Cabin In the Woods (2012)

 
Okay I have to get this off my chest.  I finally saw the movie "Cabin in the Woods", and I have to say I was very interested in seeing it, but it totally let me down in the end.  The movie has great production value, and even some interesting casting.   Especially Richard Jenkins, who I think should have gotten the academy award for his performance in "The Visitor", but I digress.  Even putting in Bradley Whitford in this film doesn't help it.  I do like the scenes between Whitley and Jenkins, but again putting A list actors in a B type movie does not help it.   It does make it memorable, but only because the actors are really good, and you can see that their having fun with their performances.

It's a typical teenagers or in this case college roommate's and friends weekend away from civilization when things go horrible wrong.  The twist to this is this, and this is a SPOILER ALERT.  The victims are part of a test and they are nothing but lab rats caught in a horrible maze.  That's about it.  How the testers subject our victims to the horrors is sometimes amusing, and just plain stupid.  Again this movie has some originality, but it's wasted in the end.  I was hoping that this was something more then just people in a cabin being dispatched in interesting ways, and there is a glimmer of that, but the end is such a let down.  It's like the filmmakers throw in everything and the kitchen sink, and then come up short for the touchdown.  Sorry for the sports metaphor, but the movie plays like that, and coming from such filmmakers as Joss Whedon you would think that the movie would have some interesting thoughts on the genre.

To blame it on the "ancient ones" is just plain weak.  Too manufacture a threat so great that it will destroy the world seems really interesting, but really?  You're telling me that these ancient ones who are so powerful, and mighty go underground, and we humans keep them there and appease them through sacrifice of the innocents, the athlete, the misfit, and the lustful?  REALLY!!!!!

Like I say you almost had me, but that ruined it for me.  Also invisible force fields too.  COME ON!!!!!

I love horror, and I think that there are some very good horror films being made, but this isn't one of them.  This steals from all the genres and wraps it up with a weak plot.  Do I care for these helpless victims.  I did, but they were too stereotypical written.  I know that's the point, but I thought this would be different.  Sure it's great to root for the underdog, and have the testers get their comeuppance, but throwing weak folklore without any real world logic is to me talking down to its audience, and I hate that.  It's like the filmmakers are winking at us and saying "watch how cleaver we are".  Well you're not, and next time you want to do a horror film why don't you do some research, and watch some old movies, and read some really good horror novels.  Then see what you come up with.  It would be way better then this mediocre movie.

Okay so I hated it.  Maybe you'll like it, but if you're a fan of the genre you'll find yourself hating yourself because its 1hour and 35 minutes that you won't get back.