Could have been worse really.....

Rating: 5/10 (24 June 2008)

After hearing the negative buzz surrounding this film, I still felt obliged to see it, hoping that people were upset there was no 'sixth sense' type ending.
What I found were flaws that didn't really effect the story itself, but rather the actual process of the film. The plot is actually pretty good for a horror movie, with the scary parts working pretty much every time.
It was the casting I was most disappointed with. Usually Mark Wahlberg is awesome(where was his Oscar Nome for Boogie Nights?) but is terribly miscast here. Usually M. Night casts perfectly, but Wahlberg's best performances come from his intensity and fearless roles. Here you frustratingly want that from him, but is held back by almost whining his way through his lines. And poor Zooey. I really don't know what she's trying to do in this film and found it uncomfortable to watch her seemingly struggle to 'act'. I absolutely adore her in her other roles, so I blame you M. Night.
But the story works as a good piece of horror. Where do you hide from mother nature?