Triangle

The only reason I stumbled across this film, was because I watched a movie called Miine game, And everyone in the reviews was saying it was a wannabe Triangle. After watching both I can see why. When I first started watching it, I was ready to classify it as a typical slasher where everyone separates and does dumb decisions to keep the plot moving. Don't get distracted and mad, because after the first few poor decisions there aren't a lot that make you angry at the characters. It takes a minute to get going and It's hard to talk about the plot without giving anything away. It's more complicated than the movie Mine Games, p And sometimes that's good and sometimes it's bad. It gives you a lot to think about at the end but just when you think it's over it keeps going on and this keeps happening. I still have a few questions about it as it tried to tie up all the ends but a very enjoyable flick, and don't let the slow start fool you. You'll get into it.

"You're just having a bad dream. That's all baby. It's all it was. Bad dreams make you think you've seen things that you haven't." 

Triangle is a very good movie about Melissa George's perfect legs, and how they...wait, let me try this again. 

Triangle is actually an effective, intelligent, layered horror/thriller (starring Melissa George's perfect legs). I can't go into the story very much, as there's not much detail that can be given out with ruining it. I'll just say that a curiously detached young mother and a group of people go out sailing one gorgeous day, get caught in a storm, and find themselves shipwrecked. A massive approaching ocean liner appears to bring salvation, but once they're on-board, it seems strangely deserted. Soon people start dying, and the plot takes a sharp left turn that puts it at a cut above the typical slasher flick that Triangle seems to be at first glance. 

I'll admit that I was a little underwhelmed by the movie at first, but it definitely gets much better as it goes along. I really have to give the movie credit for how clever and ambitious it attempts (and succeeds) to be. The best description of Triangle I can give without ruining anything is a combination of The Shining and Donnie Darko, with a really hot lead actress. It's mind-bending in just the right way. There were lots of different points that the story could have fallen apart and stopped making sense, but that never happened. By the end, there are no loose ends. And I'll add that the title is particularly meaningful. 

If you're open-minded, attentive, and ready for something slightly different, chances are that you'll love this movie. I certainly enjoyed it.

A sudden electrical storm hits a group of young friends out on a yacht for the day, capsizing it and leaving them drifting. When the large cruise ship Aeolus passes by, they are rescued and climb aboard only to find that the ship is deserted. They wander around the ship feeling more uneasy as they go, until someone wearing a sack and carrying a shotgun starts trying to kill them all.

The plot summary sounds simple enough not only do we know what genre territory we are in but we also know where it is all going to go and what it is going to do as it goes there. I actually sat braced for a slasher horror movie (not really my type of thing) and for the first thirty minutes things are quite scary, with the "sack killer" being creepy and threatening in the way all mysterious and creepy characters are in this type of villain (those who have seen the Orphanage will understand how creepy a static figure in a sack can be). On this ground the film works very well and the tension is palatable to the point where we can appreciate why Jess starts going crazy. The film then shifts the plot in a way that is very engaging and also very weird; it is best for me not to discuss it too much because it is all the better to try and keep up with it and then spend time afterwards thinking about it and talking about it.

It does have plot holes and it will not satisfy all viewers but I found that the open nature of it is all part of it and writer/director Smith does help us understand what is going on in the way he names the ship and also makes a point of having the story partially explained by the characters when they first board the ship and see its name. It doesn't totally make sense and some things are deliberately left unknown (or at least "uncertain") but it is a great ride that mostly delivers on the way to a very downbeat ending (although you'll know that is not really the case when you watch it).

It is driven forward by Smith's direction making everything claustrophobic and thrilling, even as it becomes more confusing. Melissa George is a massive part of it to though. Her performance is great throughout and she is convincingly disturbed, weird, disturbed and numb as the script requires – her madness is both understandable and alienating. The rest of the cast are not quite as good but this is not really a problem because George and the script are really all that matters.

Triangle is a film you will hear about from people who have seen it and, despite its flaws, it will have stuck in their mind. Hopefully they will not tell you too much about it because the twisty mind-funk is all part of it. It is flawed due to plot holes though but it is hard to really dislike the film for them – particularly when you realise that any problems you have with how the story ends are more to do with how/where the film starts.

I went to see Triangle on a whim hoping it might be thrilling, entertaining or fun at least. I love it when a film exceeds your expectations like Triangle did.

Mellissa George stars as the lead in a small cast of young people on a yachting break off the coast of Florida who encounter a mysterious ship with no passengers after their yacht is upturned.

What follows is a complex and superbly written mystery that unfolds at a perfect pace. I spent most of the movie trying to work out what was going on, trying to piece together all the elements of the storyline. Christopher Smith has clearly spent a long time putting this film together with an intricately crafted deal of detail. I was gripped from the moment the yacht capsized.

The lead performance is excellent, superbly holding the plot together; and the supporting cast are more than passable. If you're looking for something a little different and you're happy to pay close attention to detail for an hour and a half, then I can thoroughly recommend Triangle as an original, well written and directed mystery that will keep you guessing until the final scene.

8/10.

How to talk about "Triangle" without giving anything away? It's a puzzle equal to that which the movie presents its audience, because this isn't your standard horror movie. It has more in common with plot-twisting movies such as "Momento" and "The Machinist" than the gory likes of "Halloween" or "Ghost Ship".

Perhaps a good start is offer some praise to the director Christopher Smith whose work i've been a fan of since "Creep". I also greatly enjoyed his follow-up "Severence", but "Triangle" is easily his most mature effort so far; and the entire movie has an almost dream-like atmosphere to it. It certainly looks beautiful and the haunting music adds to this ambiance.

Melissa George, who plays the central role here, is quietly impressive; she's never really been an actress who has stood out to me in her previous roles, and so it was a pleasant surprise to see her rising to the occasion of taking center stage. It's only a shame that her character is so haunted and inaccessible. This isn't George's fault; the role is written in a way which keeps her detached not only from the other characters but also from the moviegoers. She's constantly aloof and distracted which can be initially annoying; it's hard to care for a character which you can't warm to.

I would certainly applaud the makers for attempting something different to the standard horror story (although, I do admit that it is very similar in theme to one other recent movie that you'll probably see mentioned a few times in the forum for "Triangle") and I certainly enjoyed the experience. I'd recommend staying away from learning too much about the plot beforehand (the trailer, in particular, gives far too much away) if at all possible.

"Triangle" is very much like a movie-length version of a "Twilight Zone" episode but its also a very flawed piece. There's an intelligence at work in the script; the way in which the pieces of the puzzle are presented to the audience is done in a skilled manner but it also suffers from thinking it's far cleverer than it actually is. There are plot holes to be found by those who dwell on the story, and the ending isn't quite as neat as the movie believes it to be.

Still, this is an impressive effort and well worth checking out (especially if you're a fan of the two superior movies mentioned earlier - "Momento" and "The Machinist"). In a world in which cinematic horror tends to involve torture and cheap shocks, it's nice to find a more psychological effort that looks for other ways to creep under your skin.