''Signs'' (2002 movie)- Review

Directed by: M. Night Shyamalan

Released: 2002
Country: United States

Cast: Mel Gibson, Joaquin Phoenix, Rory Culkin, Abigail Breslin, Cherry Jones, M. Night Shyamalan

Genres: Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Review

M. Night Shyamalan's ''Signs'' deals with a possible alien invasion--- and a family dealing with it, along with it's personal tragedies. Signs has a really good atmosphere, and excellent characterization and acting.

The aforementioned family consists of widower Graham, his two children, Morgan and Bo, and his younger brother, Merril. Graham starts noticing crop circles in his crop fields, and such signs start appearing all around the world... It is guessed that there might be a possible extraterrestrial invasion. As people all around the world get frightened and take preparations to survive the invasion and also to face the aliens, Graham and his family members also have to face them...

Signs is not entirely a disaster film. While there are some hints of people taking preparations for survival from a possible alien attack, the main focus is on the family. The family's facing the aliens is presented together with the recent personal tragedy--- the death of Graham's wife. The film's focus is somewhat personal, and this helps a lot in the excellent character development. The characters' emotions, mainly those of Graham, are well presented. The characters were thus quite well developed.

There is also plenty of suspense. One of the most frightening moments in the film was the scene of the Brazilian footage--- a birthday party where suddenly an alien appears. There is a lot of suspense and emotional depth, the family waiting and preparing for such a disaster, fears  and suspense mixed with sorrow and memories. The fears and suspense and uncertainty and sorrow. The film also has some wry humor now and then, which is quite impressive.

 The characters and their emotions are portrayed really well, and performances are brilliant. Mel Gibson, Joaquin Phoenix, Abigail Breslin, Rory Culkin- all of them were so wonderful. 

''Signs'' is an entertaining, suspenseful, emotional film, that has such a well developed atmosphere, screenplay, characterization and performances. I liked it. Very much.

3.5 out of 5

''Minority Report'' and ''A Walk in the Clouds''- Short reviews

Minority Report (2002 movie)

Directed by: Steven Spielberg
Released: 2002
Country: United States

Genres: Sci-Fi, Thriller, Mystery, Action

Starring: Tom Cruise, Max von Sydow, Colin Farrell, Samantha Morton, Steven Harris, Kathryn Morris, Peter Stormare, Mike Binder

Rating: 4 out of 5

Short review: Steven Spielberg's Minority Report is set in a future where murders can be detected before they are committed, and as a result, it can be said be said that murders have almost stopped. The year is 2054. John Anderton (Tom Cruise) is the chief of the PreCrime police force. The murder to be commited, the victims, and the murderers, are foreseen by three precogs, who are actually humans who are in charge of detecting the future crimes. John Anderton, the chief, has a painful past; his son had apparently been kidnapped several years ago, which made him join the police force. Something very odd happens: the Precogs detect that Anderton will murder somebody named Leo Crow. Anderton is shocked: he has never even heard about anyone named Leo Crow. He thinks he is being set up in this, and runs away and hides, attempting to find a solution. He comes to know that sometimes the three Precogs differ in their foreseeing the future; and the ''minority report'' is the alternate future about what the murderer would do. And... Anderton set off to find his minority report--- a task too dangerous...

Spielberg is, as usual, brilliant in his direction. The story and conception are very good, and overall this is a very good film. I enjoyed it. Technically, it was well made, with dark cinematography and excellent visuals, and the performances of Tom Cruise, Colin Farrel, Samantha Morton and Max von Sydow are top-notch.

4 out of 5

A Walk in the Clouds (1995 movie)

Directed by: Alfonso Arau
Released: 1995
Country: United States, Mexico

Main cast: Keanu Reeves, Aitana Sánchez-Gijón, Giancarlo Giannini, Anthony Quinn, Angélica Aragón

Genres: Romantic drama

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Review

Visually, ''A Walk in the Clouds'' is a beautiful film. The bright cinematography, dimly lit warm scenes, and the wonderful, orange, red sunlight reflected on the scenes--- absolutely make the film a beautiful one, a real treat for the eyes! As a love story, however, it is only a little more than mediocre- but the visual beauty and the overall sweet screenplay makes this film worth watching. 
 
