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Saturday, April 12, 2014

MOVIE REVIEW: OCULUS










































Two siblings haunted by a childhood tragedy learn that the source of their horror is a mysterious mirror with a dark history. Tim (Brenton Thwaites) and Kaylie (Karen Gillan) were merely teenagers when both of their parents were brutally butchered. Convicted of the killings and sentenced to protective custody, Tim serves his time while Kaylie drifts into a deep despair. Years later, a newly free Tim does his best to lay the past to rest. Meanwhile, Kaylie is certain that her brother was innocent all along, and that the antique mirror their parents used to own holds the answer to her darkest questions. Upon locating the long-lost looking glass, Kaylie's deepest fears are confirmed -- a menacing force inhabits that mirror, and it has plagued every owner who has come into possession of it. Now, as curious Kaylie reacquires the mirror, the nightmarish cycle of horror returns with a vengeance. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Release Date: Apr 11, 2014

Rated: R for some Disturbing Images, Brief Language, Terror and Violence

Runtime: 1 hr. 45 min. 

Genres: Horror 

Director: Mike Flanagan 

Cast: Karen Gillan, Brenton Thwaites, Rory Cochrane, Katee Sackhoff, Garrett Ryan

Review:

Oculus is one of those pleasant surprises that randomly pop up from time to time in the horror genre which is overrun with more crap than an old portopotty.  Oculus is a mind bender, even if it can turn rather silly at certain points, which play with time and perception.   All the while maintaining a strong tension throughout while it keeps us guessing whether things are really happening or not.  It borrows heavily from Japanese horror but make for a rather enjoyable yarn.  The cast is lead by the lovely Karen Gillan, and her bangs, who oversells her part a tad too much in the beginning but settles into her role as the film moves on.  Brenton Thwaites is a solid counter weight to Gillan’s obsessive character.  Katee Sackhoff is always excellent playing nutty and she does a good job here even though I was disappointed by where the story takes her character in the third act.  The last act is a fun trip through the fun house of terrors which messes with your perception enough to keep you on your toes even if it ends up in a predictable place.

B-


12 comments:

  1. It's definitely a movie I would like to see.

    ~~DJ

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  2. Good review Dan. It's the type of horror movie that doesn't do much with its age-old premise, except excite the hell out of its audience by throwing every which twist and turn it possibly can. May not make perfect, but is still fun altogether.

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    Replies
    1. Yeah it's fun, not a classic by any stretch but still a very solid entry.

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  3. lol "her bangs." i love foreign horror, so i kinda like that you say it borrows from that.

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    1. Yes it's very much in the same vein of the Japanese horror.

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  4. I am kind of interested in the movie since I love Karen Gillan " and her bangs" (that made me laugh, good one!). Maybe worth a rent, maybe not. Great review as always Daniel.

    -James

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    1. Thanks James I think it's a solid rental and well worth checking out.

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  5. Good review. You also gave it props but didn't over-praise it. It's definitely good! Do you have plans to see the Quiet Ones? Honestly, I wanted to see it to review it for my blog. But that PG-13 rating is killing me. Don't know if I can do it LOL

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    1. It's a solid film but far from perfect.

      Thanks man, I do want to see The Quiet Ones but I'm not sure when I'll get around to it.

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  6. This one finally arrived here and I was underwhelmed by it.

    The fact that we were told early on what happened to the parents killed any tension for me!

    Glad I saw it but wasn't impressed!

    K :-)

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    Replies
    1. I will admit that I saw this at a movie tavern so maybe I was a bit lenient on it.

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