martyn_mansfield Reviews

The Devil Below (2021)

Absolute garbage

[1/10 · 13 June 2021]

In 2021 it's amazing movies like this still get churned out on a regular basis. Is there no imagination or originality anymore? It seems our expectations are so low now that we just accept this kind of thing as the norm. Cliched characters, actions and plots done brilliantly once or twice in the past and imitated a million times since. This is simply no different. You'd think the brilliant Cabin in the Woods might have warned people off making trash at the expense of being ridiculed, yet here we are.

So here's a brief synopsis...

Five vague people are off to a vague place to do something vaguely sciency. They stop for water and coolant and get a typical small town weirdo warning about turning back and going home. "We'll I guess I'll just ignore that and carry on my merry way. I hope not getting that coolant won't be important later" (it won't)

They ignore all the fences, warnings etc to extremely easily let a bunch of non-descriptive creatures out of the ground. Vague man #3 falling 100ft down a hole and not dying apparently.

Oh look it's that guy from Armageddon! A turn for the better? Nope. Is he at least important to the plot? No. No he is not.

These things are now loose. Uh-oh...

1.where did they come from? Don't know 2. Can they communicate? Don't know.

3. Why haven't the town told anyone? Surely they have lots of proof if they've killed a load of them. No need apparently. They can handle it... 4. What is that random Starship Trooper like monster thing in the mines? No point explaining that I suppose.

I can feel myself getting more wound up reminiscing about this movie so I'd better stop. One more: as an Englishman that guy's accent is embarrassing. Why even have an English character anyway? Genius.

This isn't "so bad it's good." It's just a violation of all your senses. Avoid.

Safety Not Guaranteed (2012)

A great indie movie that leaves you wanting more

[8/10 · 4 December 2020]

Rarely do you watch movie with so little information about it's main plot and come out feeling happier for it. The way each character is treated is perfect, developed just enough for us to care about them based on basic back stories and traits. There is something relatable about all of them, and this is partly down to some great performances and writing.

Ambiguity can be sometimes leave the audience short-changed and with that angry "what the hell?" feeling. Safely Not Guaranteed is a perfect example of when it does work. Bravo.

Rebecca (I) (2020)

Something missing...

[5/10 · 21 October 2020]

With no knowledge of the original novel or the Hitchcock adaptation, I had a sense of intrigue in the build up to watching Rebecca. Sadly, for all the impressiveness of the costumes and locations, the current 5.8 rating is about right. I found myself watching and waiting for something to happen, rather than actually being engrossed in the story. It is rather dull and fragmented, with little suspense and characters you come to care little about. There seems to be little or no repercussions for anyone's actions, and the ending is rushed and cut to pieces. It felt like there was more story to tell but even two hours wasn't enough to fit it all in. Maybe a TV adaptation would have been a better idea....