Desaparecidos

Seems like 2014's been a great year for horror, at least, between this, Honeymoon, and Coherence. Much like Coherence, the premise of this is absolutely terrifying in a way not many horror films tend to be. The premise for this is simpler, and much more straight-forward, but it's quite effective. Some of the dialogue is a bit cringe-worthy, but right from the start the characters don't act like they've never seen a horror film, a lot more aware than you're used to in this type of film. The performances are also aces. What you don't know is way more frightening than what you do. I strongly recommend this, extremely entertaining and intriguing.

I profess myself a horror movie junkie. Especially for atmospheric, stereotyped, low budget movies. This meets all requirements. Rather than relying on blood and gore to frighten, this is all about atmosphere and watching closely (in fact, I had to rewind and watch one scene all over to see what I missed the first time). Typically, I don't balk at horror movie stereotypes (after all, the simplicity of the genre is part of its charm), but here they were...off. The director gave characters who were clearly mid to late 30s the typical stereotypes of young twenty-somethings. That took a bit of getting used to, but if you can ignore it, then the atmosphere and mystery and tension are all well done. The main reason for the 7 is the huge omission of why we watch movies. There is a reason there's a nice plot triangle (introduction, rising action, climax, falling action, conclusion). I was thoroughly involved throughout the falling action...and then credits. What? It seems laziness and, in a way, a waste of my 90 minutes when a full part of the plot structure is omitted.

All things considered this isn't a bad film, the acting is good, sets and locations are stunning, cinematography is brilliant and the script has some legitimately hilarious lines in it that will have you (if you're like me) barking out a laugh. The pace is steady, and it's not too complicated or cluttered with superfluous bits and pieces thrown in to bulk it up. I also like the way (however predictable some may be) that they had people disappearing. It was clever, good camera and effects work, subtle and understated but still impressive.

Now to the negative... Despite the build of tension and the myriad of questions the films raises, don't hold out much hope for any answers. You won't get any. Maybe this was a deliberate effort because they're intending a sequel (I would be more than happy to watch that, and I don't often vote for sequels) or maybe this is a Nolan-esque leaving it to your imagination ending. Whatever the answer, it's a rather frustrating to come away empty handed. If this is left open ended in this way for a sequel don't fret, it's not one of those obvious "And we are clearly setting this up for the sequel TAKE THAT SUCKERS!" type deals. Much more subtle than that.

All in all I have to say it was a pretty good film that held my attention in a way a lot of films of late fail to do, and I'd recommend watching it if you're bored or the idea the films posits interests you. But don't get as mad as some reviewers on here if it's not a 10/10 masterpiece of cinema gold. It is what it is, don't expect the most breathtaking piece of cinema known to man that answers all of the questions you have about life, death and why we're here.

After looking at the review overall score I was somewhat doubting whether to watch this film but I decided to give it a shot and make my own mind up..... not disappointed.

It's not a film that will give you all the answers you want but it's certainly a film that will make you guess what's coming next. It's not a gore fest or typical horror, more like a twilight-zone-esque type film....

I'm not going to say much as the beauty in the film is not knowing..... just give it a try and maybe, like me, you won't be disappointed... whatever you do though, don't blink.

Ten young people converge on a mountain lodge in the Rockies in the off season, but find it mysteriously abandoned. None of them can figure out what happened to the people and they don't have enough gas to leave, so they're stuck. The cast is headed by Brian Austin Green (Jack), Zack Ward (Alex), Mena Suvari (Tracy) and Joanne Kelly (Claire).

Parts of "Don't Blink" (2014) bring to mind movies like "Night of the Living Dead" (1968), "The Mist" (2007), "Phantoms" (1998) and "Donner Pass" (2011) with an ending that recalls "Wind Chill" (2007). But it's by far the least of these because, while the mysterious set-up is good for about the first 35-40 minutes, it becomes one-dimensional and predictable, e.g. when the young guy kneels down behind the bar.

Another flaw is that some of the dramatics feel forced and awkward, like the girl unconvincingly morphing into a preacher. Those other movies didn't have this problem because they had superior writers/filmmakers.

There are 3-4 worthy women in the cast, including Suvari, Fiona Gubelmann (Ella) and Samantha Jacober (Charlotte), but the director/writer never really takes advantage of their presence, but he did good enough, I guess.

The film runs 1 hour, 32 minutes and was shot in Ruidoso, New Mexico, USA.

GRADE: C

***SPOILER ALERT*** (Don't read unless you've seen the movie):

It might help to see the movie as a microcosm of death in our lives: Everyone and everything around us will eventually die one-by-one, so quick & unexpected it's like the blink of an eye. The catatonic girl (Charlotte) willfully calling her own disappearance symbolizes people who commit suicide. For everyone else, death comes in various unforeseen ways, often suddenly.