Good, Could've Been Great, But...

Rating: 7/10 (22 August 2005)

This horror flick really has a lot going for it, but ultimately fails on several counts. Maybe the sequel will fill in some of the plausibility gaps and sins of omission. We shall see...
Overall: a good concept and fairly good execution across the board. I've read several reviews which cited some of the influences but have yet to read one that mentions the very obvious, and I assume intentional, Hitchcockian references (Rear Window and Dial M). I have, however, read many reviews which stated that the twist ending, while indeed surprising, presented more questions than it answered (again, let's hope the sequel addresses these). The co-writer/co-star Leigh Whannell did an excellent American accent, however I couldn't discern any reason for his character to be American (other than allowing the actor to practice his accent). Okay, that's great, but the time/effort spent on that could have been put to much better use considering the film's constrained production time. I think most genre fans will appreciate the freshness (which is lacking in most contemporary horror films) but be frustrated by the flaws. As for the general public, well, they probably won't put enough thought into analyzing it and just be along for the ride, which, IMHO, is worth taking.