Realism?

Rating: 3/10 (5 April 2008)

The main problem in the movie is the inconsistency between the technique and the story.
The movie promises an unconventional point of view, and it clearly claims, that it will look as if it was not filtered in any way by the film makers, and this is NOT EASY! OK now, in my opinion this requires a lot more intelligence and mental agility for everyone too keep everything in tact to still keep it a film yet make it raw footage of a disaster. Leaving all the logical flaws throughout the story aside, the film constantly reminds you that the director is still holding onto what he really wants to see. Just the beginning seems a little random, but still almost everything is for the sake of telling the story, there are very rare coincidental things that are recorded(what otherwise might be considered as a waste of time but adds to the reality) That for me is a problem, since the film is claiming to be absolutely natural, I want those random characters and scenes. (They are clearly built up as supposedly random and generic people, but when the action starts, they turn into classic heroes with super-fortified-nerves) The biggest disappointment is the inexplicably unnatural reactions of the characters. Lily is the most obvious example. She is clearly neurotic and unsettled even in a party environment. OK lets say that she likes responsibility and is an organized type of person and that particular party is quite important for her, but how come the monster gets to comfort her? She looks more relaxed after the party is completely ruined and the monster actions emerges.
OK Hud is supposedly stupid, and rob is the hero type situation. There you go... Two classic characters, which battles against the realism that the film promises. They simply are too resilient to be natural human beings. I can not possibly relate to anyone of these characters simply because THIS IS NOT SUPPOSED TO BE VIEWED AS CLEAR-CUT FICTION. I refuse to accept any artistic distortions (which is not there to begin with, they are hanging loosely to the title of characters) of these fabricated characters.
I could be with them all the way, I could feel bad for them, I could value their lives, I could be scared for them, I could relate to their demise, I could feel sad for their losses. If only, they didn't take absolutely the most unrealistic path in their adventure. Even in the end when they were recording themselves reporting their names and such, I felt "No, come on, you're not going to die, you're just pretending you lousy actors" This technique (I mean the shaky hand camera thingie) could be taken advantage of thousand times better than it is in this film.
All in all, I wasn't really expecting much, and I didn't get much. It wasn't a complete unwatchable film but gradually it drives you away from the characters and the story emotionally and mentally.