing where it really need to sell the drama. I tend to be of the opinion that if you can't afford good digital imagery, there is nothing wrong with practical effects. Still, the complete disinterest in hiding the fact that 'Triangle' was shot in Queensland, Australia rather than the Stateside shores of the Atlantic suggests that Smith was not terribly concerned about convincing visuals so long as they carried the plot sufficiently.
And they do, for the most part. 'Triangle' is an entertaining spin on an well-trodden concept, guaranteed to keep many viewers guessing throughout. A shame then that it lacks so much in execution across the board, from lazy writing to weak characterisation and cheap post-production. It is ultimately worth a watch for the interesting ideas it explores and manages to present them with enough suspense and mystery to see the audience through to the end.