Not so great, not terribly scary, not terribly interesting

Rating: Null/10 (5 October 2016)

Billed as a horror movie, this film really fails to instill any sense of dread whatsoever. It's characters are unlikable and dopey, it's villains are unhateable and nondescript. The plot is questionable, linear, and leaves me feeling unsatisfied and bored.
The story is very basic, which could work given the right director, but evidently Alexandre Aja is not the man for this job. First of all, the film starts with stock/public domain footage. Many of you might not care, but this is a HUGE no-no in my book. He did a neat tie-in later, but it was still a clear case of inept filmmaking in need of burning up some screen time.
The formula is all too familiar. Some stupid white tourists are out lost on the desert, and upon finding a guy running a gas station whom they trust implicitly, are given instructions to "take a shortcut" that will get them to their destination faster. It's almost not worth bothering to type it out, but they are in fact being led to their doom.
The characters are total douchebags. I think we're supposed to like the women a bit more, but after all, they did choose these men for their S.O.'s. I did like the young teenage brother, but other than that, I think they all sucked. Dad dies first, but sadly the other main douchebag never dies. At some point, in fact, we are supposed to believe that he becomes a hero, but the transition never happens. He's just a piece of garbage, then suddenly he's being a hero. It's clear what motivated him to this 180 degree personality shift, but it's presentation is clunky and the audience is expected to accept it without question.
So about that neat tie-in. It earned the film a few dubious points w/me. The final showdown, which I was anxious to get to as it meant the film's end, took place in a cool re-creation of those nuclear test towns, complete with mannequins and 1950's TV broadcasts. While not earning the film the right to include public domain footage downloaded from prelinger, it at least (FINALLY) created some sense of creepiness. Unfortunately it was too little too late.