just an alternative ending

Rating: 4/10 (30 May 2012)

technique-wise, the film was pretty solid. good acting, picturesque cinematography and directing that reminded more of a theatre play than a movie. however, despite the nice photography this flick was lacking in atmosphere since every intense moment is delivered through those classic high volume sound effects. watch it with lowered volume and you'll see that it provides no anxiety or any other feeling a good horror film would normally include.
now, as for the script, well, you've seen it. don't get me wrong i have not read the novel, might be mint but the script simply is not. this is the most common script in horror flicks of, at least, the past two decades (asian and Hollywood combined). there are a couple of movies that have managed to pull it through and prove brilliant. though, "The Woman In Black" is not among them. a script, given in the shallowest of ways attempting to beat all those belonging to this very genre by giving just an alternative ending. an ending that is utterly nonsense and pointless and only promises for a sequel.
some will tell you that it's all a matter of looking at those aspects unconventionally. i disagree and since i hate diplomatic statements, i simply cannot say that the movie's final point was "evil always lingers" or that the ending was bittersweet and whatnot. i insist on it being nonsense, period.
concluding, my rating of 4/10 is this high (yep, it's not a typo) due to the technical parts. however, a movie or a play, is not all about this, on the contrary, it's all about the drama and the storytelling and the development of its characters. so, when it comes to the important aspects, "The Woman in Black" fails miserably in every single one of them.