Irishize

Crikey, but this is bad.

Where to start? An already slim plot, stretched so thin it's ridiculous. Quite a few unintentional laugh-out-loud scenes. Lazy writing, *very* predictable bad-guy.

It's actually a pity this film wasn't a little bit worse - it's just a few scenes away from being the next "The Room", but the boredom is just too much.

If you're a *huge* Jovovich fan, maybe, just maybe you can get through it, but you will be checking your phone/watch/shoe-laces for any morsel of entertainment for long periods of this mis-fire!

You have been warned!

PS What is the deal with films getting tagged as "Horror" these days? Might as well have classified it as "Cookery". Seriously, who categorised this? Is it a ploy by the studio to recoup their $15,000,000 budget on this turkey?

I deliberately tried to avoid reading/watching too much about this before release date, as I was willing to give it a chance (as a fan of the previous FD films - also I find that trailers these days tend to be fairly spoiler-full!).

Now this film ain't out to win the Palm D'Or or anything, but what it does it does really well! The cast do a better job than I feared, given they are largely unknown - and some do very well. But at the end of the day, they are co-stars to Death! :)

This film really delivers entertainment and thrills - something many other recent "horror" films should learn from! From the opening scene (including the opening credits) this recreates and updates the mood and "feel" of the previous outings perfectly. All the ingredients are there - the "waiting for the other shoe to drop" kills, tongue-in-cheek moments and even a few references to the earlier films.

The 3D is really used well too. It actually does enhance the action without being gimmicky - and not just in the action-sequences (though they are, in the main, very well executed), but in some of the set-up shots (with things like the grass on the lawn of one of the houses and other establishing shots given a great subtle 3D effect!).

Bottom line - if you liked the other FDs you will love this one. Can't wait for the next one!

This really was a pleasure of a film. Abrahms has plotted a course that manages to get the balance of engrossing action and entertainment just right.

And entertainment is something that has been missing from the SciFi genre for a while. I'm just about old enough to have experienced Star Wars in the cinema in 1977. The feeling of seeing your imagination (as opposed to what some focus-group *think* people like) up there on-screen can't be beaten.

There is a scene on a snowy planet that is very reminiscent of Star Wars' Hoth - not in plot terms of course, but in the way it carries the viewer with the hero and the odds he faces. And another aboard the Romulan ship that conjures up the feelings of watching Mr. Skywalker battling for his life in "Revenge of the Jedi". This is just for comparison of course - the film is very confident in it's own universe, and Star Trek's fantastic range of characters and history is used to full (and respectful) effect here.

The design-work involved is top notch too. Influences from the original TV series are everywhere and the realism of 2001: A Space Oddysey is evoked also. The fight scenes are orchestrated so that they don't just feel like set-pieces, but real action moments.

The only slight gripe for me was Scotty. When I heard Simon Pegg was playing him I though it sounded like perfect casting. But I think his performance was hammed up too much for "comic effect" - and it didn't work. It was all the more apparent given the rest of the cast's believable performances as young versions of the classic cast. But we can forgive Mr. Pegg. As anyone who has seen the excellent series Spaced will know, his SciFi fan credentials are above reproach! All in all an excellent film that stays true to what makes Science Fiction on film one of the most compelling experiences.