Sgt. Paul Sutton (Keanu Reeves) returns to his home, the war having ended. He has a pretty wife, Betty, played by Debra Messing. He is a chocolate seller, starts a journey on train, in order to earn a living. On the train, he meets Victoria Aragon, and after some confusion causes their tickets to swap, he finds himself on a bus with Victoria, who is going to her hometown. After some incidences which make him and Victoria very friendly to each other, Victoria reveals that she is afraid that her father will kill her. And that's because she, after an affair with her Professor, is pregnant, and her father has promised to kill the person who would disgrace his family. He means what he says. Always. Paul suggests that he would pose as her husband for a short time. Though Victoria's father wouldn't accept it easily that her daughter has married an American man (Victoria's family is Mexican) without his permission, it would be better than to inform him that Victoria is pregnant without being married. As expected, Victoria's father doesn't really accept Paul, though the other members of the family receive him warmly. But--- as you may predict, Victoria and Paul will fall in love, but Paul has a wife already, and how long will the two (Victoria and Paul) conceal from her family the fact that they are not even married?

The story is simple, and the screenplay, dialogues, are just good. But the visual beauty and cinematography (described before) makes the film a treat; it may not be excellent, but quite worth watching!

3.5 out of 5

''Just Beyond That Forest'' ''The Impossible'' and ''The Host''- Reviews

Just Beyond That Forest (1991 movie)

Directed by: Jan Lomnicki
Released: 1991
Country: Poland

Genres: War drama

Rating: 3 out out of 5

Review

I was quite interested about this film after reading the summary, thinking if it is not great, at least it would be a satisfying and emotional experience. Bu

t this film was not what I had expected. It was not as good as I had thought it would be. It had it's moments, but had several drawbacks as well. The story is about an Aryan woman, Kuglawcova, who once used to work as a washerwoman for the Sterns, a Jewish family. In 1942, Mrs Stern calls her to Warsaw Ghetto, and requests her to take her daughter, Rutka, to a safe residence with a Christian family. Though she initially argues, later she agrees when Mrs Stern gives her expensive dresses and jewelries. Rutka poses as Kuglawcova's granddaughter, and together they start their journey. Kuglawcova's feelings towards Rutka soon becomes deeper; they form a warm and intimate friendship, and amidst the danger of being caught by Gestapos, they walk amidst the forests, with the goal of safely reaching the place they are heading towards, and now Kuglawcova is even prepared to risk her life for the girl.

The story and concept is good, but the screenplay and presentation wasn't as good as I had expected. The beginning and the early parts, were quite good, and it kept me interested in the film. But however, then it had a lot of problems. For example, the length. Despite building up an interesting situation, the short length actually prevented the film from becoming something really good and deep. It could have been much, much better. Also, the conclusion leaves a lot of questions. If only it had been slightly deeper with a better screenplay, it would have been far more memorable.

But however, what it has is quite powerful. And it didn't bore me or made me think it a
 terrible movie. It was an average film, and had the potentiality to be more, much more better.

 The Impossible (2012 movie)

Directed by: Juan Antonio Bayona
Released: 2012
Country: Spain

Genres: Drama, History

Main cast: Naomi Watts, Ewan McGregor, Tom Holland, Samuel Joslin, Oaklee Pendergast

Rating: 4 out of 5

Review

Juan Antonio Bayona's ''The Impossible'' is a vividly disturbing, effective, and realistic film, and it's surely one of the best films of 2012. The story, set in the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, gives us a vivid portrait about the tragedies and horrors that can happen as a result of such natural disasters.

The story centers around a family who have come on a vacation to Thailand, and fall victims to the tsunami. The mother, Maria (played by Naomi Watts, the character is based on María Belón) and her oldest son Lucas (Tom Holland) manage to survive, and are soon escorted to a hospital. Unknown to them, the father, Henry (Ewan McGregor) and the younger sons, Thomas and Simon, have also survived, and Henry is desperately searching for Lucas and Maria. The family is separated, but their emotional bondage stands powerful against the horrors of the outcomes of the tsunami. Will they be reunited?

