{"id":13720,"date":"2014-04-09T12:19:25","date_gmt":"2014-04-09T19:19:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/qgp.ykq.mybluehost.me\/cinephiled\/?p=13720"},"modified":"2014-04-09T12:19:25","modified_gmt":"2014-04-09T19:19:25","slug":"oculus-slow-builds-way-nothing-snores","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cinephiled.com\/oculus-slow-builds-way-nothing-snores\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Oculus’ Slow Builds its Way to Nothing but Snores"},"content":{"rendered":"

There\u2019s nothing wrong with a film that uses a slow build to really ratchet up the tension. However, slllooowww buuuiiillldddsss are a different matter completely. Oculus<\/em> would be a prime example of the latter.<\/p>\n

This allegedly supernatural horror movie takes so much time getting to the actual \u201chorror\u201d elements \u2013 all in the name of supposed character and story \u201cprogression\u201d — that it may bore even the most easily frightened of audiences to tears.<\/p>\n

And again, that\u2019s not to say that there\u2019s anything wrong with setting a mood or atmosphere and trying to develop realistic characters in a horror movie. This one just does it so ineptly that the strategy backfires, with nearly disastrous results.<\/p>\n

In addition to touting the film\u2019s connections with the hit Insidious<\/em> and Paranormal Activity<\/em> movies, as well as World Wrestling Entertainment (which shares a producing credit, through its movie-production company), the studio and filmmakers are clearly hoping to draw in fans of BBC\u2019s Doctor Who<\/em> and Syfy\u2019s Battlestar Galactica<\/em>.<\/p>\n

After all, it does feature both Katee Sackhoff (from the latter) and the former\u2019s Karen Gillan in its cast. Scottish actress Gillan stars as Kaylie Russell, a twenty-something who\u2019s still haunted by the tragic events of her past. She\u2019s recently reunited with her younger brother, Tim (Brenton Thwaites), who was hospitalized for his actions in those same tragic events.<\/p>\n

After years of therapy, Tim seems to be dealing with his past in a more healthy fashion than Kaylie, who\u2019s obsessed with a valuable antique mirror, The Lasser Glass, which she believes contains a malevolent, manipulative spirit \u2013 one that she thinks was actually responsible for the death of their parents (played by Sackhoff and Rory Cochrane in flashbacks). Kaylie\u2019s even gone so far as to \u201cborrow\u201d it from the auction house where she\u2019s currently working. She\u2019s planning to conduct and record an experiment in which she and Tim draw the spirit out and then \u201cend\u201d its reign of terror once and for all.<\/p>\n

Tim, however, doesn\u2019t recall events the same way Kaylie days. That is, until he returns to their childhood home, and is confronted with the horrors of his youth.<\/p>\n

Director\/editor\/co-screenwriter Michael Flanagan based this haunted house\/possession tale on his earlier entry in a series of short films, which also featured a \u201cpossessed\u201d antique mirror. But his lack of experience as a filmmaker is all too apparent. Too many scenes run on longer than they should. Others end so abruptly that you\u2019d swear they ran out of tape during that particular \u201ctake.\u201d<\/p>\n

And little of this nonsense actually results in a real scare, even one of the \u201cstartle\u201d variety. Also, there\u2019s at least one recurring motif that begs for audiences to cry out with one of their favorite\u00a0Mystery Science Theater 3000<\/em> catchphrases.<\/p>\n

Worse, Flanagan isn\u2019t exactly doing up-and-coming actress Gillan (soon to be seen in Marvel\u2019s Guardians of the Galaxy<\/em>) a favor here. Her character is a conniving, unsympathetic shrew (at one point Kaylie sacrifices an innocent Boston Terrier puppy just to make a point, and she consistently neglects her fianc\u00e9, played by James Lafferty). You\u2019ll be rooting for her to get a well-deserved comeuppance from the murderous spirit, most likely.<\/p>\n

As for Australian television actor Thwaites (Blue Lagoon: The Awakening<\/em>, the soap Home and Away<\/em>), he can\u2019t really do much with this material. His character is a bland cipher, even in the numerous flashback sequences (where he\u2019s played by Garrett Ryan, from Insidious: Chapter 2<\/em>).<\/p>\n

Speaking of those flashbacks, the only cast member who really seems motivated is the talented Sackhoff, who creates the only genuinely creepy moments in this otherwise deadly dull fiasco. She deserves better than the likes of this and last year\u2019s Riddick<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Jeff Michael Vice can also be heard reviewing films, television programs, comics, books, music and other things as part of The Geek Show Podcast (<\/em>www.thegeekshowpodcast.com<\/em><\/a>), and can be seen reviewing films as part of Xfinity\u2019s Big Movie Mouth-Off (<\/em>www.facebook.com\/BigMovieMouthOff<\/em><\/a>).<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There\u2019s nothing wrong with a film that uses a slow build to really ratchet up the tension. However, slllooowww buuuiiillldddsss are a different matter completely. Oculus would be a prime example of the latter. This allegedly supernatural horror movie takes so much time getting to the actual \u201chorror\u201d elements \u2013 all in the name of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":13782,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[16,99],"tags":[1650,409,22,1652,1653,1654,1651,270],"yoast_head":"\n'Oculus' Slow Builds its Way to Nothing but Snores - Cinephiled<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cinephiled.com\/oculus-slow-builds-way-nothing-snores\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"'Oculus' Slow Builds its Way to Nothing but Snores - Cinephiled\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"There\u2019s nothing wrong with a film that uses a slow build to really ratchet up the tension. 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