I usually don't go to the trouble to write negative reviews, but when I saw the generous rating here and how many have given it fairly positive reviews, FWIW, I just had to leave my thoughts here about this film.
First off, like I mention in my title above, I really did think the idea was great and I truly thought the first 1/2 of the movie was very good in setting up the home and atmosphere which I felt were done very well. BUT... I don't know what the director was smok'n, seriously, but once the 'action' got going I honestly thought it was handled very, very poorly. The pacing was WAY off and dragged at the oddest moments right at the places when the audience is quite understandably expecting some kick@ss action. I mean, not to spoil anything, but one tense moment they stop the action cold and the boy suddenly starts crying for his Mom for a number of minutes (What...??!) And then, again right in the midst of the all the pandemonium they stop the action dead again and play this 5 minute Christmas song...
Some of the action 'gags' were good, but the way they were very sloppily executed and with really odd, long, slow-motion pauses, dragging out what should have been quick and deadly I thought took all the suspense right out of it. For a movie with this type of theme (yes, think 'HOME ALONE') you get NONE of the quick excitement or action or cleverness that you would expect.
Honestly, I was completely puzzled by the approach of the movie makers. I mean, at least to me, it seemed like any chance they had to 'crank up the action', they did almost everything possible to deflate it...
Just a very, very odd film. Like I say, great premise, nice layout and settings, and in my lowly and wretched opinion, any suspense or true excitement is completely and totally ruined by the way the 2nd half of the movie was done.
I gave it a '5' due to the nice atmosphere and the neat home and the (at times) excellent soundtrack. However, I really felt let down 'Bigly' on this one. A real shame too, because if it had just been done better, I'm sure it would have been a very fun and entertaining movie, but alas, I honestly don't think so...
Watch the excellent and far better film 'THE AGGRESSION SCALE' (2012) which is quizzically rated lower than this one, but I gave it an '8', for a much better and more entertaining ride... (It also stars the rarely seen Dana Ashbrook from 'Twin Peaks' in an excellent role)
First off, like I mention in my title above, I really did think the idea was great and I truly thought the first 1/2 of the movie was very good in setting up the home and atmosphere which I felt were done very well. BUT... I don't know what the director was smok'n, seriously, but once the 'action' got going I honestly thought it was handled very, very poorly. The pacing was WAY off and dragged at the oddest moments right at the places when the audience is quite understandably expecting some kick@ss action. I mean, not to spoil anything, but one tense moment they stop the action cold and the boy suddenly starts crying for his Mom for a number of minutes (What...??!) And then, again right in the midst of the all the pandemonium they stop the action dead again and play this 5 minute Christmas song...
Some of the action 'gags' were good, but the way they were very sloppily executed and with really odd, long, slow-motion pauses, dragging out what should have been quick and deadly I thought took all the suspense right out of it. For a movie with this type of theme (yes, think 'HOME ALONE') you get NONE of the quick excitement or action or cleverness that you would expect.
Honestly, I was completely puzzled by the approach of the movie makers. I mean, at least to me, it seemed like any chance they had to 'crank up the action', they did almost everything possible to deflate it...
Just a very, very odd film. Like I say, great premise, nice layout and settings, and in my lowly and wretched opinion, any suspense or true excitement is completely and totally ruined by the way the 2nd half of the movie was done.
I gave it a '5' due to the nice atmosphere and the neat home and the (at times) excellent soundtrack. However, I really felt let down 'Bigly' on this one. A real shame too, because if it had just been done better, I'm sure it would have been a very fun and entertaining movie, but alas, I honestly don't think so...
Watch the excellent and far better film 'THE AGGRESSION SCALE' (2012) which is quizzically rated lower than this one, but I gave it an '8', for a much better and more entertaining ride... (It also stars the rarely seen Dana Ashbrook from 'Twin Peaks' in an excellent role)