The film gives us a picture of the horrific outcomes of natural disasters like the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. Along with this, the emotional unity of the family shown in this film is beautiful. How families can be so terribly impacted by these terrible natural disasters like this, is skilfully portrayed in this film. The screenplay is extremely powerful, and the performances are excellent. Naomi Watts, for example, is excellent (she always is, such a talented actress). Ewan McGregor, whom I first saw in Tim Burton's Big Fish, is excellent. More mentionably, young Tom Holland gives a terrific performance.

Overall The Impossible is an excellent film, giving us a vivid portrait of the terrible outcomes of such natural disasters; it is a very skilfully made film.

The Host (2013 movie)

 Directed by: Andrew Niccol
 Released: 2013
 Country: United States

Main cast: Saoirse Ronan, Jake Abel, Max Irons, Chandler Canterbury, Frances Fisher, Diane Kruger, William Hurt, Boyd Holbrook, Scott Lawrence, Emily Browning

Genres: Sci-Fi, Romantic-drama, Adventure, Action

Rating: 2 out of 5

Review

The Host was one of the 2013 films that I had been eagerly waiting to watch. I had loved the original novel written by Stephenie Meyer. I don't like Twilight, but I simply loved the novel The Host. But I must say that the 2013 film adaptation disappointed me. Really disappointed me. Now, I try never to judge a film according to the original novel or story or play. If I do that, it would be judging the film as an adaptation, not the overall film itself. But I must say that The Host is disappointing not only as an adaptation, but also as a film itself.

The Host is a weak film, first of all. First I would discuss the storyline (which is great; but it just wasn't presented nicely). Set in a future, the earth has been invaded by an alien species, called ''Souls''. They are parasitic aliens, and they are inserted in a human host. Human race is nearly extinct (as their bodies have been occupied by the souls), and the few surviving humans are in hiding.

A human, Melanie Stryder (played by Saoirse Ronan) is captured, and a soul, Wanderer, is inserted into her body. Wanderer finds out that her host is resisting; that the host still exists. The Seeker (Diane Kruger) wants Wanderer to go through the memory of the human body, and give her information about the hiding humans. But however, Wanderer has grown to love the humans in Melanie's memory: Melanie's lover, Jared, and her brother, Jamie. So, she, with the help of Melanie, sets out to search for Jared and Jamie. She finally reaches the hiding place, where many other humans besides Jamie and Jared are hiding as well. But none trusts Wanderer, nobody believes that Melanie is still with her. Meanwhile, Wanderer falls in love with Ian, one of the hiding humans. Jared and Melanie, on the other hand, deeply love each other. What will happen? On the other hand, the Seeker is searching for Wanderer and the humans... Wanderer's innocent presence sadly poses a threat to the humans.
 
I love the storyline. I loved the original novel. I loved the depth. But however, the screenplay of this adaptation was just not okay. It had little depth in it. Melanie's loud voice in Wanderer's head made thing unintentionally funny. The voice was supposed to be somewhat different; not funny at least! Saoirse Ronan, one of my favorite actresses, gives a good performance, but the problem is, her character is not well-written. No character is well-written, to tell the truth. Almost none of the scenes have the depth to make it a good film. The love triangle has none of the depth and sweetness found in the original novel. The effects and cinematography, on the other hand, are quite good.  

That doesn't mean it was a terrible movie. The Host had it's moments; at least, they were not cliched like Twilight. The Host did have some effectively emotional moments, for example, the last few scenes. Finally, for those who haven't read the novel, this film might seem slow and boring and ridiculous; on the other hand, those who read the novel (and loved it) will find this film to be disappointing. On the whole, it's a not a recommended film.

 
  

''Inception'' (2010 movie)- Review

Directed by: Christopher Nolan
Released: 2010
Country: United States, United Kingdom

Genres: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi, Drama, Mystery, Thriller

Main cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Lewitt, Ellen Page, Tom Hardy, Ken Wantabe, Dileep Rao, Cillian Murphy, Tom Berenger, Marion Cotillard

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Review

I have just finished watching Christopher Nolan's ''Inception'', and it would be rather difficult for me to put in words how much I liked the movie. Seriously, I loved it. Action is never a genre fine with me, but Christopher Nolan presents a conception so unforgettable, and also presents it to us with a very sharply brilliant screenplay and direction- Inception is without a doubt one of the best films from 2010.

