Two marks for effort, zero for everything else...

Rating: 2/10 (4 November 2009)

Whilst I have to admire the fact that Oren Peli made this film for around $15,000, and is now, very probably on his way to becoming very, very wealthy as a result of the films current box office performance in the US, this does not mean that the film is actually any good. Usually, a key factor to liking a film is having some kind of emotional link to the characters - you like them, you don't like them, you love them, you don't. With 'Paranormal Activity', and Katie and Micah, there is simply no connection. What we are presented with are the two biggest half-wits ever to grace the cinema screen. Within five minutes, you are almost willing the entity (or whatever it is) to harm these people so that it can all be over and you can leave. Unfortunately viewers are then made to sit through watching two wooden, unrehearsed actors giving unrealistic performances in a situation than should be striking real fear in their hearts. Eventually there IS a bit of excitement, but by this point I was past caring - it was far too late into the film, and very anticlimactic. True, the new ending (showing in the theatrical version) is better than the earlier one, but only marginally. There is much more that I would like to say, but this would give away spoilers, and I don't wish to do that. Believe me, though, that if I did, it wouldn't spoil your enjoyment of this movie, because there is no enjoyment to be had. OK, people are throwing around comparisons to 'Blair Witch' and 'The Last Broadcast', but those two films were skillfully made and this one simply isn't. Very dull indeed.