Saturday, September 15, 2012

39. The Messengers (2007)

Title:        The Messengers 
Year:        2007
Genre:      
Supernatural Thriller
Type:        A-Movie
Run Time: 90

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Watch Movie




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Synopsis

"If no one believes you, how can you warn them?"

Desperate for a fresh start after a tough two years in Chicago, the Solomon family retreats to a desolate sunflower farm in North Dakota. But the calm of farm life is shattered when 16-year-old Jess (Kristen Stewart) and her 3-year-old brother Ben begin to see nightmarish apparitions throughout their new home – visions that nobody else can see. As the visions grow darker, they become fear-inspiring experiences and Jess’ parents (Dylan McDermott and Penelope Ann Miller) start to question their daughter’s sanity. Now, Jess must find a way to save her family and win.

Alternative Synopsis
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Personal Thoughts

The Messengers is a 2007 supernatural horror thriller, directed by the Pang Bothers (who are probably best known for Gin Gwai, Hong Kong's original version of The Eye), and produced by Sam Raimi (The Evil Dead Series and Spiderman). 

The Messengers hit the scene in 2007 (back 5 years ago), when we were still very much in the height of the American ghost movie frenzy inspired by Asian horror films (the girl in a white dress with long dark hair). Following a similar plot to most other ghost movies of its kind, The Messengers centers around a family of four, who move to a house, completely unaware of the fact that its former occupants haven't exactly checked out (well at least not in the way one would have hoped for). Seeking tranquility and well on their way to a fresh start, their new lives become quickly disrupted by the malevolent spirits of an angry family, seeking revenge (or perhaps justice) for their wrongful and brutal deaths. It's definitely a story plot that many will argue, offers nothing new under the sun, but while it's not the best (or most original) ghost movie on the market, it definitely wasn't the worst either.




So I love ghost movies, which is not much of a surprise, considering I've said it several times here on this blog. Now in saying that, I also know that you have some that are great, some that are good, some that are middle of the pack-decent, and some that are ... well, not so great. Many people will probably consider The Messengers to be one of the middle-of-the-pack ghost films -- good but nothing special. And though this may very well be true, depending on ones point of view (which I'm not here to debate), I can tell you that it was definitely an entertaining and enjoyable little horror flick to me.

A friend of mine walked in when I was watching The Messengers (about three weeks ago), and he turned to me and asked, "aren't all of those kind of ghost movies the same? Once you see one, haven't you seen them all ... isn't it the same old same old ... doesn't it get old to you?" I paused for several seconds to think about it, and my response was, "isn't everything we watch these days the same old same old?" It doesn't matter what you like, pick anything -- reality shows, mob movies, courtroom dramas, action-adventures, super heros, romantic comedies, zombie movies, soaps, television series, ghost movies or slashers, I have news for you, all of it is the same old same old ... and no matter what direction you go in, someone can make a strong case that if you've seen one (within any genre), you've seen them all

It's about one thing, and one thing only; what do you like, what floats your boat, and what don't you get sick of, because you can rest assure that repetition some way or another, is in the forecast




How Scary is The Messengers?

Well, that depends on what scares you. In general, these types of movies do not scare me, but that's not to say they won't scare you. The Messengers definitely has its share of jump scares, along with some of the other typically scare tactics (women in white, and scary ghost with disturbing eyes) commonly found in ghost movies. It was definitely scary enough to force my wife to have to look away at times, which may not be saying much considering, ghost movies (which usually consists of things that make you jump) tend to give her the heebie-jeebies.

To wrap things up, I definitely enjoyed The Messengers even though the ending (final 15 minutes or so) in my opinion, could have been better. Overall, this film had most of the things I tend to look for in a ghost movies -- solid acting, a creepy house, eerie music, good cinematography, atmosphere, mood and suspense. It's the sunniest and brightest (but still creepy) ghost movie out there. Though it does have its share of flaws (like most other horror movies on the market), and may not be a masterpiece, it was still entertaining enough to hold my interested. If you love ghost flicks, haunted houses, and paranormal phenomena, and your stuck in the house on a dark, gloomy, cozy autumns day, then you should definitely give it a watch, which is why I'm making it my next movie recommendation.




 Movie Recommendation Number 35 - Overall Recommendation Number 39
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What I liked:

- The suspense 
- The ambience and atmosphere
- Some of the acting
- The fact that it was a bright sunny ghost movie for once, instead of a gloomy one

What I didn't like:

- The ending (last 15 minutes or so)
- Some will be disappointed over the fact that the film offers very little originality (its all been done before)
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My Ratings

How good was it:     
                                  

How scary was it:


How much did I enjoy it:
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The Messengers Extras:

The Messengers (2007) Wikipedia
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You May Also Like:
                      
The Haunting in Connecticut
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The Mothman

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Great Movie..

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