The conception is excellent. Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) can learn about other people's thoughts and ideas by entering their dreams. Now, he is given an extremely difficult and almost impossible task of imposing a new idea on a person by means of controlling and designing his dream. This task is known as ''inception''. He is asked to plant the idea to Robert Fischer, whose father is in his deathbed, of breaking his father's company. If Robert takes over the company, then within a short time he would be taking over half of the world's energy. Because of it's difficulty, Cobb initially denies to do this, but he is said that if he manages to do this task, he can return to his two children, to whom he is prevented to return because it is suspected that he had killed his wife. Desperate to reconcile with his two children, Cobb agrees to this plan, and, along with some people, gets on to work on the idea. Their plan is to build layers of dreams- dream within dream within dream, to plant the idea on Robert's mind.

Ariadne (Ellen Page), the architect who is in charge of designing the dream, soon comes to know that Dom still makes himself dream about his late wife, Mal (Marion Cotillard), and that he has many past secrets that are later revealed, in course of the film. Meanwhile, they go on with their plan, but the dead Mal haunts Cobb, bringing a conflict between dream and reality, and the past flashed, guilt revealed, obstacles and...

Christopher Nolan's screenplay and direction are both extraordinary. The only other Nolan film that I've seen is ''The Prestige'', which I found to be extremely irritating. ''The Prestige'' was filled with so much complicated elements that it made me lose my interest in the subject matter and feel no interest in knowing the climax. Anyways, ''Inception'' is brilliant, far too better from ''The Prestige''. ''Inception'' also deals with a complicated- in fact very complicated subject matter- but the presentation is so brilliant that it kept me engrossed and interested in it.

Leonardo DiCaprio's acting as Cobb, a cool-headed man with a past, secret, and guilt, is beyond remarks. Joseph Gordon-Lewitt is excellent. Ellen Page gives an excellent performance, as usual. Cillian Murphy, as Robert Fischer, is really good. 

Technically, the cinematography and editing are two other memorable elements of this film. The action scenes are well-constructed and well-written, and nothing crosses limit, which is one of the thing which makes an action film better. Continuous action scenes without art gives me headaches- I had hated ''Transformers''. Well, it's funny that I'm mentioning ''Transformers'', since there is no resemblance between ''Transformers'' and ''Inception''. But, I have not seen too many action films and I need something to compare it with! Anyways, getting back to the topic, the fight scenes in ''Inception'' are well-written and well-made. The background music is pleasant but not memorable.

Inception makes us enter in the world of dreams,  demanding our complete attention so that we can understand the overall subject matter. It's not a film to be missed.

4.5 out of 5

 

War of the Worlds (2005 movie)

Directed by: Steven Speilberg
Released: 2005 
Country: United States

Genre: Sci-Fi, Action, Adventure, Thriller, Drama

Cast: Tom Cruise, Dakota Fanning, Justin Chatwin, Miranda Otto, Tim Robbins

Rating: 3 out of 5

Review

Strangely, the last four movies that I've seen are all sci-fi movies. And all of them are Sci-Fi action films. But, however strange that is, let me start reviewing the film War of the Worlds, loosely based on the novel The War of the Worlds, and directed by the famous film director Steven Speilberg.

This is just another disaster film. And it's story is about an alien invasion. Let's tell the basic story in a short way: these aliens have prepared for many, many years, to attack and invade the Earth, and now they've finally started attacking, driving a very strange-looking machine named walker. Explosions after explosions, lightnings after lightnings, deaths after deaths are being caused by these aliens.

Now, Ray (played by Tom Cruise), in the midst of these disasters, has to take his two children, Rachel (played by Dakota Fanning) and Robbie (played by Justin Chatwin) to Boston, where their mother, Mary Ann (Miranda Otto) is living.

Of course, you realize that they have to face lots of dangers, and troubles on their way. That's natural in disaster movies. 

The two children, Rachel and Robbie are both very interesting characters. Robbie, the older child, is a young teenagers and is ambitious to fight against the aliens. Rachel, the younger girl, is claustrophobic and gets frightened and starts screaming terrifyingly. They are played excellently by Justin Chatwin and Dakota Fanning.

