REVIEW: The Cabin in the Woods

In April of 2012 a movie entered theatres without me really knowing much about it, but it didn't take long to understand that there was an incredible buzz surrounding it after its opening weekend.  I overheard many a conversation about The Cabin in the Woods, with people signing high praise.  I didn't see it, and then forgot all about it until a friend intervened in my life and set me straight by getting me to view this film.

The movie follows five college students who head out for a weekend excursion to the new vacation home of a cousin.  Their destination turns out to be a very run down and old cabin in the woods (hey, isn't that the title?).  It doesn't take long before everything to turn into a mess as they find themselves trying to have to survive against ghoulish creatures.  However, it turns out there is much more to the equation.

I cannot say much more about the plot.  It is incredibly unique, and brings an entirely new premise to what would be an over-done story.  While it would be an enjoyable film for almost who would watch such a movie, it is true horror fans that will get the most from The Cabin in the Woods.  Script writers Joss Whedon and Drew Godard (who also directed it) insert so many brilliant easter eggs as they play on dozens of tropes of the genre.  The greater your knowledge of horror and its history, the more you will get out of this film.  This is something that is made by fans for fans, while taking genre staples to new levels.

The casting of the film is really well done, with everyone involved hitting every note they need to.  Dana is out main character, played by Kristen Connolly who would most likely be known for being in television shows As The World Turns and House of Cards.  Anna Hutchinson plays Dana's friend Jules, with her boyfriend Curt played by Chris Hemsworth (an actor who doesn't seem to get enough recognition for his diverse talents).  New to the group is Holden (Jessie Williams from Grey's Anatomy), who is a possible hook-up for Dana.  And, of course, there is a stoner.  Marty is played by Fran Kranz, a character that enjoys spending time with a bong.  A pot head is used in many horror movies, and that is the reason for this character.  The fun part of the film is that it plays with the other four from the group to hit on the other character types that seem to be in ninety five percent of slashers.

Humour is abundant, with the character of Marty doing most of the heavy lifting.  I can't say what their roles in the film is, but the brilliant duo of Hadley (Bradley Whitford) and Sitterson (Richard Jenkins) bring continuous entertainment and joy to the viewer.  You may not be familiar with their names, but if you saw either of these incredible actors I'm sure you would recognize them.  They are both on fire each scene they are in, and, after seeing this, I can't help but wish they were both in mainstream stuff more often.

Because this is a horror film, be it even a self aware and comical film (it takes the self awareness from movies like Scream to an entirely new level), there are villains, kills, and blood.  Drew Goddard may not be able to get the same sort of suspense that a straightforward horror could mine, but that doesn't stop him from making intense scenes that are well paced and entertaining.  I should warn people that there is some gore in here and more blood than I could think possible.

Apparently, Goddard and Whedon wrote this script in just a few days and part of the purpose was to make a commentary on the rising sub-genre referred to as 'torture porn.'  Director Eli Roth's film Hostel was one of the early examples, followed by Saw (which is viewed as torture porn, but the original film had very little of that in it).  Many people have disdain for torture porn, as in many cases the only reason for these movies is to show people getting subjected to brutal acts.  When the full concept of the film is revealed, it is quite interesting just how Goddard and Whedon addressed the issue.

With a rumoured budget of $30 million, The Cabin in the Woods didn't set the box office on fire, as it only took in $66 million world wide.  When it comes to classic movies, however, financials seldom tell the true story of their impact.  With The Cabin in the Woods there is a film that absolutely tickled the fancies of critics (it is at 91% on Rotten Tomatoes) and genre fans alike.  With certain types of film, especially genres like horror and science fiction, there are movies that fans will hold on tightly to, even if they are forgotten by the world a year after their release.  The Cabin in the Woods is a movie that will be continually making the rounds in horror circles for years, and probably decades, to come.  It may be a horror without legitimate scares, but it is the smarts behind it, as well as the execution, that solidify The Cabin in the Woods as a horror classic.

Rating - 3.5 out of 4 stars

The Martian

Director Ridley Scott has dealt with a series of hit and miss movies over the past few years.  In the last two years he directed critical and box office misses The Counsellor (2013), and Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014).  Both films were poorly reviewed, getting 35% and 27% on Rotten Tomatoes respectively.  I cannot comment on The Counsellor, but I did see Exodus in theatres, and, believe me on this, it was a rather lifeless experience.  The present had been indicating a long and disappointing slide from the skills he showed earlier in his career.

One of the reasons why I love movies so much is that each film is a new opportunity for a talent to show that she or he still has it.  When I sat down to watch The Martian, the first ten minutes had completely convinced me that Scott had returned to pristine story telling and environment crafting form.

If one looks likes to draw comparisons that a film has with its source material, The Martian is a textbook example of it being done right.  What made Andy Weir's novel such an enjoyable and captivating read was the humanizing of the dry-humoured protagonist, Mark Watney (played in the movie by Matt Damon).  The poor lad was stranded on Mars after his team had to evacuate during a horrific storm, and we followed him through sadness, hope, excitement, and depression.  These emotions were mirrored by what the good folks back on earth were journeying through as they followed the story of Watney on Mars.  It was solid, popcorn munching literature that walked us through the spectrum of the human experience.

The film, which was incredibly penned by Drew Goddard (Cabin in the Woods, Cloverfield) was able to capture all of the beats and flow of the book, executing the humour and isolation of Watney with artistic perfection.  This is exalted by a tremendous cast of characters who all exceeded in nailing their performances.  Each character is written as a unique individual, and are all believable in their motives and actions, something that not every movie can boast.

Normally I balk at movies in 3D, but this is a key aspect in the story telling, much as it was in 2013's Gravity (hey, both movies were about shit hitting the fan in space!).  The depth that is created through this medium shows us just how small and insignificant Watney is when compared to the dangers offered up by the red planet.

Speaking of the red planet, this is somewhere we have been before in numerous movies.  I distinctly remember watching Total Recall with my father and being in awe of Schwarzenegger standing on the crest of a hill on Mars before having a fatal fall.  I had been to many different planets through Star Wars and other sic-fi tales, but Mars stuck out to me.  Probably because it was unimaginative.  It was bleak and dead.  That resonated with me about the reality of what the planet could actually be like, and left me never wanting to visit such a lonely and desolate place.

Well, if I thought it looked cool back then, it looks even more amazing now.  The visuals and construction of what we see of Mars by Ridley Scott absolutely look and feel real, with no hint of computer generated imaging at all.  It falls in line with the gauntlet for world building that Joseph Kosinski laid down when he directed Oblivion (not a great movie, but insane and seamless visuals).  It's one thing for a movie to have neat-o special effects, but it is another to create an environment that actually feels like the movie was shot on location.  The eyes are unable to detect inconsistencies, and the subconscious mind has nothing to grab onto to say this isn't a genuine place.  Scott also seems to shove a boot into the backside of the modern movie making system as this insanely special effect-heavy film brought with it a budget of just over one hundred million dollars.  When films with a reasonable budget look so perfect, there are fewer and fewer excuses for the exorbitant budgeted films.

Was this film created to be the greatest movie ever made?  Hell no.  Was it created to contend for one of the best popcorn munchers of all time?  Hell yes.  Movies don't need to be deep in thematic battles while being backed by Oscar baiting performances.  They need to tell a story that grips the audience and invites them into the experience.  That's all a film needs to do to be successful, and that is exactly what happens with The Martian.  In the theatres laughter will be heard, tears may be shed, and people will leave the screening smiling and talking about what they saw.  That, to me, is what the theatre experience is all about.

Rating - 3.5 out of 4 stars