Modus Anomali

Started watching this film with very high expectations. i could not have been more disappointed. As for the twist in the end it does not make any sense whatsoever and throughout the film the actions of the lead character are beyond stupid(when you watch this movie you will understand. I am shocked to see that people have rated this fairly high when i would give it a maximum of 4. If you agree with this review after watching please comment, many thanks, hope you enjoy this awful movie as i certainly did not. Like i said the film does start off with some potential but as the film progresses it goes dramatically down hill. You can also tell from this movie that the acting is very bad and that they should have made it in the original language instead of the cast speaking English, very silly if you ask me..

At first, after seeing the trailer, I was like a little bit not surprised about the genre, thriller, or let's say noir movie. As we know that Anwar's two recent movies took the same genre (Dead Time : Kala (2007) and The Forbidden Door (2009)). But as always, Anwar succeed to made me interested.

Well, this is sort of movie which thriller fans will enjoy and I am on of the fan. It was a great experience watching this movie. You'll get a very tensed atmosphere which supported by astounding shooting angle. It is also supported by the score which wasn't excessive, like another typical thriller movie, and still precise.

The actors was quite awesome particularly Rio Dewanto as the leading role. His expression was quite convincing.

The negatives about this movie is a little bit seam computer graphic at one scene. Yeah, just one scene. Also, considering that the actors are all Indonesians and this movie uses English as the language, stiff conversations frequently emerged though their pronunciations was very good.

All could I say, I am proud as Indonesians! Joko Anwar has made such a good movie in the middle of those crappy-cheesy-cheap horror movies invasion in Indonesia. I'm moved how a few Indonesian film-makers still try to raise the Indonesia film towards a better future.

A luckless individual wakes up from being buried alive in the forest with no memory of who he is or how he got there. Stumbling across a cabin he finds a horrific snuff film. From there on, he slowly regains his memory and realises he and his family are being stalked by a mysterious killer. So begins a murderous game of cat & mouse as he attempts to save his family and stay one step ahead of his pursuer...

Let's face it, this premise sounds pretty generic and bog standard, doesn't it? Well... it isn't.

And I'm not gonna tell you any more except to recommend you stick with this unusually shot in English Inonesian offering as it's a smarter film than it appears to be. While standard in set up at first, director Joko Anwar cleverly pulls the rug out from under your feet with a surprising and smart little revelation.

So horror fans, have patience with this one, as its payoff is well worth it, and while the eagle eyed and sharp listeners may realise what's going on, it's still a satisfying film that puts a nicely innovative spin on the survivalist horror sub genre.

7.5/10 a decent little horror and what with 2009's Dara, Indonesia are showing themselves a force to be reckoned with for horror cinema.

Well this is a movie made with love! Yes, the good old times are coming back to us, because here we have something not made to bring millions from the box office, but to entertain, to explore the beauty of cinema.

OK, let's get down to business: indeed, the plot is not the most original, but not the most used one either, it will present itself as new to most and as a beautiful deja-vu to the rest. The acting was quite lovely, the plot makes you wonder a lot and the ending will snatch some applause from the beginners and a smile or two from the elders.

There isn't much to say about Modus Anomali without spoiling it, therefore I have to pick my words carefully, so, I'll sum it up like this: it's a nice breath of fresh air, which I for one was dying to take, not scary, a little suspense yes, some thrills and overall a good story.

Do I recommend it? Well if you want to see a nice film, sure, this one will do the job. Just be aware, don't come here thinking you'll fine the lost gem of horrors, just walk by, grab a seat, some chips, relax and enjoy. It's a movie made with love, you won't wanna buy to see it, but you will want to watch it! Cheers!

This tale begins with a man waking up in a shallow grave with amnesia. Not knowing exactly what to do, he begins to wander aimlessly through this remote Indonesian forest, eventually finding a cabin with a car parked outside. Inside he's horrified to find the cabin empty except for the bloody corpse of what he believes to be his wife as he discovers a wedding ring on his finger. Then, after watching a video of a faceless attacker killing her, he ventures back into the forest, scared & confused, with only a lantern to guide his way. The atmosphere in the first thirty minutes was creepy & unpredictable as the viewer watches and waits to get a handle on what exactly is going on in the film.

As more information is introduced, the level of suspense does come down a little and at times I found myself scratching my head a bit. Certain things happen that seem at the time a bit absurd, but if you stay patient and continue into the final act, there is a nice twist on things that IMO made it a very original worthwhile watch. Some camera work was a bit shaky, but for the budget the production value was just fine for the duration of the film. The acting wasn't a problem, there wasn't a whole lot of dialogue for it even to become an issue. It is an English speaking film despite it's locality & ethnicity of the cast. In all, it wasn't a highly suspenseful thriller or a gory horror flick, although it did contain some elements of each. If horror fans are looking for something different than the same old clichéd plot line than I do recommend taking a look, it's originality & clever end make for a solid 6/10.