Timing is everything

Rating: 5/10 (5 November 2009)

Slack pacing kills this. It's feels like it's the directors first movie (uh, bingo!). It also needs a slightly better script; because between episodes of hilarity one notices that it's not very inspired. A Ghostbusters gag with nowhere to go, lingers on screen long enough to make a viewer wince. One gives up early, on the films potential to live up to the classic suggested by the tightly edited preview; which once again gave away all of the best scenes (except one involving a celebrity guest star).
Why have rules characters know they have to obey if they have to be abandoned to supply the film with a de rigeur climactic setpiece, which relies on everyone acting 'horror-movie-stupid' again? As the movie ends prematurely, you sit there thinking "Oh... that was the big climax? ...going to the amusement park was the movie's big goal? ...that was really unsatisfying." It feels like something major got cut out (or more likely, was never written), leaving the movie lopsided.
Eisenberg is not as good or charming as the role demands and one is constantly mindful that the part MUST have been written with Michael Cera in mind. Cera could do a better job in a walk. One assumes Eisenberg's casting is explained by nepotism involving some Hollywood bigwig. Oh, and "Scream" called, they want their 'horror movie rules' gag back.