Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
One more reason to dread overnight parking, February 16, 2008
First off, this is an easy movie to criticize. Most small budget horror flicks are. I mean, really, how much can a director do in a dimly lit parking ramp? Quite a bit, I found. Don't over-analyze and you're in for a good time.
This is the type of fun romp that originally got me interested in the genre while I was growing up in the '80s. There's no overly complex plot, amazing effects or numbing backstory here - just a psychotic guard, a mean dog, a killer Cutlass, a busty blonde, the chase and 85 minutes of run time. Think of it as Duel confined to an underground ramp and you pretty much have the basic concept. Convincing and talented performances by the two leads are just icing on the cake.
Obviously meant for a Christmas release (I can't find the reason why it was pushed back 11 months or pulled 1 ahead), this movie was rushed out of most Minneapolis-area theatres the week following its arrival. I had to scramble just to catch it on the big screen a second time. Yes, it's that good. In fact, I'd put it right up there with Grindhouse and 28 Weeks Later as one of the best horror releases of 2007. The blood splattered image of a hip-swivelling Wes Bentley miming "Blue Christmas" into a mop handle alone is worth the price of admission.
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13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Predictable, yet chilling horror flick. Definitely entertaining!, April 6, 2008
A deserted parking garage. A young woman working late. A sociopathic parking attendant. Put these three elements together and you have one chilling horror flick that is just a bit too real for comfort.
Who among us has never felt that slight prickling of fear when you suddenly realize you are alone in a darkened garage - just enough trepidation to cause you to pick up your gait a bit as you hurry to the imagined safety of your car?
Working late Christmas Eve, Angela rushes to her car as she tries to salvage what is left of a holiday evening with her family. One thing after another happens, and poor Angela is stranded in a locked building, her only companion a slightly creepy parking attendant, Tom.
But Tom is more than slightly creepy - he is a veritable lunatic, and he has set his sights on Angela. Soon Angela's situation turns dire as she finds herself not only stranded, but in a battle for her very life as Tom gives full reign to his madness.
Although she is used to being taken advantage of in her day-to-day life, both in business and her personal life, when the chips are down Angela is no one's victim, and she does whatever it takes to stay alive.
While `P2' is fairly predictable in its plot, it doesn't lessen the effectiveness of it, not one whit. You'll still jump in your seat at each new heinous act the villainous Tom commits. Predictable it may be, but this is one undeniably entertaining film.
What I liked best about `P2' is that there is some logic to the plot. I cannot abide horror films that expect a suspension of disbelief without supporting the unbelievable aspects of the story, such as a killer who seemingly can't be killed. Such is not the case with `P2'. Every action, every reaction is grounded in reality. I can imagine this actually occurring. While Tom may be two steps ahead of Angela through most of the film, he is definitely not indestructible, and Angela soon turns the tide against him.
Add to that a heroine who never once suffers from the `too-stupid-to-live' syndrome, but instead grabs hold of her destiny with both handcuffed hands and wrests her freedom from the man who would take both her liberty and her life, and you have my kind of movie.
I have to say, having watched `P2', I am very grateful I don't have to park in a parking garage very often. I have a feeling that I will not be at ease in one for quite some time.
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10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Better Than Expected, November 19, 2007
Angela is a borderline workaholic. It's Christmas Eve and she winds up working late. Her calls to her family indicate that she's worked late and missed what plans they had made before in the past. As Angela finally calls it a night and makes it down to the second level of the parking garage where her car is parked, she finds out that it won't start. Angela stumbles upon a security guard, Tom, and he's the only remaining person besides her in the building. Tom seems like a nice guy who's just trying to help, but he doesn't want to be alone this Christmas. Not again. Tom's true intentions are revealed after the lights in the parking garage go out and he gets his hands on Angela.
Tom is extremely well-mannered and polite for a psychopathic killer. I mean, unless you say his name too many times or mess with his dog, Rocky. He's pretty much had his eye on Angela for a long time as he knows the names of her family members and knows what Bob, a fellow co-worker, did to her in the elevator during the office Christmas party. Bob doesn't get out of it unscathed though. I don't think anyone will look at office chairs the same again after this film. Tom is basically sick of being alone and will do anything he can to keep Angela there with him.
The best part of the film has to be the fact that Angela isn't some helpless woman that doesn't do anything but cry after she's kidnapped. She actually makes some pretty legit decisions in the midst of the pandemonium happening around her. She even manages to hold her own against a dog, which can't be said for many other horror movies out there. She still breaks down, but it's really only after she makes a smart move, fails, and the reality of the situation sinks in.
P2 is definitely worth watching. The film is a bit slow paced though. It's the type of film that builds and the payoff is rather satisfying. It's a relief to see a horror film with a female lead who isn't stupid, makes some logical decisions, and actually fights back against the psycopath stocking her. The definitive scene of this movie is the scene with the car and an office chair. It's the scene everyone will be talking about after viewing this film and for a good reason. So be sure to check this out if you're sick of the same, run of the mill horror flicks with women who do nothing but run away, scream, are stupid, have sex, or a combination of all four.
I give this film a 7/10.
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