Fitful

Clever and engaging; watch every moment carefully to get the most out of the piece. The details matter. It's fun trying to make sense of the neo-Gothic journey the heroine takes. She willingly enters a world that is visually impressive, spooky, surreal. I was disappointed in the original film's ending and a few of the plot points leading up to it. I didn't predict it for the simple reason that I could not believe so predictable a conclusion for an otherwise engrossing film. Then I saw the revamped version. The retooling pays off; Deadrise tells a stronger, albeit darker, story, and so it is a better movie than in its first incarnation. The acting, which is a bit campy or stagy at times, generally serves the film well and is even quite compelling in places. The characters fit the action, the cinematography is stunning, and a better set would be hard to find. In order to preserve the suspense, I am unwilling to say much more about the plot details, which a movie-goer can find in other reviews. Having come up myself with a more satisfying conclusion to the original film, I'm happy to report that I don't even remember now what it was. Deadrise ends in just the right key.

I give it 7 out of 10 not because it was that appealing to me, but because I think it set out trying to be "something", and whatever that "something" is, it did a fairly good job. For my own taste preferences, I'd rate it at maybe a 4 or a 5.

It's about a woman called to do a report on an old ship to see if it qualifies for "historical site" status. Once there, a piano falls on her car & she can't leave. She meets creepy caretaker Vigs who's clearly at least mildly retarded (in the technical sense of the term, not the derogatory one). Through a chain of events with unexpected details but easily predictable results, she's forced to stay the night on the ship. She's awakened to some strange noises and then her nightmare begins. She keeps experiencing the strangest encounters with Vigs and an occasional 2nd dude (Semperton, who appears in all of 2 scenes), suddenly finding herself waking up just as the scene reaches a climax. From this point on, you won't know if she's really waking up this time, or if it's another dream sequence beginning.

Revealing more than that would be spoiler territory. There are icky scares, startle scares, gotcha' scares and a few others, many involving repeated loops, funky-tasting "sausage" and blood-sucking parasitic eels.

It's very difficult to grasp what is -really- happening, here. When it ended, I felt no sense of completion. If you're very attentive to detail and quick of wit, you might be able to get it the first time. But I had to do a second viewing (in parts, that is - skimming through the movie to see if I could find scenes to explain the questions I have). After that, I did finally manage to work out what happened, and can tell you that everything you need to know to put all the pieces together for yourself happens within the first 10-15 minutes. Everything after that seems to flow from the various elements of those first few scenes.

I recommend it if you like puzzlers, though it is very slow-paced. It's not "non-stop thrills & chills" by any stretch, but it is non-stop "creepy and ominous". It's also quite likely that you won't quite grasp the full details of events on a first viewing either, which if that's the case, you can probably get all your questions answered by watching just the first few scenes again - everything up to her drive on the way to the ship. If you pay attention to those scenes carefully enough, I think you'll be able to put it all together.

That's not for everyone, though - that's more than just watching a movie, that's also solving it.

About the only thing I would've really changed (other than perhaps making the opening few clues a bit more noticeable) would be Paula's confusion with the repeating dream sequences. But then again, it was pretty much like a real dream tends to unfold - you wake up and think you're in the real world, only to wake up again. I do this over and over again sometimes, and sometimes, I'll believe I've awakened "for real" every single time, and not be too bothered by the repeated awakenings. So that aspect of it - it would've seemed more logical if that "bothered" her in some way, but yet it technically is more realistic that it didn't.

So like I said, not for everyone but engaging for more thoughtful, speculative movie watchers.

Enjoyed the film. Nice job to the production crew who put all the money on the screen.

Acting was well done.

Fun film to watch.

This is a Michigan Film which I always enjoy and the producer and director was able to utilize good Michigan background shots.

The story takes us in circles, which is always good as we try and figure our the mystery of the film.

I would recommend this film, even if you don't live in Michigan and want to enjoy the deja-vu. In summary, take a chance and spend time on this fun flix.

There are so many ways people may fritter away excess time. Watching trash television. Trimming ones toenails. Checking up on old rivals on FaceBook. Ridding their refrigerators of green, fuzzy, slimy things. Smoothing out and folding used pieces of tissue paper. Organizing ones music collection alphabetically (or by genre and then alphabetically). Please believe me when I tell you that all of these things are preferable to wasting even a moment of your life watching this movie.

The storyline is non-existent. It isn't suspenseful – it is irritating. I spent most of the film waiting for a climax that never happened. The characters have no depth and no redeeming value. The wardrobe is dated and odd (I thought it was impossible to make Renee O'Connor look frumpy but it is apparently achievable). Overall the movie is aesthetically unappealing: poor camera work, halting timing, and terrible direction are at the core of the long list of problems.

Deadrise is a case study in what a narcissist who isn't the slightest bit creative or talented may churn out given the time, space and finances to do so. If pumping out garbage like this is what the Michigan film incentive is enabling, then I say do away with it quickly.

I greatly enjoyed the complexity of this film. This writer/director does such an amazing job with his films. Though they are not the huge, money intense flicks that most of us are accustomed to, they will leave you feeling exactly what Brauer intended, whether it be intrigued, satisfied, on the edge of your seat, or just plain happy. I believe it is much more difficult to create a great film when you do not have millions of dollars to aid in the creation, and for this I admire this movie. I love it when films make you believe you have figured them all out, and then toss a twist into the plot. If you are looking for a suspenseful, clever, and interesting film, look no further.