Movie Defense Force: Paranormal Activity
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This is the strongest case of "This needed defending?" I can think of.
I've only seen the first film (the very fact that they made sequels was enough to put me off of them) and, if I'm frank, I think it's one of the greatest achievements of atmosphere in new age horror movies. Near perfect.
Would've been perfect if not for the male lead. He became so outlandishly stupid and dickish towards the middle and end of the film that it almost ruins the whole thing and you're (I was) HOPING something kills him.
Which is bad cause this is not a slasher flick.
I've only seen the first film (the very fact that they made sequels was enough to put me off of them) and, if I'm frank, I think it's one of the greatest achievements of atmosphere in new age horror movies. Near perfect.
Would've been perfect if not for the male lead. He became so outlandishly stupid and dickish towards the middle and end of the film that it almost ruins the whole thing and you're (I was) HOPING something kills him.
Which is bad cause this is not a slasher flick.
So is twilight going to be done as well then? Though I'm going to be in it seems vocal agreement, PA1 isnt really bad at all.
I haven't seen Paranormal Activity or any of it's sequels, but I didn't think it needed defending. After all a movie that got 5 friggan sequels couldn't have been that unpopular.
I preferred Rec myself, if you haven't seen it, it's the movie Quarantine is a remake of. Not sure why it needed a remake exactly, the Spanish one, Rec only came out a year before. They're both fine, but Rec being in another language (so you will have to read subtitles) made it that bit more scary/unfamiliar I guess.tangoprime said:The hidden footage / low budget handheld ones are my kind of bag tooJimothy Sterling said:
What did you think of Quarantine? That would could probably use a Movie Defense Force mobilization.
Okay, I was a bit worried about this one. All I could think was "People dislike this movie?" But it seems pretty much everyone does like this movie, going by the comments.
I only have watched the first one (not that big into horror) but I liked it. So, if I am some kind of film sinner, so be it. I'll simply have to burn in Hell for liking this one.
I only have watched the first one (not that big into horror) but I liked it. So, if I am some kind of film sinner, so be it. I'll simply have to burn in Hell for liking this one.
keep bein' awesome, sterling.
OT: i've never seen the movies, but i'd probably feel the same way. i'm not much of a hater, so i have a very high tolerance level for consensually sub-par entertainment.
OT: i've never seen the movies, but i'd probably feel the same way. i'm not much of a hater, so i have a very high tolerance level for consensually sub-par entertainment.
I didn't think that the jump scares were cheap or that there is anything wrong with found footage films, I just thought the movie wasn't scary or interesting. The characters (especially the "boyfriend" character) were unlikeable and dull, there are too many plot holes, the majority of the movie is just plain boring conversations about boring things with boring people and the actual "scares" range from meh to just plain silly.
Yea truly, my first thought at seeing the video's image link on the front page was that before even starting the video. I mean the movie has an 83% score [http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/paranormal_activity/] on rotten tomatoes. The highest score prior to this one was, I think, Transformers one with its 57%.piinyouri said:
After a second look though, this movie does have surprisingly low audience approval for its critic score at 56% and has a surprising amount of negative user scores [http://www.metacritic.com/movie/paranormal-activity] on metacritic. So I guess there's some reasoning for the need to defend it, however vestigial it may seem.
I thought the first one was okay. Not "blow my socks off", not "this is revolutionary film-making that will show the way for modern horror", but... okay. Competent. At times, pretty well done. At times, effectively scary, and better, effectively creepy, which can be harder to pull off. Getting people to tense up isn't really that hard, but getting them to take the scenes seriously enough over time for an ongoing sense of dread to be created... that takes some work. And while you can prepare yourself for a "jump scare", you can't stay tense all the time, which is when an over-arching sense of doom becomes really effective.
But they kept making them, and while I've only seen bits of the sequels, everything I've seen has the term "diminishing returns" stamped all over it. At a basic level, once something is documented- which is what "found footage" films amount to- you need people to start having some basic awareness of the situation they're in. Otherwise, it's much harder to build that sense of doom for the need to roll your eyes at the people who keep showing stupid judgment.
But they kept making them, and while I've only seen bits of the sequels, everything I've seen has the term "diminishing returns" stamped all over it. At a basic level, once something is documented- which is what "found footage" films amount to- you need people to start having some basic awareness of the situation they're in. Otherwise, it's much harder to build that sense of doom for the need to roll your eyes at the people who keep showing stupid judgment.
Honestly, I loved all 4 of them. The story is interesting and the horror is good stuff. The first one had the biggest impact being a new experience. The 2nd seemed like it brought things to new levels and was pretty strong as well. The 3rd I liked the most as a movie though, the final scenes are amazing and the conclusion so dark that I had to applaud it.
However the series is starting to drag on a bit. The 4th movie was good but didn't do anything new, interesting or powerful. I'm not sure if there's anything else left they can do with the remaining cast and characters but they would really have to try a lot harder to impress me in a 5th movie.
