Awakening the Zodiac

I would go on about the number of stupid things the protagonists do, but even with that, the first half was good and well paced. But the last half, especially the last quarter was so ridiculous you were rooting for the Zodiac killer. Approach this if you want to pass some time but don't expect a masterpiece. And the ending? Don't get me started.

The real life, unsolved Bay Area Zodiac killer case gets a fictional exhumation four decades after the murderous spree, when a trio of junk collectors stumble upon canisters of incriminating film. This clever retro take on the YouTube crime clip phenomena presents our innocents with a chance at a $100,000 reward. And we're off.

For the most part, this is a terrifyingly terrific movie, full of creepy, shadowy scenes, hair- raising tension and clever comedic quips. Our trio of trailer trash Sherlocks are very engaging as they stagger into a complicated and dangerous world, not so much for possible riches, but also for adventure. Taunting cryptogram clues, a sinister hood, and creepy voice messages; the Zodiac put the "K" in killer.

Great stuff, but it is almost ruined with a messy, straight forward, by the numbers, uninspiring climax. Which in turn is then inexplicably thrown under the bus with an attempt at an open ended, confusing conclusion. It really does suffer from a proper wrap. "Awakening The Zodiac" needs a rewrite tweak focusing more on mystery than monster. Still a pretty good thrill ride.

The most stupid characters I've ever seen! The girlfriend didn't even understand how a cipher works! The boyfriend wanted to fight everyone. The killer was a genius in his day, now he made huge mistakes. How is that plausible? Only positives were cinematography, score and editing, I suppose... Avoid at all costs, unless you want to actually lose some IQ-points!

The characters are so dumb in this film. How do you not know how a cipher works?! Ugh these characters are ridiculous. Acting out of pure emotions and not giving any thought whatsoever to their actions. Dumbest characters ever.

This film had a lot of promise, I was really into the concept and story of this film, however it completely derails about half way through and just submits itself to a cliche plot, with no real surprises with it's reveal of the killer. Great acting in this film, I like the performances of the two leads (including Leslie Bibb). This would be an ideal film to remake and just re-write the other half. Geniune creepy moments, but slowly falls apart into a mess of a film. Films like this frustrate me more than horrible films because there's a great concept but it falls apart.