Technically there are elements of 'The Return' that are well done, nice little touches that add great atmosphere. The score is subtle and effective. Everything is grey or shot in muted tones and this really works well for the film. Sarah Michelle Gellar makes a great choice and goes with brown rather than blonde hair. Brown works better for this film because it is a less vivacious colour. Her blonde look tends to be used in movies where she plays much stronger characters and not victims like she does in 'The Return.' This added vulnerability helps to make her a bit more believable. Sadly, 'The Return' needed every trick it could find and ultimately still falls short.
The acting isn't to blame here because all of the principles are game. Nobody turns in a bad performance but are all desperately trying to save a mediocre script. Gellar does well with a more challenging role than she's had recently but the script doesn't give her enough to work with. One of the key components for a successful film is being able to find some sympathy for the characters -- especially in a horror film! Here it just never takes hold. You don't wish ill on any of the characters (Gellar's creepy co-worker a possible exception) but nothing really gets you behind them either. The script believes it is far more clever than it actually is and when all is finally revealed in the final two minutes, you may, like me, find yourself wondering if the first 83 minutes was actually worth it.
Tension doesn't really exist in the film until nearly the end and most of the "scares" in 'The Return' rely on sudden shocks. Basically if you see the movie once, you'll be able to sit through it like a statue if you ever watched it again (don't, by the way). This is such a cheap gimmick and it isn't really done all that well here. Oh, there are creepy moments -- the music in the car when she's driving to Texas for example, and the climactic action sequence at the end -- but overall not very well done.
A botched horror film with no horror, a thriller with no thrills, and a drama that isn't dramatic, 'The Return' just ... is ... and that isn't enough of a magnet to bring in quality or an audience for it. Largely disappointing, here's hoping for better things for all involved.
The acting isn't to blame here because all of the principles are game. Nobody turns in a bad performance but are all desperately trying to save a mediocre script. Gellar does well with a more challenging role than she's had recently but the script doesn't give her enough to work with. One of the key components for a successful film is being able to find some sympathy for the characters -- especially in a horror film! Here it just never takes hold. You don't wish ill on any of the characters (Gellar's creepy co-worker a possible exception) but nothing really gets you behind them either. The script believes it is far more clever than it actually is and when all is finally revealed in the final two minutes, you may, like me, find yourself wondering if the first 83 minutes was actually worth it.
Tension doesn't really exist in the film until nearly the end and most of the "scares" in 'The Return' rely on sudden shocks. Basically if you see the movie once, you'll be able to sit through it like a statue if you ever watched it again (don't, by the way). This is such a cheap gimmick and it isn't really done all that well here. Oh, there are creepy moments -- the music in the car when she's driving to Texas for example, and the climactic action sequence at the end -- but overall not very well done.
A botched horror film with no horror, a thriller with no thrills, and a drama that isn't dramatic, 'The Return' just ... is ... and that isn't enough of a magnet to bring in quality or an audience for it. Largely disappointing, here's hoping for better things for all involved.