Ray, played by Tom Cruise, is initially a careless character, but later gets very heroic to protect his two children. Cruise gives quite excellent performance. Tim Robbins is okay in his supporting role as Harlan Ogilvy, who initially helps Ray and Rachel but later suffers from a mental breakdown.

Well, the visual effects were excellent. The story was presented in a good way. I wasn't touched by the movie, and only the last scenes made me smile a bit, but I didn't find this film touching. However, the story was okay.

Overall, this film was entertaining to watch, but not touching. It is worth watching for it's good story, excellent cast, and visual effects. Everyone should see this film. But overall, it was just an entertaining movie to watch and I didn't think it was something great.

3 out of 5.

The Hunger Games (2012 movie)

Directed by: Gary Ross
Released: 2012
Country: United States

Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Stanley Tucci, Liam Hemsworth, Donald Sutherland, Lenny Kravitz, Amandla Stenberg, Alexander Ludwig

Genres: Adventure, Action, Sci-Fi

Rating: 4 out of 5

Review

Well, I was a bit unsure if this film will be enjoyable or not, since I'm not a science fiction fan, but however, I've to admit that this film is truly remarkable: it is very moving and a very good science fiction movie, and everyone should see this movie.

Set in the future, years after today... There are 12 districts, and each year, the Hunger Game, a violent competition, requires a young man and a young woman, from the ages of 12 to 18, from each districts, to represent their particular districts in that Game. But when young Primrose is selected as the girl to represent the district, Primrose's younger sister Katniss decides to volunteer for the Game.

This is the basic story of The Hunger Games. Well, the young man Peeta Mellark is also selected from the district, and together Katniss and Peeta represent the district in the violent competition. But will they be able to survive, or something? What will they have to face, and learn, to survive?

I make sure that my reviews do not contain spoilers, so I won't reveal much of the story either.

Though I'm not a science fiction fan, I loved The Hunger Games! In fact, this is a very, very much moving and wonderful science fiction movie. And when it ended, I was smiling: it is such a movie which can deeply touch your emotions.

Katniss, the protagonist, is played by Jennifer Lawrence. Jennifer Lawrence plays Katniss wonderfully, excellent, brilliantly. Her character, Katniss, is truly likeable. Katniss is a sisterly and motherly character. How she sacrificed for Primrose, and her feelings for Rue were one of the most moving and emotional parts of the film. 

Josh Hutcherson is also quite good in his role as Peeta Mellark. Others, such as Amandla Stlenberg, Alexander Ludwig, and Liam Hemsworth, and all others of course, was quite good as well.

The film was presented in a wonderful way, it was fast, clear and quite interesting. The cinematography was okay. The background musics were also quite good.

Overall, The Hunger Games is an excellent film: the story is interesting and presented nicely. And of course, excellent performance by Jennifer Lawrence. 

4 out of 5.

The Avengers (2012 movie)

Directed by: Joss Whedon
Released: 2012
Country: United States

Genres: Sci-Fi, Action

Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston  

Rating: 3 out of 5

Review

Iron Man, Hawkeye, the Hulk, Captain America, Black Widow, Thor,- all these names are quite familiar to us. Personally, I'd not seen a Marvel movie before The Avengers. As a result, the characters were quite new to me. 

Well, the movie shows how the above-mentioned superheros unite and try to save the world after Loki, a brother of Thor, plans to invade the Earth. Loki is the antagonist of the film.

Well, for those who are a fan of these characters, the movie must have been quite a lot exciting to them, as all of the characters can be seen in the film. But as I was completely unfamiliar with the characters (I just knew their names!), I personally found the movie a little bit confusing, but however, the confusion soon disappeared and everything was quite clear to me very soon.

The Avengers has lots of actions in it. For those who like action films, this movie will obviously be very good.

Let's first describe the things which I liked about this film. The story is presented in a fine way; there are lots of humor and jokes throughout. One of the scenes which made me laugh out loud was a scene featuring the Hulk. I just loved the part when everyone thinks the Iron Man is dead, and the Hulk gives out a scream and Iron Man wakes up. Excellent scene! Also, when Thor mentions that Loki was adopted was quite funny. There are lots of humorous and likeable elements within the film.

The acting was excellent. Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Chris Hemsworth, and Tom Hiddleston, and all others, of course, gave wonderful and excellent performances. The character of the Hulk was the most amusing.

