film review:
THE HILLS HAVE EYES
Thanks to my ultra cool sister Tracy, Panda Bear Isha, Awie, Basil and I were able to watch the premiere of THE HILLS HAVE EYES today. Though most marketing for the movie had focused on Emilie De Ravin of Lost (second season official site here), the real stars of the film were Aaron Stanford who is better remembered as Pyro of Bryan Singer's X-men movies and a dog named Beast.
The film opens with a disturbing surge of imagery and video footage of nuclear testing and its horrible effects on human genetics set to brain-shredding industrial tunes and old Perfect American Family music. This, for me, was the most horrific part of the movie since it was deeply seated in reality. It is simply disturbing how such atrocities have occurred and may possible still be occurring in our world.
After that, the movie kicks off into the standard Hollywood horror fare, with a very nice build-up but sadly, many predictable moments. The gore is given in very generous helpings, however, and the special effects and make-up of the whole production is very convincingly well done. The use of music and sound effects were more manipulative however, relying on heart-pounding high volume percussion and industrial beats to get one's heart racing. Kinda like Silent Hill's approach, only done overly obvious.
In the mid-point of the film, a short breather is provided, giving the viewers time to settle down a bit and brace oneself for another foray of screaming and shrieking but sadly, the pay-off ultimately fails as the film commits two tremendously predictable mistakes which kind of cheapen the ending and give it an unwanted finish. The approach to the "monsters" in the film was beautiful at first, from a mysteriously disturbing glimpse of them in the shadows, to a i-can't-look-away scene when they are revealed in disturbing clarity as they... wait, I rather not spoil it.
The film has its good moments. And it has its screams.
But I think I'd reserve this for the RENTAL bin if I were you.
Unless you love dogs.
Or you could wait for this instead!
Nikki Alfar
Tobie Abad
Gabby Lee
Andre Mischa Cleofe
Cathy delos Santos
mas maganda ba kesa dun sa orig? kasi, gustung-gusto ko 'yung orig, e. pero kung andiyan si emilie deravine, well, mahal ko siya, e.
ReplyDeleteI don't think I ever saw the orig.
ReplyDeleteMay copya ka pa, Adam? Pa hiram naman!
wala akong kopya nung orig, although dati nung early 90s, madalas siyang ipalabas ng channel 9 sa late nite theater ewan nila, kung saan madalas kong napanood ang WHITE DOG (malaCUJO, pero racist na aso siya, kasi puro egoy lang ang pinapatay) at yung motorsiklong bampira na pelikula. dun ko siya ilang beses napanood, at okey talaga siya. hmm. mapanood nga yang bago bukas...
ReplyDelete