overrated

Rating: 1/10 (17 November 1999)

This isn't such a good film. I think one of the reasons it has achieved such popularity is because critics everywhere decided to write it as being brilliant. Viewers think they should love it, so they agree to. I can remember sitting in a theatre several months ago and being very disappointed in this film. The Blair Witch Project did a lot more for me. Willis does not do all that great of job in it. The kid (his name fails me) does. The script was OK. The directing was actually poor. I won't give away the end, for the two or three people who have yet to see it, but I will say that the director gives it away by the end of the second act. When I went to see it, I knew how it would end with about a half hour left. This disappointed me. The thing was blocked poorly and the camera could have been used more effectively to keep the viewer in the dark. The thing felt like it was shot before it was really fully conceptualized. Also, there were many moments where I found myself wanting the film to be more graphic and frightening than it was. I get the feeling they were aming to get the PG-13 from start to finished. This hurt the film.Not the worst thing I've ever seen, but disappointing non the less.