No doubt, you've read the brief story summary on the title page. So, there's no real need for me to repeat what you already know about the basics, the actors and so on.
What's intriguing, though, about this production is that the cast and crew artfully managed to keep the big holes in the narrative out of most viewer's focus, so to speak. They did that, I think, by generating truly effective suspense which, obviously, keeps viewers on edge for perhaps half the time or more. Fortunately the mundane gaps - that is, relatively ordinary family matters and daily interaction - are just enough to maintain interest; until the next danger point.
The most obvious narrative hole is the fundamental premise: the necessity to maintain utter silence at all times to ensure safety. When I read about this movie a year ago, I soon thought that it would be smart to have constant sound of some type radiating out to mask noise generated by the humans. Well, I'll let you discover what this resourceful family actually did.
Another aspect that disappointed me is the use of sign language only for most of the movie. The reason for it's use is clearly obvious; but, for those who are not much familiar with that facility, it would have been helpful to have some form of subtitles.
Suffice to say, despite those and other faults, this movie still held my interest, if for no other reason than to savor the special effects.
There's another interesting aspect about this movie: from a financial perspective, it has already outperformed Avatar (2009) concerning ROI. Avatar has returned 12 times its investment to producers. This recent effort has managed a better ratio: for a 17 million price, the global gross is now 332 million - 19 times the investment.
Is this a better movie? No, for many reasons. However, if you have a couple of hours free, see how you react to the suspense in this one. Enjoy.
Recommended. But, not for kiddies. Six out of ten for this one.
May 19, 2019
What's intriguing, though, about this production is that the cast and crew artfully managed to keep the big holes in the narrative out of most viewer's focus, so to speak. They did that, I think, by generating truly effective suspense which, obviously, keeps viewers on edge for perhaps half the time or more. Fortunately the mundane gaps - that is, relatively ordinary family matters and daily interaction - are just enough to maintain interest; until the next danger point.
The most obvious narrative hole is the fundamental premise: the necessity to maintain utter silence at all times to ensure safety. When I read about this movie a year ago, I soon thought that it would be smart to have constant sound of some type radiating out to mask noise generated by the humans. Well, I'll let you discover what this resourceful family actually did.
Another aspect that disappointed me is the use of sign language only for most of the movie. The reason for it's use is clearly obvious; but, for those who are not much familiar with that facility, it would have been helpful to have some form of subtitles.
Suffice to say, despite those and other faults, this movie still held my interest, if for no other reason than to savor the special effects.
There's another interesting aspect about this movie: from a financial perspective, it has already outperformed Avatar (2009) concerning ROI. Avatar has returned 12 times its investment to producers. This recent effort has managed a better ratio: for a 17 million price, the global gross is now 332 million - 19 times the investment.
Is this a better movie? No, for many reasons. However, if you have a couple of hours free, see how you react to the suspense in this one. Enjoy.
Recommended. But, not for kiddies. Six out of ten for this one.
May 19, 2019