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Who cares if this movie's themes of time travel and lives of people entangled in it is unoriginal? Yes, these themes in this movie have been borrowed straight from the 2017 Netflix German Sci-fi masterpiece "Dark". All of its tropes have been used here - time travel, accidental discovery of a secret portal, broken families, and people unravelling shocking answers to their prickly personal quests by traveling to different periods.

The execution has been mostly pleasant and thrilling. This is a slow-burn thriller that begins by introducing all the characters, their backgrounds and chemistries. The plot intensifies around the 45-minute mark, unleashing a mind-bending storm of events that doesn't let up until a largely satisfying climax. Acting is top-notch, with the lead male and female performances standing out. Script is tight and well-paced. Camera work is excellent, using precise focus and suitable color shades that build the right sentiment for the story. The discrete jarring score was particularly impressive.

Some obvious questions have been left unanswered in the end and they are going to nag at you long after the movie has ended. There were a couple of instances where the delicate theme of time-travel nearly collapsed because a character almost came face-to-face with itself. In a time-travel story, where the future and past are causing each other, such situations can't be permitted. The writer should have been smart enough to avoid such embarrassing gaffes.

This movie isn't perfect but is thoroughly enjoyable and will most likely find a happy place in your memory. Even if you have watched Dark already--I have--I'd still recommend that you watch this movie at least once for all the things it has done right. I'll be generous and give it a 7 out of 10.

If you search for "Urban Legend" on IMDb.com, it'll make your head spin. There have been many iterations of this movie, and all have identical names. From what I could understand, this is perhaps a sequel to the 1998 original, not that it means anything.

This film is an epitome of bad writing. There's a good chance that a dictionary could have spun out a more coherent story if thrown into a washing machine. Three writers teamed up, yet they could come up with only a stinking dunghill of a script.

The plot is riddled with inconsistencies, lacking a coherent sequence of events. Characters and settings emerge and vanish inexplicably throughout the narrative. It's apparent that the majority of the film was poorly filmed within a studio setting.

Actors exhibited competency in their performances, but the shoddy script failed to harness their full potential. Special effects depicting murder and gore were passable. Middling cinematography, employing a vibrant color palette, combined with decent sound effects forged an acceptable environment.

Overall, the movie is so absurd it's boycott-worthy. This movie is the first time I've seen a character being bludgeoned to death with a camera lens; I thought those things were delicate. I will never forget that scene.

Save your time and AVOID like plague.

PLOT: A group of coal miners are offered attractive bonus in return for escorting a scientist deep into an underground cave where the group encounters a terrifying mythical being.

While browsing Prime Video library, I stumbled upon "Gueules Noires" ("Black Faces" in English) and found it to be an engaging horror story that was fairly captivating despite its script flaws. The themes draw from a mix of survival horror, mythology, fantasy, and adventure, and backed with good technical execution, make the film a worthwhile viewing. Standout feature has to be excellent camerawork, given that filming had to be done in confined spaces and low-light environments. This added to the tension and in a claustrophobic environment, enhancing the horror experience. Lensman has made excellent use of clever lighting and shakycam to create tension. Editing is tight and never dilutes the tense atmosphere. There are no comic relief or other filler moments in the entire runtime. Once the dark adventure begins, you only get to see the light after the climax. Screenplay stays relevant throughout the film's length with every sequence contributing to plot's speedy progression. Actors too have delivered commendable performances. The dialogue is succinct and impactful, adding to the film's intensity.

The film obviously suffers from budgetary constraints. With a fatter wallet, better special effects and sets could have been arranged. While the script could have been stronger, the film compensates with other elements. Unlike most horror films, this film has tied up loose ends effectively and viewers won't be left with unanswered questions in the end. The emergence of the mythical being and its purpose are all well-explained in the end. The movie concludes with an ambiguous ending, allowing viewers to interpret it in their own way, which I liked a lot.

I am impressed with French Director Mathieu Turi's ideas and work and look forward to watching his upcoming projects.

RECOMMENDED.