The best film of 2007/2008

Rating: 9/10 (4 February 2008)

Forget that the viewpoint has already been explored with Blair Witch... this film is a fantastic departure from the traditional method of film story telling.....
Forget that there is very little depth to the narrative, beyond the allusion to 9/11.... the power of the delivery is incomparably more intense than a similar narrative such as the recent War of the Worlds.
Forget that the actors are, as per Blair Witch, not particularly well known and that the focus of the storyline shifts interest slightly between characters .....we still become interested and concerned about the characters.
As you will know this is basically a hand held camera gimmick.....but taken to a new level...for instance...... in traditional film story - telling...when the camera focuses on something.... it is "code" for telling you to watch...this was taken to new heights by the film Cache.....but......with this film in a number of incidents the camera shot for a variety of reasons does not always focus on the action......and as a result the audience engagement is intensified.
Also unlike Blair Witch, there is a great deal of cgi going on but you only see it in passing because of the camera work....nonetheless, I am told that for a film maker to use cgi the camera must remain steady...therefore for what seems to be an amateurish presentation is actually taking professionalism in a totally different direction.
Cinema audiences have become incredibly sophisticated. We do not need men to wear white hats or black hats to tell us good guys or bad guys....we do not need exposition from third parties to follow complex story lines...although oft times we are given it...this film makes you work a little to join dots...but no-one in the audience I sat with piped up with "what's happening"......there was enough happening to make that question redundant.
The ending will be disappointing for some people .....but I felt that it was exactly right for the narrative device and anything more would have appeared to be have been contrived.
At times I felt I was on a fairground ride travelling with 4g of force....but here's the thing...you go to a fairground and pay £2 for 2 minutes of physical excitement....with this film...you pay your £5 entrance fee and are subjected to 80 minutes of physical excitement, mental stimulation and nerve flaying brilliance.....
I am uncertain about the idea of a sequel....but I think that it is likely that the production team must already be streets ahead of the usual Hollywood thought processes and therefore we should rest easy and await with anticipation.
Go see this movie...but take travel sickness pills first.