M.I.A. A Greater Evil

Caught a screening of this at the silicon beach film festival. Didn't really know what to expect, but I was glad I saw it. Watched the trailer afterwards which makes it look a bit like a horror film, it's more of a mystery or thriller. The acting is patchy but the story was interesting... definitely held my attention and the ending was clever. If you're into the Vietnam war and that part of American history it might be worth a watch.

I found the movie interesting and watched it all the way through. I was not expecting an Academy Award winner here, I was looking for new movie makers with new ideas and watch them develop a story and keep me watching. I was not disappointed.

Acting was raw, not raw as in bad, it was more of a group of actors who are finding their was an exploring roles, which given the setting I think they all did a pretty good job. The setting was great, the actual story (if you watched it to the end) had a great spoiler and the photography was solid.

I am not sure what people are looking for in a movie, but I want to be entertained, have a few laughs, some excitement and at the end of the movie be able to say "hey that wasn't bad, it hit the boxes in what I was looking for in a movie"

The movie was popcorn worthy and you can like it or not like it and I saw it as a solid effort with some nice surprises along with some young actors we might see in other films.

Overall a good time!

I watched this clever little film with a growing interest of where it was taking me, then BAM! I could never have guessed the ending! A very thoughtful, unusual tale, misdirected as a horror film, with mysterious twists and turns throughout.

The underlying subject matter of the film, the allegations that men were left behind in the jungles of Asia after the Vietnam War had ended, is poignantly handled and cleverly dealt with, right up to the final scene.

An excellent movie.

'M.I.A. A Greater Evil' drew me into seeing it, with a cool poster/cover, an intriguing and very original premise and as someone with a general appreciation for horror. That it was low-budget, which from frequent personal experience is rarely a good sign due to that there are so many poor ones out there, made me though apprehensive, as did the low rating here.

It is sadly however yet another film seen recently, hence some reiteration because the exact same strengths and flaws those films have are present here, that to me was incredibly disappointing considering its potential which it doesn't do anywhere near enough with. 'M.I.A. A Greater Evil' is terrible, with a plethora of problems (huge ones too) and doesn't do enough with its potential, which was hardly small. There is next to nothing to recommend.

Lets start with the sole positive. The scenery is atmospheric and spooky.

Unfortunately, the scenery is not done justice by the rather direct to video schlocky way it's shot and edited, it was very clear that the film was made in a rush with no care or enthusiasm. In particular, the camera work was a nauseous assault on the eyes with its excessive amateurish-ness.

Going on further to the negatives, the story does feel paper thin, disjointed and over-stretched and some of it feels vague, under-explained in the last third where the film especially became duller, more predictable, more senseless and less scary. Too many characters are too sketchy and with nowhere near enough to make one want to endear to them. Their annoying and illogical decision making and behaviours frustrates.

Making the film feel bland and forgettable with not enough heart put into it. The effects are ropy at best, the sound quality is obvious and utilised cheaply (being too loud in the build ups and people's reactions) and it's best not mentioning the uniformly lumbering and histrionic acting, with them being so indifferent to what was happening to them it was impossible to connect with them.

Dialogue can be stilted and rambling, with lots of clichés and no depth whatsoever, while the pace goes to a standstill very quickly and drags on forever with very little going on worth caring about and useless padding, never recovering. Found too many the supposedly shocking moments not surprising or scary and the supposedly creepy atmosphere dreary, due to the excessive obviousness, a lot of dumb and vague moments and explanations and the lack of tension and suspense. Would not have minded the lack of originality, a perfect example of how to execute a creative idea with hardly anything new, if the story and atmosphere were at least alright in execution, in reality they were both very poorly done.

A lot of 'M.I.A. A Greater Evil' has underdeveloped plot elements and often nonsensical and confusing character motivations, while too many of the things to make you jump or shocked are far from creative or scary and are pretty tame. The ending makes the film finish on an incomplete and confused whimper.

There is not enough threat, and what there is of it tends to be used poorly, it is completely unimaginative and more odd than creepy, completely failing to show any sense of horror or creativity. Everything here is neither creative, suspenseful or nail-biting. Some badly sagging momentum too. The direction is leaden and like their heart was not in it or ill at ease. Some elements are gratuitous to overused and abused effect, further adding to the cheapness.

Overall, terrible. Am very sorry to not agree with those who liked it but it just didn't do anything for me. 1/10 Bethany Cox

The theme of this movie has always been one of interest to me personally and this is a good story well told. I especially enjoyed some of the cinematography and the movie is well paced. Suspense and mystery are maintained throughout the movie and I also enjoyed the fact that the producers and directors did not seek to shock with blood and excessive violence.