A unique experience

Rating: 6/10 (11 November 1999)

May contain spoilers.
Well, I finally got around to seeing this summer sensation. At first I felt like I should be hopping on the anti-BWP band wagon that inevitably follows every successful movie (FORREST GUMP is a prime example). But I can't. The film is nowhere near great in its execution (though kudos go to the three leads ... they are more than up to the task, and they deliver the goods). It was an odd experience for me since I just picked up Stephen King's THE GIRL WHO LOVED TOM GORDON, a shorter novel about getting lost in the woods. Back to BWP. The premise works. What does not work is some of the irritating camera work, the fact that the girl (who is "directing" a documentary) does less directing than her crew, and the way that the BW is shown. But the premise is strong, and the forrest turns out to be the real bad guy. Overall rating ... a 6. For a better scare (or a nice double or triple feature) check out Michael Rooker in HENRY: Portrait of a Serial Killer, or Michael Powell's PEEPING TOM.