Elsewhere

So many direct-to-DVD films, especially horror-thriller ones are terrible that when something like Elsewhere comes along, some semblance of hope is restored. Writer-director Nathan Hope has constructed a mystery that while fairly easy to figure out rather quickly, still holds your interest throughout just to see how we get to where we think the story is going.

A lot of credit has to go to the cast. As the intrepid, intelligent, and likable lead, Anna Kendrick, now most known because of her role in the Twilight films, does a great job of making us believe that she cares deeply about finding her missing friend. She portrays a sense of screen presence usually not seen from actors of her age. Based on her work here, she, instead of Kristen Stewart, should have been given the role of Bella in the aforementioned vampire saga. It'll be interesting to see where Kendrick's career goes because she definitely has potential.

As the missing friend, Tania Raymonde has charisma, managing to make what easily could have been a despicably obnoxious character oddly likable, important because we actually care about discovering her fate. She and Kendrick share a nice rapport as well, almost instantly believable as best friends in spite of their varying personalities.

Strong writing and a dynamic cast make Elsewhere definitely a place worth visiting.

Although the Movie Looks Pretty Good and is Slickly Presented for a Very Low Budget Entry in the Teen Hottie in Peril Category, this is Far from an Engaging Story and is So Bland, Considering its Subject Matter, One Wonders, What's the Point?

If it's an Attempt at Making a Non-Gory, Serial-Killer, Social Media Warning, it Mostly Fails to Make an Impression, of Any Kind. It is Even Less than Mediocre Because it is Even Less than Anything Approaching Entertaining for its Target Audience.

The Acting is Universally Bad, Especially the Non-Hotties. The Trailer Park Mother is a Clichéd, Chain Smoking, TV Watcher who is So Familiar it Bores to Tears. The Shaking Alcoholic Mother of the First Missing Girl Overacts So Much it is Amazing the Director Allowed the Performance to Stand. The Male Actors, the Cop, the Nerd, and the Father are All just Awful.

Overall, it is Not Even Worth a Watch because it is Anemic, Embarrassingly Acted, and Fails to Deliver the Minimum of Suspense and Thrills that is Central to this Kind of Thing.

Note...For Fairness and Balance...there is one good Acting turn and that is Olivia Dawn York. She delivers the only believable Character in a Cast of Thespians who would have benefited from a Director that seemed to be Elsewhere.

I always enjoy going back and watching actor/actresses work they did before they were household names. 2009 was very early in Anna Kendrick's career, although it should be noted she was nominated for an Academy Award for 'Up in the Air' which was released the same year. 'Elsewhere' came out first though and although it was likely very few recognised her at the time, they would've noticed she was a class about the rest of the cast. She's given some reasonably clunky dialogue in a lot of scenes in this movie and almost always finds a way to make it work.

The tone of the movie is a little off. It's dealing with some pretty serious subject matter, and yet at times it feels more like a romantic-comedy than anything else. I understand you have to build your characters up and keep them likeable, however don't do it at the expense of the tone of the film. This film was at its best when it was treating itself seriously and dealing with the dark subject matter at hand.

'Elsewhere' could've done with a lot of polishing, however it is certainly not unwatchable. Kendrick's performance and a decent whodunnit story-line are enough to keep it afloat. A generous 6/10.

It seems like I spend half my time watching poorly-produced and horribly-acted movies with good stories and ideas, and the other half watching well-produced movies with zero imagination and stock story lines. "Elsewhere" falls into the latter category. The actresses (and actors) are cute and do a decent job. (Keep your eye on the "weird' girl.) The production values are quite good, with interesting, but not impressive, cinematography. The whole movie is definitely not low-budget in appearance or finish.

But the story and script are just awful...retreads of thrillers done hundreds of times before. Trust me, you'll pick out the bad guy within the first few minutes of the movie. No hints are required. There is very little tension in the movie, except for the few action sequences. Contrary to what you might expect from the tag lines, there isn't any "string" of mysterious disappearances. One girl disappears and, five years later, so does another one. The cell phone texting angle has been done many times before and much better, so no tension there. The typical (and stereotyped) red herrings abound.

Finally, towards the end of the movie, you get a scene which ought to be subtitled "Scriptwriters Got Tired Here" or "Director Couldn't Figure Out How to Film This the Right Way." Two teens try to sneak up on a farmhouse where a (potential) bad guy is sleeping by creeping through a cornfield. Since they want to be stealthy, they (of course) bring along fluorescent tube lanterns. No, nobody would notice THOSE being carried through a completely dark cornfield at night, would they? And who would ever notice the bright light coming form the completely unlit barn when the kids finally get there? Unfortunately, this is typical of the writing in this film.

Well-made, but still pretty worthless and unexciting.

A young Anna Kendrick Shines in this underrated Indie Thriller/Drama. When people online talk about Anna Kendrick's films, this one is always listed towards the bottom. And while it isn't a perfect film, and it's no Pitch Perfect, I thought it was pretty good, all things considered. First, it's worth knowing going in that Elsewhere is more of a thriller than a horror film. In fact, the film's premise is similar to one of Anna's other film's A Simple Favor. Like A Simple Favor, Anna Kendrick's all of a sudden goes missing, and it is up to her to figure out what happened. However, unlike A Simple Favor, Elsewhere has a more serious tone, which isn't a bad thing. In this film, Sarah (Anna Kendrick) finds herself searching for her best friend Jillian, who has made a lot of poor decisions talking to potential male predators online. The characters are a little more one-dimensional in this film, which for the most part is okay as it is a crime thriller where everyone is a suspect. However, it would have been nice to see Sarah have a little more character development. She is not completely one-dimensional, but I would have like to have seen a little more. The second thing people should remember while watching this is that this is an indie film, and it was made very early on in Anna's career. Other than Anna Kenrick, none of the other actors are amazing, but they are decent for the most part. For example. Jillian's awkward interactions with her mother felt genuine, and I really related to Sarah not knowing what to do or say in those moments. Also, Sarah should get a friend of the year award for all she does to try and find Jillian. I won't give anything away, but I would definitely recommend it for Anna Kendrick alone.