If you watch the trailer of Retreat, you watch 75% of the movie.
The movie spends the first twenty minutes telling the story of a young couple Martin (Murphy) and Kate (Newton). They are experiencing some marital problems, so they retreat to this isolated island in hope to save their marriage.
Then Jamie Bell's character Jack - a unconscious stranger covered with blood - finally appears, just as you see in the trailer. However, when I see Jack starts to bar the house when he wakes up the next day, I shake my head. My question is: how could the couple be that stupid to let a 5'7" lunatic do things like that?
Eventually, Jack makes a revelation. By the time, it doesn't matter if he is telling the truth or not.
In my opinion, Retreat suffers from a weak plot and the poor direction of a first-time director. It is supposed to be a thriller, but there is not enough suspense to keep the audience engaged throughout the ninety minutes. In fact, I wonder how can he drag the movie for that long. There is not much happening on the screen to keep the viewers occupied, and the so-called twist in the end feels flat.
The three main cast members did an okay job. However, the script doesn't provide enough room for character development. I don't learn enough about the characters to feel sympathy for them. There is no chemistry among the three characters. However, I feel Jamie Bell might be the one who enjoyed filming this movie most. Playing a lunatic must be fun. It also allows him to show off his toned body, although the shirtless scene is nothing more than a fan service.
Retreat only has four characters with lines. The complete cast consists of no more than six people. Visually, it is impaired by its low budget. I am not saying we need hundreds of extras, big explosions, adrenaline filled car chase sequences or things like that. But it needs some visual elements to help to build the suspense the movie desperately needs. The music and sound effects are effective though.
I don't know how did the director get actors like Murphy, Newton and Bell on board. Although the three actors are not A-listers, they must have read better scripts. Or, maybe the original script has some potential, but the final product becomes a disaster at the hand of an inexperienced director.
The movie spends the first twenty minutes telling the story of a young couple Martin (Murphy) and Kate (Newton). They are experiencing some marital problems, so they retreat to this isolated island in hope to save their marriage.
Then Jamie Bell's character Jack - a unconscious stranger covered with blood - finally appears, just as you see in the trailer. However, when I see Jack starts to bar the house when he wakes up the next day, I shake my head. My question is: how could the couple be that stupid to let a 5'7" lunatic do things like that?
Eventually, Jack makes a revelation. By the time, it doesn't matter if he is telling the truth or not.
In my opinion, Retreat suffers from a weak plot and the poor direction of a first-time director. It is supposed to be a thriller, but there is not enough suspense to keep the audience engaged throughout the ninety minutes. In fact, I wonder how can he drag the movie for that long. There is not much happening on the screen to keep the viewers occupied, and the so-called twist in the end feels flat.
The three main cast members did an okay job. However, the script doesn't provide enough room for character development. I don't learn enough about the characters to feel sympathy for them. There is no chemistry among the three characters. However, I feel Jamie Bell might be the one who enjoyed filming this movie most. Playing a lunatic must be fun. It also allows him to show off his toned body, although the shirtless scene is nothing more than a fan service.
Retreat only has four characters with lines. The complete cast consists of no more than six people. Visually, it is impaired by its low budget. I am not saying we need hundreds of extras, big explosions, adrenaline filled car chase sequences or things like that. But it needs some visual elements to help to build the suspense the movie desperately needs. The music and sound effects are effective though.
I don't know how did the director get actors like Murphy, Newton and Bell on board. Although the three actors are not A-listers, they must have read better scripts. Or, maybe the original script has some potential, but the final product becomes a disaster at the hand of an inexperienced director.