The film starts fairly slow but that's not a problem as I expected some character and plot development before the film moves into stories of dread and perhaps some creepy twists and turns, as they begin to get out of their depth. Far from it though. Apart from the character Quaid, all the others seemed like vague cardboard cut-outs, one dimensional and dumb, designed for the mad protagonist to easily manipulate. The story, while seemingly building up to something possibly original (for today) and maybe something smart and engaging - although you're always aware that this might not happen but there are indications of hope - then descends into the usual saw-esqu torture porn flick.
The events and people are often contrived, people behaving unnaturally or occurrences exaggerated. There are also other incongruities I found but which I can't mention without creating spoilers. There are a lot of unanswered questions, and not because it's complex but because there are simply plenty of holes in the proceedings. Altogether, the above simply made it annoyingly contrived rather than entertaining or thrilling; it's not half as clever as it thinks or wants to be, or in fact could have been.
The events and people are often contrived, people behaving unnaturally or occurrences exaggerated. There are also other incongruities I found but which I can't mention without creating spoilers. There are a lot of unanswered questions, and not because it's complex but because there are simply plenty of holes in the proceedings. Altogether, the above simply made it annoyingly contrived rather than entertaining or thrilling; it's not half as clever as it thinks or wants to be, or in fact could have been.