Breathtaking, original and brave

Rating: 7/10 (17 September 2006)

A brave, original and mature horror that left me thinking about its images, its themes and look for days. This is the best Horror film I have seen in years, in fact, I was quite simply blown away by this gem of a movie and I am quite surprised by its low rating.
The film looks fantastic, the effects are great and the tension is built up superbly. It's not without its flaws though; the pacing at the beginning can be criticized as a little slow and I didn't care too much for Sean Bean's acting. Also, if you like your movies to wrap themselves up nicely and explain everything by the credits, then I suspect you will not appreciate this and should probably avoid it. However, if you like your films to make you work to understand the story and have you thinking about certain moments for days after, then you will probably love this.
Apart from looking fantastic, there are themes within this movie that lift it above the average teenager horror film offerings; questions about motherhood, sin and belief exist and I love the way the real evil is not necessarily perpetuated by the monsters but by the humans. Another interesting aspect of the movie is that nearly all the main roles are played by women (brilliantly). Radha Mitchell is wonderful as the terrified but determined mother and Laurie Holden as the cop steals about every scene she is in. I shall definitely be looking out for her in the future.
I sure hope to see this franchise picked up and continue with the same level of thought and care that went into this film. I am now seriously considering going out and playing through all the games so I can enjoy this macabre, thrilling, original world better.
Fantastic. Give it a chance and I think you'll be glad you did.