Lack-Luster Movie of the Month: Paranormal Activity
Sunday, November 8th, 2009
Recently I went to the theater to see a movie that originally started out small time and became a very popular movie that was promoted and advertised by word of mouth and viewer feedback that eventually brought the movie to theaters around the nation, Paranormal Activity.
I had high hopes when I went to go see this movie. After hearing from a friend how great the movie was and that it was so messed up that he couldn’t even go see it again, I thought I was in for a thrill. I love movies that scratch my imagination, force me to think, make me laugh, or make for a thrilling horror film. I came expecting everything but the comedy, of course. What I got though, left me with a bad taste in my mouth and a throbbing headache.
Upon entering the theater, me and my uncle made our way up towards the top to sit in the usual spot we like to grab at the local theater. Luckily, there weren’t many people there to see the movie, so the theater was relatively empty when we got there. As we sat and waited for the movie to begin, some more people came in, not many though. There was a gaggle of teenage girls that came in right before the lights dimmed who all sat at the bottom, thankfully. As the movie progressed, these girls become very annoying at times. Out of the entire theater, these girls made the most noise and screamed at a few parts of the movie for no real reason. I almost lost my nerve and was going to yell across the theater had they not calmed down.
After sitting through all of the crap-tastic previews, and of course all of the product commercials they have stuck in there, the movie finally began. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but the way in which they filmed the movie didn’t catch me too off guard since some directors have been using the free hand first person view method quite a bit more often lately. Basically the camera is controlled the entire time by one of the main characters and everything is experienced through this camera that they have. I’m not a fan of such movies but at first I thought it would be alright since the camera was relatively stable. As the movie progressed though, I got a headache because the camera was so shaky and kept the headache the entire movie.
The movie really drags for the first thirty to forty minutes or so. I’ve learned how to cope with such movies from watching so many Quentin Tarantino films. Sadly, this was no Tarantino film, where the first part of the movie builds to a really good second part. To give my own honest perspective, the movie dragged for a good part of the first hour as you sit and watch sort of a documentary unfold a story of a couple that is experiencing “paranormal activity” in their house.
The movie has a very poor storyline based on a very lackluster plot. A good part of the movie is spent listening to the couple gripe at one another, while there are a few instances that show something is in the house that is revealed through the efforts of the boyfriend of the girl that is being “haunted.” Most of the movie consists of “field-filler” scenes where they are talking, but most of it is largely irrelevant and has no actual bearing on the storyline or plot. There was nothing at all scary about the movie and there was nothing there that submerged the audience in the subject of possessions, hauntings, or any other sort of the paranormal.
The movie wasn’t entirely a flop though, as there are a few scenes in the movie that I would describe as “throwed off” and/or suspenseful. I won’t go into too much detail though since I don’t want to ruin “I use that term loosely” the movie for anyone that may still choose to risk wasting their money on this movie after reading this article. However, the ending was abrupt and pretty bland and didn’t give the audience much to chew on, which is kind of a theme for the movie. Overall, the movie had very little depth to it, and after walking out, I jokingly asked the guy taking tickets if they gave refunds for “sucky movies.” I honestly felt like I wasted my money on this film that had been so hyped by all of these other people. I don’t understand how such a movie could be so successful. I also don’t understand how my friend could be such a sissy “haha sorry Cody” and recommend such a lacking movie.
I give the movie a C+ and recommend not wasting your time and money on it. If you get headaches from shaky cameras but decide to still see the move, be sure to take some tylenol or some other headache medicine with you, you’re gonna need it.