trend toward complete screen black out

Rating: 6/10 (8 May 2011)

OK - they want to convey dark foreboding, and an air of mystery -- but Jeez -- staring at a black screen for half the movie, just doesn't do it for me. Give us a break and hire some electricians, spend some money on lights and power, and let us SEE JUST WHAT THE HECK IS HAPPENING, not just poorly lit photography. The first four films were enjoyable, but the last few were just not as good. Even after obtaining the dvds, and re-running scenes over and over to try and see just what was going on, these blacked out segments were not worth the effort. Couple that with the other annoying Hollywood technique of using jiggly hand-held cameras, and this last installment becomes a candidate for scrapping and re-shooting. David Yates, are you listening?? Don't waste film, talent, and time -- let us SEE your work, not guess at it.