Simplicity Wins! For the Most Part

Rating: 8/10 (25 October 2009)

I was very impressed with Paranormal Activity. Blair Witch and Cloverfield did their job in getting us used to these 1st person camera documentary style films. The acting (this particular acting style is actually very actor friendly...but you cant take that away from it all) and execution is as close to flawless as it can come. There was not one point in the entire film where I had a chuckle or felt removed from the encompassing power of the film due to some flaw in the production.
This was the realest, and scariest horror film ever produced, in my opinion. That opinion might contradict my issues however, because while execution is good as said...the ending is not very good. The problem is that the apex of the ending (the man getting thrown into the camera) has already been exposed in TV spots- so we were all ready for that moment to pass, and then ready for something more!!! The real knocker! Instead, the last few seconds is very...dull, in my opinion, and the "startling" ending is frankly pretty cliché'.
However, I had to really focus in on my disdain for the ending before being so critical, because honestly this was the most pleasing film I have watched in a long time....since Cloverfield (which had a good ending :)