logo Sign In

Post #582130

Author
Bingowings
Parent topic
Last movie seen
Link to post in topic
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/582130/action/topic#582130
Date created
19-Jun-2012, 6:44 PM

The Woman In Black (2012).

This average film has practically nothing to do with the story it's meant to be an adaptation of (it plays more like an Edwardian Ringu).

The key moments are missing (one I imagine was left out to allow for a sequel *shudders*) and loads of scenes from films which did them better have been added in a rather witless fashion.

Maybe I'm getting jaded in my dotage but jump scares have to be really clever to work on me.

On the whole I find the more annoying than exciting (like some daft bugger has wandered in the room and taken it upon himself to flip the volume control to my wax pornograph cylinder up and down randomly *STOB IT! STOB IT NOW!*).

The clever delicate slow build up of the original piece is replaced by images and actions shoveled on like heavy sod.

There also seems to be a rather sick fixation with images of children in pain and distress which isn't in the book either.

In the book we hear of horrible things happening to children and see something horrible prevented but most of the distress comes from and is inflicted upon the adults witnessing or remembering those events.

The ending is bizarrely mawkish considering the source material too.

It's a shame because the sets, the costumes, the locations are really atmospheric and well shot but proven acting talent is really wasted on this pile.

As much as I want the Hammer brand to rise from the grave they will have to learn not to do this sort of by the numbers crap.

Another source of frustration about this film is that because of the recorded media rights being sold on to the goons behind this disaster the utterly chilling 1989 Nigel Kneale scripted Television version can not be redistributed on DVD or rebroadcast.

So good luck tracking down an out of print copy of the original disc because it's everything this film isn't.