Cry Wolf

I'm glad that I didn't care the ideas of a few critics who said it's a boring, unsuccessful Urban-Legend-try. I think Cry_Wolf is way better than most of the thriller movies I've seen recently. The cast is well-chosen, the infamous names end up with good performance and Jon Bon Jovi does a great job as an actor. The twists in the story and the main idea is really, really cool. There aren't horror/thriller clichés in the movie, and surprises keep coming till the last minute as questions keep showing up in your mind through the 90 minutes, which sure keeps the interest high. All in all, I truly liked the movie and i can recommend it highly.

This is one of those movies that try hard to confuse the audience to dissemble obvious twists in the plot, but fail completely. Never does "Cry_Wolf" fool you. You know exactly where it's going and you also know that the final explanation is not going to work after all the "facts" that have been given to us earlier. It sounds confusing, but if you see the movie you'll know what I mean. The worst thing about "Cry_Wolf", however, is that Jeff Wadlow isn't able to pull off one good scare or a thrilling suspense scene. The whole thing just isn't exciting in any way, it's merely tolerable enough for you to keep your eyes on the screen. Needless to say that the characters and the performances are as flat as the story itself (this is, after all, a cast that includes Jon Bon Jovi). There have been far better horror movies (if you want to call it that) in the past 6 years and you'd be well advised to watch the other "Wolf"-movie of 2005, "Wolf Creek", instead of this forgettable affair.

A surprisingly intelligent suspense/horror film. Notice the dual title I gave to it? Yeah, that's because it takes elements from both to make a much better movie. I'm really surprised they canceled the critics' screenings for this because I honestly think it would get good reviews from quite a few critics. Maybe I'm wrong.

Either way, it starts off in post-Scream slasher mode before kicking things into gear. It quickly takes on the trappings of the urban legend/parable/whatever that the title is derived from, with a group of spoiled rich kids deciding to trick their private school into thinking there's a killer on campus. Trouble is...there actually might be.

The two leads, Julian Morris and Lindy Booth are both actually very good. Booth, who did almost nothing in the Dawn of the Dead remake, shines brightest, mixing girl-next-door charm with a lying, manipulative alter-ego. And it makes sense because her character uses the former so she can accomplish the latter.

Another surprising stand-out is...Jon Bon Jovi? Yeah, the guy can actually act. He skirts the line a few times but he's definitely believable as an English teacher. His story arc is also kind of funny when you consider his career, and what that likely entailed during the '80s. So once again, not a stretch.

The only flaw I could see with the movie is that it seems a little calculating. At points, it seems like it's intentionally trying to avoid teen horror clichés. For example, a victim is being chased and instead of running out a door, he tries to trick the killer into thinking he has. Smart. Probably too smart for a high school student, but at least it's a change from the same run, scream, hide, run again, knife to the throat routine.

Speaking of that tired old routine and the rating it usually causes, this is probably the first time in years where I actually felt a PG-13 rating was warranted. Making this an R horror movie would've killed any semblance of logic. Here the violence isn't necessarily what's supposed to frighten you. Human nature is. Their lies are what bring about the conclusion, which is infinitely darker than anything Jason Vorhees has ever done.

I just came back from a screening for 'Cry Wolf.' I must say, at first I thought it was pretty predictable, but then it takes a cool twist that made me stop and think. Great re-telling of the fabled story of the "Boy Who Cried Wolf," this story has a fantastic set of characters headed by Julian Morris, great performance by Lindy Booth, and followed out with good supporting characters played by Bon Jovi, Jared Padalecki, the beautiful Sandra McCoy, and several others. Without giving anything away, I'd recommend anyone who likes good guessing-thrillers and fun jumpy scenes, to go see this movie . . . when it comes out, of course. Good story, good settings, great music.

When the troubled Owen (Julian Morris) joins the private Westlake Preparatory Academy, he meets the senior student Dodger (Lindy Booth), who invites him to participate of a game of lies with her friends. The objective of the lying game is to avoid suspicious, manipulate the friends and eliminate the enemies. The group decides to play a prank in all the mates of the high school, using a recent unsolved murder of a student in the campus. They send e-mails to all colleagues describing fake crimes with the same characteristics of the young woman committed by a serial killer called "The Wolf". Their teacher Rich Walker (Jon Bon Jovi) advises Owen how serious this joke could be. When the students of their group start to disappear, Owen, Dodger and Tom realize that the criminal became real.

"Cry_Wolf "was a great surprise for me, being an entertaining tale of manipulation. The engaging story has many unpredictable twists and a surprising conclusion. The promising teen cast has great performances, highlighting the gorgeous Lindy Booth, Julian Morris and Jared "Supernatural" Padalecki, besides the name of Jon Bon Jovi. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Cry_Wolf: O Jogo da Mentira" ("Cry_Wolf: The Lying Game")