Havana Darkness

This movie takes awhile to get going but it does set up an intresting premise. When the action towards the middle of the film gets going it decent. I love the fact the film was shot in Cuba the first English spoken horror movie to be shot there. We get to see locations not usually seen in movies, the actors aren't great. Carolina Ravassa puts in a good acting performance toward the end of the movie. The tie into hemmingway is dubious and ends up having a more simple plot despite the movie trying to over complicate its own plot. Its essence its a simple story added with alot of unnecessarys.

It's not bad at all. I had fun following these three guys on their journey to sorrow and pain. And, yes, there is a little bit of SAW and a little bit of HOSTEL but not as gory as either. The actors do a pretty good job and then there is a very cool twist at the end. I think i got my money's worth on this one. And, no, it's no CITIZEN KANE

Odd movie. Firstly I don't think they had permission to film in Cuba. All the external scenes are filmed from a distance and in very short segments, like they were hiding something from government officials. Kinda like that guy who made a feature film in Disney World surreptitiously.

That kind of makes a weird movie even weirder. So I agree with the other reviewer who gave this 5 stars. It starts out as a slow tension building thriller and then literally 40 minutes into it BANG!!!!! it's a different genre!

The dumbest part of this second half is that the group of "hunters" walk absurdly slow -- like slow motion slow -- so the three tourists can pretty much out run them.

Some of the bad reviews here are clearly from people who didn't watch the movie and just wanted to leave a bad review, because they make references to scenes that never happened!!!!

So is it good? Well it's good the way movies like this are good. Movies like Hostel and Turistas. If you like those you'll find something here to like.

Short and sweet, with no spoilers.

First, yes...this is reminiscent of the Saw movies. But how many original concept horror movies are made any more? Almost everything is borrowed from somewhere.

Second, yes...the first and second parts of the movie are dramatically different, with the initial part being the setup and the following part being the hook. There is nothing wrong with this device, it only makes for a "slow burn," as they say.

Third, for those that call this the worst movie ever made, with terrible acting and no excitement, I can only assume that they did not finish the movie.

I rather enjoyed the entire film. The cinematography is dazzling, as more than half the movie is filmed on location in Havana, and the colors just jump off the screen. I'm certain that since Ivan is Cuban, he wanted to illustrate the beauty and charm of the country. And since he wrote the setup for the purpose of character development and storyline, I took no issue with the slow burn. I actually thought it added to the overall totality of the film.

From a production standpoint, it was a decently done film. What some interpret as bad acting seemed to me like the language barrier of a Latino lead. Several people I've met from other countries speak indentically so it's not a stretch to see this as a common trait among ESL actors either. The cinematography was definitely the high point, as mentioned, but the production, editing, and script were also ok. Nothing prophetic or Oscar worthy, but certainly professional enough to enjoy.

Honestly, it is beyond me why people review films so poorly just because they share similarities with other films. It might take away from "originality points," but at the end of the day, if the production is well done then I don't see an issue with a recycled theme or storyline.

So yes...some of the review comments are indeed true, but don't let that stop you from watching. The production is well done enough that the end result is a very average horror film, shot on professional equipment. Considering the schlock out there, watching an average film is welcomed. Just know that this is not the pinnacle of originality, and you should enjoy it enough to make the one-time watch worth your while. Would I recommend buying it? Not likely, as I don't think it's good enough to watch more than once, but it's certwinly worth renting or watching once through.

Parental content notes:

• a bit of profanity throughout but nothing gratuitous.
• no nudity or sexual situations.
• due to the familiar content, I wouldn't call this a scary movie but there a handful of scenes that might frighten some.
• violence and gore is fairly prominent through the second half of the movie. Nothing overly gory but there are a few gnarly scenes. Quite a bit of blood and a couple quite graphic examples; I wish it had been even more so.

That said, give it a try. Just know what you're expecting when you hit play.

I gave this movie 3 stars for the 3 minutes I spent watching it. Any movie that has to rely on that much intense graphic, gory and gruesome scenes in that short of time can't be worth watching. Nothing left to the imagination here folks!