The action scenes are mostly meaningful and interesting. 

And now coming to the points which I disliked about this movie. It's too long (2 hours and 23 minutes) and the action scenes, though meaningful and interesting, were a bit too long. Really, the film could have been much shorter. It'd have made the film so much better if it just had been a little bit shorter. Also, though the story is wonderfully presented, and is very likeable, sometimes it becomes a little confusing. But, however, at most of the times, the story is clear and, obviously, it's enjoyable.

Therefore, this is an action-packed superhero film and those who love action movies should seriously see this film. I, personally, didn't dislike the film, but didn't find it excellent as well. The film could have been so much better if it was a bit shorter.

3 out of 5.

Megamind (2010 movie)

Directed by: Tom McGrath
Released: 2010
Country: United States

Cast: Will Ferrell, Brad Pitt, Tina Fey, Jonah Hill, David Cross

Genres: Action comedy

Rating: 3 out of 5

Review

I hadn't watched an animated film for a while, so I decided to watch Megamind. I don't usually like action films that much, but Megamind is a very different action movie: filled with humorous elements, and has a different story.

It is about supervillain Megamind, always ignored. When he defeats the superhero Metro Man, he falls disappointed as there is nothing to do. Then he creates a superhero, Titan, who then turns out evil. Only Megamind can save the people now from the hands of Titan...

As I mentioned, the story was quite interesting, and I found it rather sweet and felt pity for Megamind from the beginning of the movie. Poor boy, always being ignored by classmates and teachers! When he turned evil, I felt really angry at him, but when he gloriously defeated the evil villain Titan, I felt so happy!

I am not a fan of action movies, or superhero films. But Megamind is actually completely different! There is much use of action, yes, but the actions are not excessive or lengthy. They are presented, often, with humor.In fact, I think that Megamind is more a comedy than an action. Some scenes are extremely funny. Some scenes are deeply moving. 

Overall, though a superhero film, Megamind has a good story and presented in a quite remarkable way with humorous elements. A very good family movie, enjoyable,  and one of the action movies which I've found truly engrossing and enjoyable.

3 out of 5.

City of Ember (2008 movie)

Released: 2008
Directed by: Gil Kenan
Country: United States

Plot synopsis

''City of Ember'' is a wonderful film. It's story is: when a nuclear war is taking place, an underground city Ember is built which can give shelter to humans. Instructions to future generation is kept on a box and that very box is placed on the City; the mayors are to hand the box to his or her successor (the box is to be opened after 200 years). 47 years left on the time-lock, the mayor who is looking after the box suddenly dies. Then, when the box reach 200 years... Everything in the wonderful underground city is getting wrong: generators fail, supply of food is reducing, blackouts are becoming common... What will happen now? (This movie is based on the novel by Jeanne DuPrau).

Cast

Saoirse Ronan as Lina
Harry Treadaway as Doon
Bill Murray as Mayor Cole
Toby Jones as Barton Snode
Marianne Jean-Baptiste as Clary
Liz Smith as Granny
Tim Robbins as Loris Harrow
Amy Quinn and Catherine Quinn as Poppy Mayfleet

My opinion

I won't say that this movie is great. However, its a nice film, and is very much interesting to watch. 

3 out of 5.

Zathura (2005 movie)

Directed by: Jon Favreau
Released : 2005
Country : United States

Also known as: Zathura: A Space Adventure

Plot synopsis

The parents of Walter, Danny and Lisa are divorced. Walter and Danny do not get along well with each other. Their older sister, Lisa, also cannot get along with them. One day, when their father is at work, Danny and Walter discover a space-themed board game in their basement. They start playing it. After some time, they realize that their house is floating on the space! Then begins an adventure...

Cast

Josh Hutcherson as Walter
Jonah Bobo as Danny
Kristen Stewart as Lisa
Tim Robbins as Dad
Dax Shepard as Astronaut/ Future Walter

My opinion

Zathura is a very interesting and nice film. A good and engrossing adventure movie, with elements of science fiction and fantasy and a quite good family movie. It makes you laugh at some scenes, feel scared at the other... Overall the movie has a nice story.  The acting of Josh Hutcherson, Jonah Bobo, Kristen Stewart, and Dax Shepard are wonderful.

3 out of 5.