Ghost Machine

I watched it last night on Netflix instant streaming. Acting was good and I like watching Rachel Taylor, but script was too much like the Matrix. There is a software and you get plugged in and live in a virtual world, but there is a creepy woman who was abused and want to kill everyone. We don't know anything about her except she was a terrorist and was sexually abused by a sleezy top rank officer. So now she wants revenge. Cinematography was very good and so was music, but script was just so average. Same gun toting military search for a bad person and one by one they get killed. I've seen it so many times before. well, if you have absolutely nothing else to watch, then this movie would suffice, but look for something else first, unless like me, you wanted to see Rachel Taylor.

The basic plot: a group of soldiers and their gamer buddies play a haunted video game, where if you die in the game, you die for real.

I didn't have high expectations for a movie titled Ghost Machine, and, when I read the synopsis, I lowered my expectations even further. If all you're looking for is a cheesy, derivative movie that looks like a video game, then I'm sure you'll be satisfied. Otherwise, I'd say you should avoid it, because it's only going to annoy you.

The writing was a bit stupid, but any bad writing was dwarfed by the monumentally bad idea of a haunted video game. The acting and special effects were alright. There's a bit of gore, titillation, implied torture, and an attempted rape. If the story had focused on these elements, instead of recreating a generic console game, maybe this would have been a better movie... but I kind of doubt it.

i think I've made it plain that I found Ghost Machine to be as stock and uninspired as its title, but about a half an hour in, there are some cool death scenes. I was encouraged, thinking maybe the film would rally and keep up a good pace. Unfortunately, that was not the case.

If you have seen Doom, Stay Alive, Death Row, Gamer, etc., etc., ad nauseam, you have seen Ghost Machine. There are some cringe-inducing moments of violence, I'll give it that. And Rachel Taylor makes the movie watchable for awhile, but even she can't save it from the murky camera work, hackneyed storyline, and gawdawful CGI. (as my friend stacilayne told me its a simple waste of time indeed.)

A couple of computer scientists working with the army borrow their expensive experimental computer equipment to map out a haunted prison, that was secretly used to torture terrorists to death, so they can create an authentic environment to play a virtual reality first person shooter with their stoner buddies. Turns out the prison was haunted by the vengeful spirit of a cyber- terrorist who died there. She hacks into their game system leading to exciting adventures for our plucky band of heroes.

The atmosphere of the prison is excellent, I assume it is a prison in Northern Ireland. Rachael Taylor, playing an army private, love interest and experimental subject really stood amongst the acting performances. The others were playing such very thinly written characters that we learn almost nothing about any of them. Perhaps all the other characters were merely game characters and the whole film takes place in a virtual reality game she has been playing from the start.

The story seems very similar to other films and it really pales in comparison to some of those. The ghost was okay and I suppose the CGI gore is really to be expected in the context of the film. Some of the early action sequences really do capture the authentic feel of the first person shooter games.

This story is a beauty. Don't pay attention to the cheesy art cover.

Some of the characters are formula. And some are not. And the Story itself may seem to be formulaic-- but it's slightly skewed in a different direction. Some good Thought went into this script.

And as for the ghost. . .the beauty of this flick is how your feelings will shift from one direction to another. Stupidity, Pride and Viciousness all end up paying a satisfying price.

And the Horror is not in the Blood Spatters-- but the twisty discomfort that comes from watching torture. No-- nothing a la 'Saw', but uncomfortable just the same.

This movie isn't produced cheaply either. It's a satisfying Saturday Nite Flick. Get the popcorn ready!