Rob, Rob, Rob!! We gotta stop using the hand-held!!

Rating: 4/10 (8 July 2010)

This movie made over six times what it cost to produce but as far as I'm concerned, fell short of expectations. I know, I know, it's rated over 7/10 on this site but I am giving it low marks for two reasons: First and foremost is the use of the hand-held camera. I can't believe that filmmakers still think that it's original or artistic to film movies in this way. It may have been a novel idea when The Blair Witch Project was released but it's overstayed it's welcome. It's nauseating and detracts from the story!! I found myself concentrating more on the annoying camera work than on the movie itself. The 2nd reason for the low marks is due to the acting....it was poor! I'm sorry, I'm sure the actors tried but they didn't succeed. This movie needed a couple of more established, seasoned actors to motivate the lesser known cast members.
I like movies about creatures or monsters but one of the things I noticed is that we don't get too many close-up shots. I want to be able to take a good look at the detail (or lack thereof) but am so often disappointed because the shots are too dark or too fast moving. I guess I am little too fascinated by special F/X.
The box office numbers for this movie were purely due to the hype surrounding it's impending release as well as a decent marketing campaign. I truly believe it could have made twice what it did if it was shot the old fashioned way. Too bad they didn't shoot both ways and let the audience pick which style they preferred. It would have made for a great DVD or Blu-Ray release with 2 versions of the movie in one package. I'm sure there will be more movies shot in this style and the good thing is that we have a choice to watch them or NOT! Oh and if anyone knows what kind of battery Hud was using, I'd really like to know because I've never seen one last that long. Regards.