The Conclusive Twist - Untwisted Before I Got Comfortable In My Chair

Rating: 6/10 (18 November 2010)

Firstly I don't mean to shun any other good viewer who saw this film to the end and were left dumbstruck. The unspoken twist is a great element directors use to immerse the viewer, and it works most of the time, but when it comes to certain themes (a la murderous knife-wielding youngsters), there are not many plausible hooks available to keep those who are guessing still guessing to the end. While this was indeed an original idea, I am one (and undoubtedly not the only one) who saw through the ruse before the first 20 minutes. When it was finally revealed I threw my arms up, decried "Holy ****, I knew it" and slouched back into my couch in disappointment.
Otherwise, despite the unneeded and constant use of false alarms and blatant unadaptive stupidity (I'm looking at you, Daddy) I am not one to rag on this film. The deviousness out of our brilliantly-talented Esther is ingenuitive enough to keep her innocence at bay, and with the mounting personal troubles of our protagonists making it all the more easier (at times, too easy) to manipulate, made for an entertaining and somewhat bloody hour.
I did notice plot holes (e.g. Esther's implausible travels around the world) and areas that should have been elaborated further. These are included into my final rating.