Saturday, May 26, 2012

Chernobyl Diaries

Caution: This Might Contain Spoilers!
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This film follows four friends, Natalie, Amanda, Chris, and Paul join an extreme tourism group with two others, Zoe and Michael, led by Uri. Despite the risk of radiation they enter Chernobyl illegally. After a brief tour, they find their vehicle disabled trapping them in this town. They soon discover that they're not alone, and fight to survive. 

This film was directed by Bradley Parker, his first film to direct. Oren Peli only produced this film (the director of Paranormal Activity). This film had stirred some controversy in that it brought a negative image of the survivors of the actual fall out. This has become common among films that base themselves off real events. This film does have several cliched characters commonly seen in horror films, but there is a pay off in its chills and scares. It doesn't have the same impact that Paranormal Activity had, because it goes into a different horror subgenre. Its more akin to The Hills Have Eyes and Wrong Turn. I was thankful that this film wasn't entirely presented with handheld digital devices, and instead only featured it in parts of the film. The story is limited to the first twenty minutes and it only hints at it. There isn't enough character development to fully feel for their plight. The special effects were great. Most of the film kept to darkness making it impossible to get a full glimpse of a monster or beast. The ending was good, but general for horror films. 

The cast worked well together in creating a kind of realism to the horror. It is unfortunate that none of their characters were fully developed. Devin Kelley played the role of Amanda. She was great as the leading heroine. Jonathan Sadowski played the role of Paul. He was good at playing the leading hero. He made the film fully emotionally believable. Jesse McCartney played the role of Chris. He was good in his small role. Olivia Dudley played the role of Natalie. She was good in her small role. Ingrid Bolse Berdal played the role of Zoe. She was great in her role even if there is no background for her character. Nathan Phillips played the role of Michael. He was good being the sensible one. Dimitri Diatchenko played the role Uri. He was great using subtleties to give his character more depth. 

I give this film a 3 out of 5 stars! It's good for a general horror film. It doesn't stand out among its genre, but it does offer some good scares. It also does great in leaving plenty of mystery. 

Answer to last blog: Actor Jeff Bridges also performed in the popular role of Kevin Flynn in Tron, and acted as Obadiah Stane in Iron Man. 

Que: What other horror film remake has actor Jonathan Sadowski acted in?

Halloween
A Nightmare on Elm Street
Friday the 13th
The Hills Have Eyes

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