Flawed but enjoyable escapism, if this sort of thing is your cup of tea

Rating: 7/10 (18 October 2008)

I enjoyed this movie. It wasn't great but I found it entertaining, especially compared the MNS's last flop, the disappointing "Lady In The Water". While the plot required a pretty hefty suspension of disbelief, many of the individual scenes succeeded in creating a suspenseful mood, and the director succeeds in imbuing seemingly innocuous images, such as trees blowing in the breeze, with a sense of dread. The actors, especially the likable Zooey Deschanel, do an admirable job with some occasionally corny dialogue and improbable situations.
Taken as a whole, the overall effect doesn't add up to all it could have been in a more skilled writer's hands. MNS seems to be awfully fond of his own ideas, and this winds up being a one-note movie without much depth. He seems content to create tension rather than drama. But if you approach this film as pure escapism, and can suspend disbelief enough to forgive its flaws, it succeeds as an engaging and entertaining series of scenes with which to fill an hour and a half.