Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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51 of 64 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Spanish Occult Thriller: Stylish Images & Incredible Story, December 14, 2004
'Darkness' is a Spanish film made back in 2002, with the cast -- Anna Paquin, Lena Olin, Iain Glen, Fele Martinez, and Giancarlo Giannini. The Spanish director Jaume Balaguero may be remembered with his previous film 'The Nameless' of which critical success led to the production of this film.
THE STORY is about an American girl Regina (Paquin), whose family moved to the suburb of a certain city in Spain. Her father (Glen) experienced nervous breakdown leading a busy life in America, and his wife (Olin) thought it best for him and the entire family to leave anything behind, and come to this quiet place with two children, Regina and her younger brother Paul (Stephen Enquist).
But one day, amid a heavy traffic jam, Regina's father starts to suffer from the disease again. And at the same time things begin to get weird. Paul starts to think someone is in the house while his daddy, once back from hospital, again acts strangely ... this time, perhaps not because of the disease. And Regina's grandfather (Giannini) seems to know something about the gloomy house where she lives, or something more.
FIRST, THE BEST THING ABOUT THE FILM is its photography by Xavi Gimenez (see the unique thriller 'Intacto'). In spite of confusing script, the cinematography of 'Darkness' stands on its own, always conveying the spooky atmosphere, created with the subtle and effective contrast between light and darkness. It is very good to convince you of the presence of the evil lurking behind the curtain.
The film's plot is good in the first half, but an unlucky coincidence does not help. As you know, the US viewers have already seen a horror film 'Darkness Falls' with which 'Darkness' shares the universal fear coming from darkess. And the origin of the darkness (or its fear) differs, the secrets of 'Darkess' is as predictable as those of the other film, and this makes a bad sign from the beginning.
And in the second half, the film, trying to surprise us more, actually becomes confusing, fraught with heavy-handed symbolism which is not difficult to interpret if you just notice they are there. Moreover, at least to the horror fans like me, the scares themselves are not effectively shown, with now cliched tricks, and the final chapter is simply unbelievable, or too 'good' (or bad) to be true.
But the most regrettable thing about 'Darkness' is the acting, which are, quite frankly, below average. Overacting all around, from Olin and Glen in particular, the film is filled with those characters yelling and shouting, all of whom you wish were gone. I finally thought -- Please, please, stop them.
Atomospheric 'Darkness' is shot with considerable visual skills, but lacks the credible acting of Nicole Kidman in 'The Others.' If you like something beautiful and different -- whatever the meaning of difference might be, this may be the one for you. Otherwise, see 'The Others' again.
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26 of 32 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Decent haunted house yarn., April 25, 2005
I'm surprised at the bad reviews; when I saw this in the theater a few months ago I thought it was "almost" as scary as some of the better horror movies in recent years. I guess that's the problem; "The Ring," "The Others," "Boogeyman," etc. have just spoiled us with good quality. If "Darkness" had been made 15 years ago it would be considered one of the best horror movies of it's time. Now it just can't compete. There are a few scenes that should be shocking but don't quite come off, but as a whole it is effective - fright is built up gradually with atmospherics such as a creepy picture on the wall, etc. I think if you like the above mentioned films but just can't get enough, "Darkness" will hold you over until the next classic comes out. And I'll say this much for it: I saw the new version of "The Amityville Horror" last week and by comparison "Darkness" is at least 20-30% scarier.
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Time for something relevant in regards to this movie..., December 15, 2006
First off, I have spent a bit of time glancing at many of the reviews on this website. I find many of them unfair and lacking evidence to state their cases. In my opinion, I just don't think that some people put the effort into understanding this movie as they should have done.
If you pay VERY close attention to the story line, the terror of it is insurmountable. The effect of the story is very conveying, weighing down on your mind and ultimately, sending a chill down your spine. Sure, this plot line may have been seen a million times before. But, in this day and age, what is original anymore?
Another set of complaints was how the cast was terrible. I will concede that the cast could have been a bit better acted. But, hey, it works. The cast's acting did nothing to draw attention away from the central story line. Sorry if all film companies can't hire actors like Sarah Michelle Gellar or anything. This is the best that they can do everyone. Cut them a little slack.
As the old saying goes, "don't judge a book by it's cover." This is very true in regards to this movie. If you just look on the surface of the movie, sure, you are going to hate it. But, if you take the time to look inwards and see the terrifying plot that lies within, I guarantee that you will find this movie rather enjoyable.
Thank you very much for your time and consideration.
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