A Resurrection

"A Resurrection" is a dark supernatural tale from director Matt Orlando that focuses on a small town during a tragedy. The film is about a young boy named Eli who is picked on in school and who's brother is tragically ran down by a high school rival. Days after the funeral the group of bullies are held in detention as unexplained events begin to unfold that predict dire consequences for the high school kids. The movie stars Mischa Barton, Brenden Meers, Devon Sawa, Michael Clarke Duncan, J. Michael Trautmann, Stuart Stone and Matthew Willig.

For me personally I am split on how I feel about "A Resurrection". The film was shot very well with a complete seriousness to the story's subject matter. It held a continuous dark foreboding and atmosphere of unease which kept the film in a complete suspenseful state of drama. The acting came off as believable and I felt these characters come alive in this twisted story of loss and resurrection. The movie hit on a pretty prevalent subject that plagues communities and schools across this nation with underage drinking, bullying and teen violence not to mention the social inequalities. All this made for a very dramatic and intensely entertaining plot line in the film. My issue lies with the fact that the horror was mediocre. It was as if the director made a staunch attempt to avoid any elements that a story like this practically demands to be displayed. There was no real scares or moments of intense chills in scenes that needed to be and the sequences that lead to death were completely shied away from which was very disappointing.

"A Resurrection" is a safe "PG-ish" film for fans of supernatural melodramas but if you're a straight up horror fan then your going to be very disappointed because the horror is non-existent in this film . The story is a good one and the suspenseful and dark atmosphere make the film a nice movie to watch with your grandmother or someone who doesn't like other more gory horror films but it is also a film that could have been better in so many ways. So I am conflicted on the movie because I liked what it turned out to be even though it wasn't what I hoped for. So for anyone setting out to view this film just keep in mind that it is a psychological thriller more than it is a horror film.

A Resurrection is a story about Eli who is a high school outcast trying to deal with the death of his older brother Devon who was recently killed in a hit and run incident.

For such low ratings on IMDb this film was pretty good. There is a slow build up but once the story gets going it keeps a good pace. It deals into the occult which is not seen too often these days. The direction that the story takes is quite interesting. There was a few scenes that were unnecessary and had nothing to do with the story. Not much gore and violence which is refreshing for a change. I was pleased with the cinematography which I thought was outstanding. The acting was flawed except for a few actors including Devon Sawa, Mischa Barton and Michael Clarke Duncan(RIP). The character of Eli never makes a big impression on me as grieving brother would. With all that was going on in his life it begged a lot more emotion from the character.

Overall this film was well put together and it definitely worth a peek.

-1 Star For This one seeming to take forever for something interesting to happen.

-1 Star for the unsatisfying ending

This one just wasn't very impressive. Sad that this was Michael Clarke Duncan's last role. Even having him in this one didn't help it.

In Middletown high school, the outcast Eli (Jonathan Michael Trautmann) is bullied by the braggart Brandon (Nick Jandl) and his friends. They are hold in detention by the principal Addison (Michael Clarke Duncan) to be interviewed by the psychologist Jessie (Mischa Barton), who is engaged of Deputy Travis (Devon Sawa) that is the son of the local priest.

Jessie and Addison realize that the mentally disturbed Eli misses his big brother Devon (Patrick de Ledebur), who was murdered in a hit-and- runner. When Eli finally talks to Jessie, he tells that Devon was killed by Brandon. Further, Eli tells that he found the body of his brother and a witch has put an evil spirit in his body. Now he needs six souls to live again and he will seek revenge against Brandon and his friends. The skeptic and atheist Jessie does not believe in his words.

"A Resurrection", a.k.a. "The Sibling", is a low budget horror movie with a tense story but all the potential is wasted in a terrible conclusion. My vote is four.

Title (Brazil): "O Despertar do Mal" ("The Awakening of the Evil")

Definitely believe this film deserves higher reviews. If you're looking for heavy gore and very creepy ghost/supernatural stuff, then try something else. That said, Resurrection knows when to use the right sound effects and visual effects to give you a little scare and has its moments. Michael Clarke Duncan (RIP), Mischa Barton and Devon Sawa were great, even though a lot of people seem to question Mischa Barton's acting skills. She did well in this film! Without giving too much away, the concept of supernatural resurrection and the occult basis for this film make for an interesting and curious storyline that isn't quite like any I've seen or heard of before. And there are parts of the film that will leave you questioning what you thought was going to happen and curious as to why it played out the way it did.

Enjoyed it, give it a chance! Don't judge it simply by its ratings as one man's treasure is another man's junk.