O Mistério da Passagem da Morte

Overall, I was entertained by the film. Although I don't usually watch horror, I found that this one had enough to it that I could watch and enjoy it without being very disturbed. Granted, it is frightening at points, particularly the last third of the film, but it was paced well. The way this film takes the found-footage theme is quite well done with good twists and turns, keeping your attention. The acting is quite good, the characters were well-defined and funny when they wanted to be and the camera work is very well done. The visuals, background, camera-work and atmosphere are some of my favorite parts of the movie. It doesn't look like it's being recorded on a roller-coaster until it wants to and when it does, it does it very well, disorienting you until there is something it wants you to see. In conclusion, it is a well done movie, but it feels a hint rough when it comes to story. Pretty good concepts, but just a little rocky coming off. I would recommend watching it if you like found-footage films or if you like suspenseful horror.

As a movie, especially one from the category of wobbly shaky camera films, it is not that bad. It's a cliché, from the start to the end, but you can't really blame it for not being the first to do what it does. I also know nothing about the Dyatlov incident and I suspect the movie has little to do with it, other than the name.

Weirdly enough, the name was what drew me to the film and I have no idea why someone would rename it blandly "Devil's Pass", which has absolutely nothing to do with the plot and is probably one of many movies to be thus named.

Anyway, the film: young maniacally happy Americans go to investigate, equipped with apparently a new type of recording device that needs no recharging, since it keeps going for days. They get there, die from various reasons which border from implausible to funny, then end in a kind of Twilight Zone way, with lots of bad CGI.

The idea wasn't really bad, either, just the execution. All in all, it was a classic hand held camera horror, without being scary, though. I liked the sci-fi twist to it all, but not the execution (or the characters, or the actors). I liked that they really went to a place where people actually spoke Russian, not mangled the language horribly in the hope that no viewer actually speaks it.

I can't rate it average. It had too many plot holes, bad cgi, etc. But it was close.

I did not expect much from this movie but was really impressed by the authentic Russian language and atmosphere. Most films portray Russia poorly and actors butcher the language. The plot itself was definitely a stretch, but it was for Hollywood. I think it was a success, because if you hadn't known about the Dyatlov Pass Incident before watching this movie, then it definitely piqued your interest to do some further research!

And no, not every Russian speaks English over there! However, you will find wild dogs, humble bars/cafes, beautiful sites, and lots of history!

As a "found footage" lover, I appreciated this clever contribution to the genre. The movie was cautiously arranged, but, more significantly, it perfectly justified all the conventional features of f.f. horrors; The setting is fascinating and the adventurous spirit of the characters is inspiring. It all goes smoothly until the end : the final plot twist ruins everything. The visual effects in that scene are kindly considerable as "cheap" , so shockingly bad that the lack of technical quality ends up covering the actual meaning of the last sequence. Beyond this controversial point, the movie is generally thrilling and worth watching. I remember feeling pleasantly challenged as it began : I kept asking myself what kind of tragedy was going to happen to the group of hikers. A storm? Wild monsters? No, nothing like it. Let's conclude by saying that this movie was an absolute surprise.

one thing i can say with certainty is i had no expectations ( no high ones at least), and i was expecting something quite mediocre when i saw renny harlin's name attached as director. certainly his career has been on a downward trajectory of late. but, i have to confess, i found this kind of compelling. there are certainly some interesting ideas even if they don't resolve satisfactorily some of the time . it definitely goes some strange places i wasn't expecting. the mountain scenes are really atmospheric, the actors do well with the material they have. and what starts as a 'found- footage movie' gives way to a sci-fi/horror hybrid. i watched it on a rainy night and didn't feel i'd wasted my time - it got me interested in looking into the real-life mystery so it had some positive effect. i recommend it. it's uneven and sometimes fails to hit the target but this is certainly atmospheric and creepy and shows that the die hard 2 director still has some shots in the sling... i'm going to give it 6 for effort at least : )