Prowl movie review (2011)

Prowl (2011)

Brief review: Released on the same date as "Husk", "Prowl" is yet another mediocre 'Original' brought by After Dark Films. Although it starts out quite promising, and its first half is watchable-to-very good, as soon as the real horror starts, the film quickly turns into a chaotic mess with zero logical coherence, where nothing is ever fully explained. Furthermore, the twist in the end is so ridiculously anti-climatic, it totally destroys the rest of the movie, instead of being shocking and effective. Even though "Prowl" has some heart-pounding moments and a couple of boo scares, it's not neither as frightening, nor as tense as it thinks it is. The deaths are nasty and well-executed and the gore effects are rather impressive, but the attack scenes are so poorly-edited, and the lighting is so awful, you can barely see what's happening on the screen. The largely unknown young cast do very well in realistically portraying their characters in situations, with Ruta Gedmintas being the standout. Shot on limited budget in Bulgaria, "Prowl" is just okay, visually. The abandoned warehouse is grim and kinda creepy, and the washed-out cinematography and the muted color palette suits the dark tone of the film, though at the end, it all feels a bit flat, lackluster and lifeless.

Overall summary: Although this 'After Dark' Original offers plenty of gore, some thrills and a couple of jump-of-your-seat scares, its formulaic plot, poor script and ridiculous conclusion completely ruin the film, and as a result "Prowl" ends up being a jumbled mess of nonsense.

Rango movie review (2011)

Rango (2011)

Brief review: From the creator of the super-spooky "The Ring", and the wildly popular "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise, here comes "Rango" - the most creative, witty and oddly enjoyable animated flick, released in the past couple of years. While "Rango" can't boast with great originality story-wise, its execution is so flawless and breathtakingly-brilliant, its plot weaknesses can be forgiven. Though it drags here and there and is a bit too moody in places, the story is well-paced, balancing action, narrative and dialogue quite nicely. The witty and cleverly-written script gives depth to the characters and their quirky, colorful personalities, and makes the audience feel connected to them. Furthermore, "Rango" is a true visual splendor! Gore Verbinski certainly has an eye for detail, and it shows. The animation is so masterfully-crafted and extraordinarily-detailed, you won't believe your eyes. Although the director avoids bright and vivid colors, and uses more muted color palette, the CGI sets are still eye-catching and quite beautiful, and each of the characters is stunningly-designed, if not exactly sweet or very charming. The action scene in the second half is definitely the highlight of the movie, along with Johnny Depp and Isla Fisher's spectacular voice acting.

Overall summary: Charmingly-bizarre, smartly-written and beautifully-crafted, "Rango" is undoubtedly one of the most visually-unique animated features ever created, and certainly the quirkiest one, and it will appeal to anyone with an open mind and great imagination.