Why people want to hate on it? I'm not sure why. People like to jump on the bandwagon for a lot of things and often don't have much to argue for their cause. I chalk it up to that. The series was successful more than any other recent horror movies and I think there's a reason for it. People may talk shit but they still go see the movie. I did have some problems while watching the 4th movie in the theater though. Some people apparently weren't impressed with it's low budget effects and so they yelled out obscenities during various parts of the film.
This is why i always prefer to watch these movies at home, by myself, in the dark, with headphones on. I did that for the 1st movie and nearly shat myself. (and i don't scare easily)
However the series is starting to drag on a bit. The 4th movie was good but didn't do anything new, interesting or powerful. I'm not sure if there's anything else left they can do with the remaining cast and characters but they would really have to try a lot harder to impress me in a 5th movie.
Why people want to hate on it? I'm not sure why. People like to jump on the bandwagon for a lot of things and often don't have much to argue for their cause. I chalk it up to that. The series was successful more than any other recent horror movies and I think there's a reason for it. People may talk shit but they still go see the movie. I did have some problems while watching the 4th movie in the theater though. Some people apparently weren't impressed with it's low budget effects and so they yelled out obscenities during various parts of the film.
This is why i always prefer to watch these movies at home, by myself, in the dark, with headphones on. I did that for the 1st movie and nearly shat myself. (and i don't scare easily)
Personally, I always thought the first one's great, and I liked each consecutive sequel less and less. I was still scared by them, but I found their growing lack of subtlety and the new information coming forward and filling in the holes made me look back on them and think "it wasn't as good as the last one."
That's just me, I don't *hate* the sequels, but after 3, I don't have very positive things to say about them.
That's just me, I don't *hate* the sequels, but after 3, I don't have very positive things to say about them.
Hopping on the bandwagon here, the first movie in particular does not need defending. It only draws flak from people who absolutely hate found footage movies.
Now the third... they ought to have stopped after #2.
And thank you for not including any stupid jump scares in this defense video.
Now the third... they ought to have stopped after #2.
And thank you for not including any stupid jump scares in this defense video.
I thought the first one was alright can't say anything about the others as I've not seen them I'll try catching them sometime.
My problem with Paranormal Activity (cause I've only seen the first and said no to the rest) is that there's nothing there...
It's a whole mess of waiting... for nothing really.
There's no real plot there other than "oooo ghosties and ppl scary!"... I've been told, when I said as such to my sister, of the grand plot developed over the course of the franchise... but... that doesn't mean any of that was in the first one.
And I say this because in my opinion, PA is a crap Blair Witch.
The thing that really drew you into the BWP is all of that world building. The fake interviews used as movie trailers. Everything about the whole first "act" is nothing but laying the foundation for the rest of the movie.
Unlike PA.
I think I watched a bit of 3 when said conversation came up with said sister... and there was a 15min scene that served no purpose other than "the girlfriend is angry at the boyfriend's stupid"... which was already presented just fine in the not worthless scene before... and is rehashed AGAIN in scene after.
I don't think the audience needs to waste that extra 15min of her raging to know that she's pissed... At least I do hope they got that from her screaming at her bf in the previous scene.
And I don't think it's just jump-scares... I'm fairly certain most "HQ" scary movies rely on those too...
But it's just not scary for me... I was bored out of my mind in the first one and never wasted my money being bored by the others.
It's a whole mess of waiting... for nothing really.
There's no real plot there other than "oooo ghosties and ppl scary!"... I've been told, when I said as such to my sister, of the grand plot developed over the course of the franchise... but... that doesn't mean any of that was in the first one.
And I say this because in my opinion, PA is a crap Blair Witch.
The thing that really drew you into the BWP is all of that world building. The fake interviews used as movie trailers. Everything about the whole first "act" is nothing but laying the foundation for the rest of the movie.
Unlike PA.
I think I watched a bit of 3 when said conversation came up with said sister... and there was a 15min scene that served no purpose other than "the girlfriend is angry at the boyfriend's stupid"... which was already presented just fine in the not worthless scene before... and is rehashed AGAIN in scene after.
I don't think the audience needs to waste that extra 15min of her raging to know that she's pissed... At least I do hope they got that from her screaming at her bf in the previous scene.
And I don't think it's just jump-scares... I'm fairly certain most "HQ" scary movies rely on those too...
But it's just not scary for me... I was bored out of my mind in the first one and never wasted my money being bored by the others.
I've not seen the first all the way through, but I saw 2 and 3 at the cinema and they scared the shit out of me. Something about how trapped you are in a giant room with a giant screen, where every tiny sound the camera picks up comes across as a book through cinema speakers. Absolutely chilling.
4 was fucking awful though. I'll find even the mildest of horrors scary, but everything in 4 was phoned in and they seemed to forget the craft that went into making the first three so scary.
4 was fucking awful though. I'll find even the mildest of horrors scary, but everything in 4 was phoned in and they seemed to forget the craft that went into making the first three so scary.