Good for some thrills, but that's about it

Rating: 5/10 (11 February 2012)

What can be said about Daniel Radcliffe's first movie role since Harry Potter's conclusion last summer? Well not a whole lot. There wasn't a lot of depth by any of the actors involved. Mostly not a lot of opportunity - which makes sense when for the majority of the film he's in a mansion isolated from all the other characters. He can either talk to himself, the dog, or the ghosts that pop up constantly (prompting shrieks from the 14 year old girls who are sitting directly behind us, causing us all to have to plug our ears and me to question if before the end of the movie whether my ears will be bleeding from the trauma).
This movie is based on a novel which I never read, or even knew existed; It's another vengeful ghost story, with lots of scares that everyone sees coming. But this one doesn't entirely make sense. I guess the writers figure a ghost or spirit doesn't have to be rational. But the vengeance The Woman in Black was taking seemed unrelated to her personal vendetta, and therefore petty.
The atmosphere set this movie up for some good scares (mostly ruined by everyone in the theatre), some delivered better than others. It did get a little repetitive after a while, which is sad for a 95 minute film. Daniel Radcliffe's character must not scare easily either. I never got any sort of read on his emotional state for most of the movie. He mostly just looked nonchalant, occasionally mildly surprised or curious. Not nearly the right reactions for the circumstances.
I blame the producers for this lackluster suspense They are probably guaranteed to make money, as most scary movies make more than they cost, and most people will tend to go to anything with Daniel Radcliffe. With the exception of maybe a couple of the secondary actors, it is clear that the cast did not require serious acting skills and were probably paid accordingly. But hey, they made a movie with Harry Potter; they can tell their kids that some day.
This movie is good for some thrills, and that's about it. If you're into that sort of thing, then by all means, check it out.