A group of people arguing in a box.

Rating: 1/10 (27 November 2003)

The best opening scene in a film ever?
Well, perhaps not, but it was good. Unfortunately this was the high point of the film for me - until the closing credits, that is.
The basic premise - kill as many of the characters as possible in wierd and interesting ways - is a valid one. Let's face it, that's the bread and butter of horror movies. Unfortunately, with the opening scene out of the way (and most of the budget with it, it would seem) we are left with a collection of two dimensional characters trapped in a series of increasingly desperate situations. And by desperate I am of course referring to the desperation of the screen-writers in attempting to get to the last page of the script whilst divesting of themselves the least effort possible.
As far as characterisation goes, we have the token black man, (who is of course, toast). We have the "hard-bitten NY Cop", the "loveable retard", the "coward", and of course the "guy who is returning to his home-town to marry his sweetheart and play football" (who subsequently loses his legs and is horribly disfigured. Natch.) etc. etc. etc. Oh, and the mentally deficient one turns out to be an Idiot Savant, which is handy.
Some people will tell you that the film explores human nature under pressure, human interactions, human emotion, human blah blah blah. Substitute the word "explores" with the phrase "bludgeons ineptly at", and you're nearer the truth. And so we are left with a group of people arguing in a box.
I can see why the evil mastermind is trying to kill them all, they are all insufferable idiots. I just wish he could have done it more efficiently, and thus not wasted 90 minutes of my life.