Backcountry

A couple go off the beaten track in the glorious Canadian outback, and fall into the path of a savage predator.

It's sadly based on a true story, so I'll keep my comments respectful. First of all, it's a very good film, it's packed with tension, it had me gripped, and on the edge of my seat.

It seems that every single time people face peril from an animal in a movie it's a shark, the Black bear is a very different creature altogether, I always thought they were shy, what do I know.

Missy Peregrym is the standout, I think she was excellent throughout. Strong special effects, very brutal.

I politely ask why on Earth people visit such areas, beautiful, but containing danger.

A gripping watch, 7/10.

Nicely shot film,nature and all.Gifted actors,coll bear)Personally for me,there as too much relationship staff and way not enough of bear) Overall,very good one time watch.

Backcountry is a good example how one simple premise can still be thrilling with clever production and a few grisly scenes. Using scenery and only minimum amount of characters, it succeeds on creating the sense of isolation and overwhelming helplessness. The movie doesn't venture to cheap scare territory and while it can be slow at times, its modest nature delivers what it sets out to do.

Jenn (Missy Peregrym) and Alex (Jeff Roop) go into a camping trip. The weekend is meant for a romantic escapade to see a beautiful lake, unfortunately they lose their way in the thick forest. The concept is simple, it has been done before, but Backcountry does it with smart approach by keeping the focus on the confused couple and develop their personalities. Both the lead actors deliver convincing performance.

They look like an ordinary couple, complete with their own issues and occasional bickering. It makes it easier for audience to invest on their survival. When the danger comes and they find out the trip isn't going well, the reactions are believable without being overbearing or resorting to excessive screaming and blaming even though some poor decisions have been made.

The movie keeps the flow without distraction, in this case the less is better as build up for the encounter with the threat is silently ominous. Practical effect and makeup do wonder at creating the deterioration of battered man and woman. Relying on only two characters alone could be risky, the film doesn't veer off from its original path, although the pace does stumble on halfway point. Granted, the investment on the couple might take a while.

Backcountry provides a survival tale in its natural form. It may not be fancy, but it stays on it course to deliver a decent thriller.

A solid independent film with a good cast

Eric Balfour was NOT the lead as I suspected he would be since he had second top billing on here, but to me it doesn't matter

Because the couple that were in the lead did a really good job and their relationsship seemed natural, they felt like a real couple and that doesn't always happen in movies so I appreciated that

I can't really say too much about the movie without spoiling it, but basically if you like survival movies give it a go

There were some parts where it felt a little slow and some parts where the camera work was in my opinion a little confusing, it most likely was intended as such but still at points I felt like they went a little overboard with the shaky camera and the intentional out of focus going into focus shots, but overall the movie looks good

It had some genuinely scary moments in it though so yeah it's still very much a good movie that I can recommend

Just now while writing this review read that it was shot in only 16 days and it is the directors debut film, and I must say that shows great promise for the future of this director

Yes this sort of film has been made tons of times before. It is based on a 'true story'. A couple go off into the wilds of a Canadian National Park. Alex is trying to impress girlfriend Jenn and so does not take a map and leaves mobile communication devices behind and they set off to see some stunning nature.

Once out in the wild it soon transpires that Alex is hardly Bear Grylls and you sort of know that something bad is gonna happen. That is about all I can say without doing a plot reveal – but the cover sort of does that anyway.

The acting is all really good as are the production values. The make up is top notch too and there is a genuine atmosphere of menace and fear – which really worked. The plot is where this gets let down as there is not that much of a story and at 88 minutes you sort of feel there should have been more – but as this is based on the truth you can forgive them a bit. Not a bad film but also not a keeper – this is a best go for the rental option type film.