Absolutely predictable scares, coupled with special effects

Rating: 6/10 (17 March 2002)

No spoilers here:
Could the plot be anymore predictable? As soon as the sounds start to swell in this movie, you can count down the seconds until they scare you. You will sit around, placing bets in this movie about what will happen next, and how soon before the next zombie monster comes.
Not to say the movie was a total washout. It's great for it's setting- a big, dark theater, with surround sound. The scares are well done- I fell for them every time, even though I knew what was going on. Questionable plot has generous amounts of cheese that will leave you going "Did they REALLY do something that stupid?" towards the end. I will say the movie is very good at faking you out with false alarms and then springing the expected scare about five false alarms later.
The special effects were nicely done as well- anyone feel sorry for the dogs? The movie stays pretty true to the game, and feels like a giant video game thrown onscreen. Which it is, I suppose. Conspiracy plot presented in such a way that it's hard to grasp at the begining, but just smacks of "We're going to make a sequel" at the end. A good movie to watch if you're a fan of horror flicks or the game.