Swimming Pool - Der Tod feiert mit

This is one of those recent attempts of late to make an American-style movie with European funds; pictures like ANATOMY, DEEP IN THE WOODS and LEGION OF THE DEAD fall into this category. THE POOL does a poor job of it. Tedium sets in immediately, and since the one good murder episode appears rather early in the film, you can shut it off fairly quickly. There's no excuse for a dull movie about teenagers getting sliced and diced (even WITHOUT an apparent motive)!

As long as you don't go into this expecting too much you shouldn't be disappointed. Yes, it's a stock-standard, generic, clichéd B-grade slasher flick. The cast is pretty unlikeable which makes it hard to even care who lives or dies. The "teenagers" all look in their mid to late 20's (expect for Isla Fisher, who really is a very talented Aussie actress, but maybe I'm biased).

A lot of the characters have obscure accents which can make it a little hard to understand what the hell they are saying at times. The killer does kinda look like the killer/s out of "Scream" but I guess they're starting to run out of costume ideas. The machete was a strange weapon of choice, not exactly easy to conceal.

Oh look, I could go on and on about this movie's flaws but instead I'll just say this: if you're looking for half-naked chicks, horny, drunk guys and a few brutal, bloody murders then look no further!

I will commend the person who thought up the water slide scene though. It should be inducted into "The Most Original Way to Die in a Movie" hall of fame. As a female all I can say is "That's GOTTA hurt!!!".

The pool complex itself is beautiful, modern and luxurious but we don't even get to see it until about 40 minutes into the movie. Wish the pool I worked at was half as groovy! 6/10 for effort. At least they tried...

Group of college students about to graduate hold a secret party at a pool after hours, but things wouldn't be the same without a mysterious killer stumbling upon the scene to kill everyone. Some style, some excitement, some seriously sexy moments, some creative death sequences, and a few scary scenes. Much better then expected.

At a German college, wealthy student graduates (of various nationalities) break into an upscale health resort for a final get-together little realizing it will be lights out for most of them when a masked killer with a machete crashes their party. The acting is uneven, the accents (British, Aussie, German, etc.) take some getting used to and the ending is awful, but this is still one of the best of the recent slasher movies. The setting is different, the director makes good work of his locations, there are a few creative death scenes (the best involving a water slide) and it's thankfully devoid of that annoying post-SCREAM sense of self-referential humor. I also enjoyed the performance of (and dialogue given to) Elena Uhlig.

Score: 5 out of 10

If it weren't so determined to copy Scream at every turn, this German slasher flick could've actually been better than it is. A little more polish and care with the script would've made the difference. As it is, it is merely okay. Competent-but nothing special. But at least it's better than crap like I STILL KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER.

PLOT: A group of seniors graduating from the INTERNATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL in Prague decide to break into a lavish indoor water complex to stage an after-hours party before they part ways. Everything is okay for awhile until a masked killer shows up and starts to make mincemeat out of most of the principal cast.

GOOD THINGS ABOUT THIS MOVIE:

Great productions values. The film looks handsome.

Some appealing stars: Kristen Miller (Sarah)as the American heroine, John Hopkins (Frank) as the British party animal/misfit (a James Van Der Beek lookalike), Elena Uhlig (Carmen--the most interesting character) as the cool, icy, and sexy best friend, and Isla Fisher as a doomed Australian goody two-shoes (she also sounds and looks eerily like Nicole Kidman)

Some cool sequences: the death of Svenja on the water slide is already a classic--you'll think twice before going down one again; the silent stalking of Mel through the locker room and stalls will make you wish for stalls that go all the way to down to the floor and don't leave your calves exposed; the chase scene through the vents with the killer turning the vent into swiss cheese with his machete--with the teens trapped in the narrow space inside. The final battle in the pool, with Sarah overcoming her fear of water.

NOT SO GOOD THINGS ABOUT THE MOVIE:

Apart from those few cast members mentioned above, the rest of the actors are faceless and charmless. And annoying as hell. They do what they can, but they simply don't have much to do with their roles. The script should've been better developed. And the guy that plays Greg couldn't act his way out of a swimming pool. Hey, dude, it's not enought that you're good-looking...

Some truly lame lines. Sometimes it's glaringly obvious that this was not written by an American. A couple more rewrites should've been accomplished.

All the bald-faced references to Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer are a turn-off. And some of the character's actions border on the idiotic, even for a slasher movie.

VERDICT: A decent and welcome addition to the post-modern slasher genre. Could've been much, much better. See it anyway, if nothing more than to see how a water slide can kill you. Ouch.