Reviews

This was the worst entry in the series for the following reasons:

1. At approximately 80 minutes the film is too short and there isn't any sort of time given to building up tension.

2. Pretty much all of the deaths are given away in the previews, so when someone dies its no surprise whatsoever. By taking away the surprise aspect the movie was ruined.

3. There is even less of a plot here then the other 3. Granted the basic premise is the same but they didn't even try here.

4. The deaths themselves were very "meh" and fake looking. Way too much CGI was used. Not only that but they cut away from what probably would have been the most visually interesting death. 5. No Tony Todd. He was seen in the first 2 and heard in the 3rd one. At this point the fans expect to see him. They should have tried to get him in here somehow.

I could go on and on. I hope that if they make a 5th one that James Wong (who directed the first and third films) returns to give the series a proper send off as the David Ellis entries to the franchise (the second and fourth films) are definitely the weakest links in the series. To his credit though, part 2 did probably have some of the best deaths in the series (opening premonition, fire escape ladder, and plate glass).

I'm going to say this right out front...this movie will break your heart. But please don't let that stop you from watching it. It is a story that deserves to be heard.

I did not expect this movie to have the effect on me that it did. It starts out like a dozen or so other adolescent/drug related dramas so you might be quick to dismiss it but the director does this on purpose to lull you into a false sense of security before pulling your heart out in the final act. I'm 28 years old and I've seen this movie at least a dozen times but it still chokes me up at the end. This movie will make you sad at the end but also very, very angry. Angry at the kids who committed the crime, angry at the unwitting accomplices who did not stand up and help the boy, angry at the boy's brother for not handling his business and allowing it to spill over into his family's life, and angry at the parents of these kids for not parenting them and letting them run around doing whatever they want. This tragedy would have been avoided had any one single person stood up and did the right thing but none of them did.

I know it will never happen but Justin Timberlake and Anton Yelchin deserve Oscar nominations for their roles here. I'm not even kidding. I never in a million years thought I'd be saying that about Timberlake before watching the movie as I am not exactly one of his fans but I must give credit where it is due. He is a natural, no joke. He has tons of charisma on screen and makes it look so easy...like he has been acting for years. Anton Yelchin was amazing as Zach. He displays a wide range of emotions flawlessly and is so convincing in his final scene it is scary. IMO he is the best young actor I have ever seen on screen. He even makes the pros look like ammatures in some parts of this movie.

Timberlake and Yelchin have great chemistry together and you really feel as though their characters have developed a tight bond by the end. It is their characters' relationship to each other that makes the ending of this movie so poignant and powerful. I highly recommend it.