The Queen Mary

First off, the plot makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. I found the character motivations to be unbelievable. I still have no idea why any of the characters were on the ship in the first place and what exactly they were trying to accomplish. The film kept jumping between two storylines, one in 1938 and one in the present. There wasn't enough character development to really make the audience care about the fate of any of the main protagonists/antagonists in either narrative. By the end, it isn't clear how the two stories are supposed to be connected.

Obviously the films' writers were banking on the established ghost stories surrounding the Queen Mary (the lady in white, Jackie, the 1st class swimming pool, the HMS Curacoa, B-474 murder) but the problem is the depiction/references to these in the film do nothing to advance the plot.

I will give the film two stars for great cinematography, lighting, and visuals. There are a few nicely shot scenes showcasing interior spaces on the ship as well as a couple references to historical events involving the Queen Mary, but that doesn't make up for the really poor dialogue, incoherent narrative structure, and lack of character development.

When I sat down here in 2023 to watch the movie "Haunting of the Queen Mary", I had never actually heard about it. But I have to admit that I was immediately drawn in by the movie's cover/poster art, and the fact that it was a horror movie that I hadn't already seen.

Writers Gary Shore and Tom Vaughan, however, failed miserably to concoct a script and storyline that appealed much to me. The narrative in "Haunting of the Queen Mary" jumps back and forth between 1938 and the current day, however it utterly failed to make either of the two periods particularly interesting for the viewer. And the movie suffered terribly from an interior script and having characters that were as bland as tap water.

The jumping back and forth is done without much of any grace, and the end result is a rather confusing and messy heap of a narrative, and that ultimately made my interest in the movie wane with each passing minute. I have to say that I didn't figure out if there was a point to the narrative or not, and I ended up giving up on the ordeal before anything could be revealed; not that it mattered at that point.

The acting performances in "Haunting of the Queen Mary" were adequate, taking into consideration that the actors and actresses virtually had nothing worthwhile to work with and bring to the screen in terms of characters, dialogue and narrative contents.

Visually then "Haunting of the Queen Mary" was okay. I wasn't impressed with anything in particular, but the special effects were fair enough. And the few scenes of gore and mayhem made it semi-durable to sit through the boredom that is "Haunting of the Queen Mary". The ship itself and the interior of the vessel was actually quite nice, and that does count for something.

I gave up on the movie with just 30 minutes left to watch. But by then I just couldn't take any more of the boredom that directors Gary Shore and Rebecca Harris were bringing to the screen. And this is definitely not a movie that I will return to for a second time in order to finish watching it. I just simply don't care about the narrative or the characters in the movie.

My rating of "Haunting of the Queen Mary" lands on a three out of ten stars.

I see that it needs an analysis of 600 charecters, but, honestly, it is a waste of time and effort.

The actors did the best they could given the circumstances, just as much as the operators, but the script is so bad that nobody ever, with the best talent or intentions could save it or make it pass an average score.... I wonder sometimes what is wrong with investors that put their money into movies or things r that have no artistic or intellectual value?!

It's a shame in a world where money could be used in a so much better way... A movie like this is not even likeable, so it's not going to make a blockbuster, and in terms of its message it's totally worthless, so why make it?!

If somebody asked me what this movie was about, I could not tell them. I did not understand anything. I did not understand the story, I did not understand the going back-and-forth, I did not understand why the new captain collapsed when they broke down the wall, I did not understand why the little boy was out on the ledge, I did not understand why the woman stuck a pen through her hand and they just never followed up about it, I didn't understand the purpose of Fred Astaire and the girl tap dancing, I did not understand why the guy had half of his face missing, I did not understand why they were staying overnight, I did not understand the old man in the bathtub that he shot, I didn't understand all the flashing of the lights on the camera... one big mess of scenes with no plot or objective. Oh, and the tarot cards? I could go on and on, but I still would not understand it.

To begin with, this film definitely has a very alluring, dark, and eerie, style to it.

However, it suffers from some severe structural issues.

As it jumps back and forth 3 timelines: 1938- the time when a series of grizzly murders occurred on the ship; to recent history- where a struggling family has reunited, in order to investigate the haunted history of the ship, with hopes of monetizing it, by either writing a book, or creating a VR experience, about it...ultimately culminating with an incident around which the plot is based; and modern day, when the parents return to the ship, to solve the mystery, concerning what happened to their son on their previous visit.

Unfortunately, (as others have already noted) it's a bit of a convoluted mess.

The main problem being that the crux of the plot is not explained very clearly.

Meaning that the intuitiveness of the viewer is required to pick up on what is actually going on.

Hints are provided.

But they are somewhat vague, and could easily be missed.

With the supernatural action sequences only adding to the confusion.

And feeling somewhat out of place, when they occur.

Sure...there are definitely some cool parts to the film (particularly in regards to the gore).

However, they try way too hard to prolong the mystery...and the point of it all to become lost in the process.

In short...it just doesn't play well as a whole.

Which is a shame...because the concepts here are great...and there's a load of talent involved.

But the plot structure has no flow to it.

You hope the conclusion is going to tie up the loose ends, and clear up some of this confusion.

However, it only acts to muddle things up even further.

And leave you utterly confounded.

Making you wonder what it was ever about in the first place.

In the end, I did manage to figure it out (after some reflection).

But I could EASILY see what happens eluding most people.

And even if you do manage get what's going on after the twist kicks in...you are left wondering what the purpose of some of the occurrences leading up to that point really were.

As it seems that some scenes were included simply to confuse you (like the one where she drops out of the door, into the ocean, for example).

So it's flabbergasting to think they thought that this was a coherent story in any way shape or form.

Because it's really not.

Which is too bad...cause while there's so much to be admired...it leaves room for desire.

3.5 out of 10.