Well, today I saw the new movie, “Oculus”. RottenTomatoes gave it good marks – but for me, it just fell flat. As usual.. SPOILERS AHEAD!!
A woman tries to exonerate her brother, who was convicted of murder, by proving that the crime was committed by a supernatural phenomenon. ~IMDB
Although this movie wasn’t the worst thing I’ve seen.. it had a lot that bothered me, from a horror-phanatic standpoint.
- Story – Your over all goal is to clear your father’s name (not brother, imdb) by documenting evidence that the haunted/possessed mirror is to blame. The secondary goal is to destroy the mirror. However, you can not destroy the mirror if you hope to capture the evidence you need. By the time you gather any evidence, the mirror has effected you, and your brother and ruined all chances of clearing his name. Destroying the mirror should have been job #1. End the cycle.
- The constant bouncing back and forth in time was confusing as hell at first. Oculus was portrayed in two separate times. When the protagonists where children, and as adults… and then merging the two timelines, as if what the kids were seeing could have been images of themselves in the future.. it was poorly done and confusing.
- As with most horror films of the last decade.. this just seems like a story written by someone who simply doesn’t understand or has a love of horror. Like someone who pretends to like Jazz, but secretly thinks its horrible. Horror movies are popular, how hard could it be to make one?
I think the story, itself, had promise. But, would have been better suited being written and directed by someone else. How can you look yourself in the mirror and think this was great? (get it? mirror?? come on people!)
When I hear about a movie about a haunted mirror.. I want visions and fear to be placed into my mind so deeply that I would never look into a mirror again without shuttering. And therein lies my disappointment.
