Was drawn into seeing 'The Disappointments Room', with as said for many films seen recently a cool poster/cover, an intriguing if not exactly novel premise and as someone with a general appreciation for horror. That it was low-budget, which from frequent personal experience is rarely a good sign due to that there are so many poor ones out there, made me though apprehensive.
'The Disappointments Room', simply put, turned out to be a terrible film and waste of potential with next to no redeeming values and so much done catastrophically wrong. One of the worst films seen in a while, which is saying a lot for somebody who on the most part has been encouraged by their film/television watching and has more often than that been quite generous. Decent idea, horrendous execution.
Lets start with one positive. The scenery is atmospheric, if wasted by the schlocky way the film is shot and particularly edited.
However, the story does feel over-stretched and some of it feels vague, under-explained in the last third where the film especially became duller, more predictable, more senseless and less scary. Too many characters are too sketchy and with nowhere near enough to make one want to endear to them. Their irritating and illogical decision making and behaviours frustrate. Making the film feel bland and forgettable with not enough heart put into it. The acting is also terrible, expected better from Kate Beckinsale whose performance is overwrought and anaemic, and the effects are ropy at best.
Dialogue can be stilted and rambling while the pace is uneven, dragging in a lot of the first half, which goes on forever and fails to get going, and never is it exciting. Found too many the supposedly shocking moments not surprising or scary and the supposedly creepy atmosphere dreary, due to the excessive obviousness and the lack of tension and suspense. Too many elements are introduced, and then dropped, barely explored or don't go anywhere, sometimes even all three.
A lot of the film completely fails to make sense, both in underdeveloped plot elements and often nonsensical and confusing character motivations. There is a real sense that a lot more scenes were filmed and then dropped which explains the choppiness and lack of coherence. The threat is poorly used and poses very little threat. The film completely peters out with one of the most abrupt climaxes/endings seen for any film in a while.
Overall, terrible, disappointment is a very apt word to sum it up. 1/10 Bethany Cox
'The Disappointments Room', simply put, turned out to be a terrible film and waste of potential with next to no redeeming values and so much done catastrophically wrong. One of the worst films seen in a while, which is saying a lot for somebody who on the most part has been encouraged by their film/television watching and has more often than that been quite generous. Decent idea, horrendous execution.
Lets start with one positive. The scenery is atmospheric, if wasted by the schlocky way the film is shot and particularly edited.
However, the story does feel over-stretched and some of it feels vague, under-explained in the last third where the film especially became duller, more predictable, more senseless and less scary. Too many characters are too sketchy and with nowhere near enough to make one want to endear to them. Their irritating and illogical decision making and behaviours frustrate. Making the film feel bland and forgettable with not enough heart put into it. The acting is also terrible, expected better from Kate Beckinsale whose performance is overwrought and anaemic, and the effects are ropy at best.
Dialogue can be stilted and rambling while the pace is uneven, dragging in a lot of the first half, which goes on forever and fails to get going, and never is it exciting. Found too many the supposedly shocking moments not surprising or scary and the supposedly creepy atmosphere dreary, due to the excessive obviousness and the lack of tension and suspense. Too many elements are introduced, and then dropped, barely explored or don't go anywhere, sometimes even all three.
A lot of the film completely fails to make sense, both in underdeveloped plot elements and often nonsensical and confusing character motivations. There is a real sense that a lot more scenes were filmed and then dropped which explains the choppiness and lack of coherence. The threat is poorly used and poses very little threat. The film completely peters out with one of the most abrupt climaxes/endings seen for any film in a while.
Overall, terrible, disappointment is a very apt word to sum it up. 1/10 Bethany Cox