What I'm Watching: Intruders
Hello again!
Got the DVD for the recent monster tale, Intruders.
I am of mixed feelings about the movie. It has its highs, it has its lows, and I really think everything balances out to what amounts to little more than a perfectly okay movie.
Intruders tells the parallel tales of two children encountering this monster creature they know only as Hollowface. He wants to take their faces, make them his own, and basically relcaim a life he once lost. That's a great idea for a story, and having the story told in two seperate ways was good, and I especially thought the way the two stories finally came together, eventually freeing both children, was spectaularly well done. Maybe not so much surprising, although I wasn't entierly expecting it. More of an, "Ooooh, of course!" sort of idea. I was more into enjoying the ride than solving the mystery while I was watching this morning.
There is some legitamitely freaky things in this movie. Not quite scary to me, but definitely gets the old spine a-tinglin' in places. The cast is pretty solid across the board, especially Clive Owen, but that should be no surprise. The young actress who plays his daughter, and has to endure much of the horror and convey that sense of terror does a great job.
I loved the idea behind the monster. It was creepy as hell, visually interesting for the most part, and the narration explaining what he is, or what the kids think he is, was well executed and really helped sell the tone. I like how the creature manifested in different ways to the different kids, based on their own fears, and saying anything clearer would be spoilery.
I really liked the sense the movie was giving of writing being an important component to Hollowface's power, and while that didn't entirely play out how I hoped, it still showed the power of words, and I always appreciate that. The power that stories have on us is always a good place to go.
The movie never quite took off though, and stayed pretty low-key for much of the time, as it slowly explored the threat. A little more focus, a little tighter, maybe would have strengthened the movie. BUT, just a little. It really was well directed and executed.
The ending left a lot to be desired, and I won't spoil things too much, but it was a little disappointing with what I was hoping for. It works for the story, and I'm sure this will grow on me over time, but I would have liked to have seen a different story.
Still, a good cast, in a well made movie, telling the story it wants to tell...hard to complain that much. It won't blow you away, or scare your pants off, but it is entertaining, and tells a decent enough story.
J
