Color me surprised. I expected something truly awful, like around the level of the wretched Grudge 2. Instead, The Messengers is an interesting, entertaining ghost story that unlike both Grudge films, bothers to develop its characters so that we actually care about them instead of just staging nonsensical attempt at scare after scare. The acting is quite good as well with Kristen Stewart and John Corbett both giving good performances. Stewart deserves to be a star someday.

Grade - B+

Meh. I didn't really expect a whole lot seeing as Ghost House has produced The Grudge 2 and Boogeyman, but I don't know, I was hoping for something decent. It's just dumb. I'll admit, the film is *somewhat* creepy at times, but all the scares are predictable (just really loud), a few of the performances are downright laughable, though the lead girl (forget her name) does a pretty decent job. The most annoying part is that the so-called surprise twist in the film, if you want to call it that, is the most predictable thing everrrrrr. You don't even need to be paying full attention to the movie to see that ending coming a mile away. Disappointing, but not really. C-

As much as I thought the Grudge was very silly, kind of dumb and a tad pointless, I have to admit that it scared the hell out of me. Those petrified faces, the noises, the soundtrack, the sounds...oh my. It all did it for me enough not to hate the film. I won't see it again because it is a poorly made film, but it is scary as hell. The Messengers follows a similar blueprint. If you take a look at the film from every angle, you can come to the conclusion that it is not very well done at all. The adult actors in the film are quite terribly written and not much better acted. There is no chemistry with them and it is kind of sad to see Penelope Anne Miller descend from fantastic performances in excellent films like Carlito's Way, Kindergarten Cop and Chaplin to this turkey of a script. And as another reviewer pointed out, seeing Dylan McDermott play a sunflower seed farmer just doesn't quite look right. I can buy Kevin Costner or Viggo Mortensen in a role like this, but not the quintessential lawyer/Secret Service Agent playing a redneck. It just doesn't feel right.

But having said that and pointing out some of the shortcomings of the film, there is a lot to praise about it, and it starts right with the two (or in this case three) young actors, Kristen Stewart and the Turner twins Theodore and Evan. Kristen Stewart, who I remember quite well from Panic Room, is simply excellent in this film. She has to carry the film and look scared, bewildered, lost and strong all in one setting. And she doesn't disappoint. If her performance was similar to Miller's and McDermott's, the film would have suffered for it. But she is simply wonderful in the film. And make no mistake about it, the Tunner boys, while not speaking in the film, give a bone chilling performance as the young boy who sees ghosts, but doesn't feel threatened by them. He has to convey his joy and interest in the entities in the house, without uttering a word, and they have to do this all at the age of about 7. Very impressive. Much of this should be attributed to their natural ability to act, because it sure isn't from the Pang brothers, who's forte is certainly not actors, but rather how to build tension in a scene. And for that, they are maestros. There are at least 4 or 5 truly frightening sequences in the film, and yes, they are derived from other films like The Shining, Amityville Horror The Birds and the Grudge, but they are very effective.

The plot of the film is that a family from Chicago moves to North Dakota to take up sunflower farming. There is a lot of tension in the family as Jess (Stewart) is 16 and has been plucked from her home and moved to the middle of nowhere. Making matters worse, it seems that she has done something to make her parents not trust her. As they move into a massive house with acres of farmland, strange and creepy things begin to transpire. The obligatory bumps in the night, and just as in Amityville Horror II, an unseen force seems to wreak havoc on the house and one of the kids. But no one can see these spirits except for Ben. This is where the film excels and the Pang brothers use palette of other people's ideas and try to make it their own. While derived, like I said earlier, it is very effective. The first three quarters of the film is very creepy and very atmospheric and very effective. It's just unfortunate that the denouement is such a clunker because I was entranced by the film up until about the 70 minute mark.

Now for those of you that like thing to make sense, stay away from this film. It's definitely not for you. Too many things are unexplained, illogical or just plain silly. But for those of you that like to jump with fright and are looking for a creepy horror film, this is definitely for you. I am only giving this a 6/10, but with more care put into the end of the film it could have been 8.

6/10

THE MESSENGERS - 3/10 (D)

Ugh, what a horrible mess of a movie! It was incredibly boring, laughable and ridiculous throughout, and the story itself made no sense. It's yet another movie that thinks it is a lot scarier and smarter than it actually is. There are no scares to be found here - only loud music cues. None of the characters were developed and the final "twist" at the end was incredibly predictable, but also came completely out of nowhere. Not one of the characters was likable either. The performances were downright terrible here. Kristen Stewart needs a new agent. She's already proven she can act in fare such as Panic Room, but she's completely slumming it here and, just like this spring's In The Land Of Women, gives a boring and one-note performance. Dylan McDermott, who I usually really like, is basically phoning in his performance here as well. The two worst performances in the film, however, come from John Corbett and Penelope Ann Miller. Corbett's attempt at acting mysterious and questionable fails miserably - for the character he is playing never gets any development whatsoever. His acting during the final twenty minutes is downright hilarious. Miller, meanwhile, gives one of the worst performances I've seen in any recent motion picture. She delivers her lines in a flat, boring monotone and never sounds convincing in the slightest. Her attempts at showing emotion are laughable and she has no chemistry whatsoever with any of the actors. Honestly, this film is just a disaster. There are so many plot holes that it is hard to keep track, it borrows from many other classic horror films (such as The Sixth Sense and The Birds), and the ending is incredibly cheesy and cringe-inducing. The only thing it really has going for it is some decent cinematography. Ghost House Pictures is such an awful studio. They should just be shut down. Their only decent movie was The Grudge. Anyways, this is easily the worst movie of the year so far, and an insult to the thinking moviegoer. Horror movies like this should not be made anymore. Stay far, far away.

There were a few scares here and there but it was a very predictible and generic "horror" flick. And quite awful performances especially from the mom. Kristen Stewart is ...cute...

D+

C/C-


I think the fact that this remained the biggest horror movie of the year in the US until 1408's release is a very sad statement about the state of the genre as well as about the moviegoers' taste. The film is as mediocre as horror films can get nowadays. It's just a standard haunted-house tale. The Pang brothers who delivered the well-made, though flawed The Eye can build up good, creepy atmosphere and some suspenseful scenes, but that's where the good stuff seems to end here. The "twist" at the end is predictable and bad all at once! The ghosts were more laughable than anything. I've gotta give props to the relatively good opening scene, though.