7eventy 5ive

Everything about this movie is standard stuff. Except for a few points. First, the killer in the first five minutes doesn't seem to have much motivation. Second, there are some really strange scenes. There are two scenes back to back that seemed to exist to promote condom use. It almost came across like it was product placement, although the idea may have been to insert a moral into the movie. Third, some of the characters are nearly offensive in how stereotypical they are. There's a gay character that exists to talk in a stereotyped fey voice. There are two black guys who talk and behave in a stereotyped "black guy" style.

There's nothing compelling about the movie, but aside from these things, there's also nothing worth looking for.

The plot of 7EVENTY 5IVE involves college kids who play a cruel phone game that unexpectedly (to them, if not to fans of horror) gets them in over their heads. The STORY of 7EVENTY 5IVE, on the other hand, is that of a horror film that had a wee little bit of promise, sadly outweighed by really bad writing.

What could have been a fun, if somewhat silly, old-fashioned slasher tale is derailed early on by its filmmakers' misguided belief that the audience would enjoy watching a bunch of loud, whiny rich kids bitching at each other for most of the film's running time. With the exception of a police detective played by Rutger Hauer, (in a minor role that is designed mainly to add the movie's only star power) every character on screen is a different breed of young A-hole.

Male and female, black and white, straight and gay, an entire ensemble of shallow and shrill college kids carries the bulk of the film's narrative. Worse, since the tale deals with a PARTY game gone awry, most of the time the scenes are completely filled with these little b*****ds. Because of this, there are few breaks for the viewer, who must put up with the angry sniping of the thinly-drawn protagonists. Even though at least some of these people are supposedly friends, invariably all characters interact in a very hostile manner, long before any genuine conflict has actually arisen. This leads to the worst possible result in a slasher film: The audience, intended to care about the leads, instead not only cheers on the anonymous killer, but wishes that he had arrived to start picking off the vacuous brats far earlier.

The real shame of this poor characterization is that otherwise 7EVENTY 5IVE actually DID have some potential. Visually it's fine. First-time directors Brian Hooks and Deon Taylor know how to build a suspenseful mood. They also manage to deliver on some competent, if sparse, moments of classic 80s-style gore. Surprisingly, the production's cast is also fairly able. It isn't that the actors aren't capable of expressing realistic human emotion; it is simply that the screenplay (co-written by newcomer Vashon Nutt and director Hooks, who fared much better behind the camera than with a keyboard) is short of such moments.

7EVENTY 5IVE can hardly be recommended, as its familiar premise and few thrills can't outweigh the bad taste left behind by a story driven by a gaggle of unpleasant characters. In this tepid whodunnit, the real mystery is why anyone should care about a group of young folk who can't even manage to like each other.

When I caught a glimpse of the title I thought are we going to get another try-hard hip slasher, but actually I found "7eventy 5ive" to be a mildly passable, and almost 80s throwback after a tediously slow mid-section it picks up momentum for the final half-hour leading to it's outrageously tacky climax and downright cop out ending. It won't win awards for originality, because it's as systematic as you can get and steals its thunder in the way of thrills (usual cheap jump scares), location (secluded mansion) and motivation from other films. The gleaming direction is by-the-book and the material is quite hackneyed with poorly realised red herrings within its elaborate plotting and flimsy script. Sometimes laughable, but nonetheless I was entertained mainly due to its brutal and grisly acts of pulpy violence towards some rather obnoxiously annoying college students by a psychotic killer with a battle axe. The performances weren't bad in the shape of a spunky young cast, however the characters they were portraying weren't particularly enticing. An always presentable Rutger Hauer shows up in a short supportive role as a grizzled detective. A slickly made, but a shallow and forgettable addition to the fold.

I've seen a lot worse films than this. The cinematography, FX, and sound are just fine. Very good, even. It's the story that's hackneyed and predictable. As for the actors/actresses, they do an OK job with what they've been handed. This is definitely intended for the slasher crowd at the theater, as it really doesn't come across as well on the small screen.

Hauer's role is really no more than an extended cameo. The other actors are interchangeable. After a decent beginning, you'll get a lot of blood, some nudity, and some really anti-social behavior between friends/class-mates.

Again, much better than a lot of the independent junk that's out there. It doesn't hurt to watch it.

Gory and unsettling at times, this movie gives somewhat of an original spin to the slasher sub-genre; however, it fails to expand on the killer's twisted mind and background.

The strongest points are some twists, the varied personalities of the group of youngsters being hunted down and the mansion chosen as the main setting.