A Quick Review of Shelter, The Echo, and Hannibal Rising
We were actually able to watch plenty of horror and thriller movies last week but I am only going to give a quick review of three because I plan on making full reviews of the others.
SHELTER 2010
This story tackles both spirit “possession” and multiple personalities.It stars Julianne Moore and Jonathan Rhys Meyers. Moore plays the role of a cynical psychiatrist who doesn’t believe in the existence of multiple personalities in one man. Her father tries to prove her wrong by introducing a new patient (played by Meyers). Meyers, at first, present only two personalities but as the story progresses, more and more personalities show up as more and more murders take place. The mystery lies in who Meyers really is.
It started okay and it really had an interesting premise. Moore’s and Meyer’s acting were also okay but that of the others were kinda shallow and raw. The mashing of two supposedly interesting plot elements for a thriller made this one a bit confusing. It would have been better if it focused solely on the psychological mystery. Anyway, though it was a little flat and not so surprising at the middle, I pretty much liked its ending.
The Echo 2008
I have already watched part of its Pinoy version years back but it was only recently that I got to watch the US version – in full. The story is about ghosts which haunt a floor in an apartment building and the main protagonist is an ex convict. It stars Jesse Bradford as the ex-convict and Amelia Warner as the girlfriend. The cinematography was splendid but the flow of the scenes were so s-l-o-w. The first thirty minutes were quite boring but the rest was okay. The acting wasn’t quite splendid because most weren’t convincingly afraid at moments when I supposedly would have been scared.
The movie was generally thrilling, especially the second half – when the problematic family shows up and disappears (if you know what I mean). Overall, I think it is actually a better US remake than most movies which originated from Asia. It is actually scarier than the US versions of the Grudge and the Ring and I commend Yam Llaranas for that. I hope I could see The Road soon.
Hannibal Rising 2007
The movie serves as a prequel to the Hannibal series so as expected, it presents the many beginnings of Hannibal Lecter. I think it aims to answer the many Why’s about Hannibal’s nature – and it did. It showed how Hannibal (played by Gaspard Ulliel) lost his parents and how his little sister became a victim of cannibalism. It showed how he hunted down those who feasted on his sister and how he got the ideas on eating off cheeks, decapitating people, and more. Technically, I think it showed TOO MUCH to the point that it denied Hannibal of the mystery and thrill which he was very much known for.
Don’t get me wrong. I did find it interesting but not because of the usual reasons why I enjoyed thrillers but simply because I was sympathetic to Hannibal and his quest for vengeance for Mischa. The little girl was just too lovable. Young Hannibal here was less of a monster and more of a loner heartthrob. He was not as surprising and interestingly gory as he was in “his old age”.
About The Author
LN is a home maker and a home-based web content specialist by day and a blogger at night 'til the wee hours of the morning. She maintains nine blogs and raises three babies. She lives 30 hours a day. Her personal blog is at Bloggityboop.
