Post by Mr.HoRrOr on Aug 7, 2011 16:44:25 GMT -5
Plot:Based on Jack Ketchum's upcoming novel of the same name. The Woman is the last surviving member of a violent clan that has roamed the Northeast Coast for decades. When the last of her family is killed in a battle with the police, The Woman finds herself alone, severely wounded...and vulnerable. Unfortunately, she is now a far too easy prey for local hunter, successful country lawyer and seriously disturbed family man Christopher Cleek. With his twisted set of ideals, Cleek decides to embark upon a deranged project - to capture her and "civilize" The Woman - a decision that will soon threaten the lives of Cleek, his family and The Woman.
Cast:
Pollyanna McIntosh
Angela Bettis
Sean Bridgers
My Thoughts:Better than the first.
Review:"The Woman"...aka "Offspring:The Woman", the sequel to "Offspring", picks up where the first movie left off. "The Woman", the last surviving member of the wild/cannibal tribe seen in the first film, is still lurking the wilderness. But the tables are turned on her in the sequel to "Offspring", when a small town lawyer/sportsman, captures her. And then proceeds to hold her prisoner in his cellar. His goal is eventually to tame the woman.
But instead, his plan backfires in a flurry of blood and carnage when his behavior begins to rub off on his teenage son, and negatively affects his relationship with his wife and daughter. And then there's The Woman, who is waiting for any glimmer of escape, so she can seize on the opportunity to get gruesome revenge on her captor. I wasn't a big fan of "Offspring" at all. I found it boring. Boring as hell in fact. Other than the movies final 15 minutes or so, it was a big snooze.
"The Woman" isn't exactly a big hit either from an excitement standpoint. But it does manage to create and craft, a better story. With better characters. Which keeps the viewer more interested in what's occuring on-screen. And lets not forget about Angela Bettis, who really heightens the movies performance value as the lawyer/trapper's wife. At first, she doesn't know what to make of his recent..."acquisition". But when her husband begins to get more in touch with his alpha male side, which in his case, is a dark, twisted, abusive, and sadistic side...she becomes concerned.
Especially when his son, seems to want to follow in his fathers footsteps. And the spiral continues when his teenage daughter begins to act out and change. Mostly due to his behavior, and a very gross encounter which occurs between the two of them semi-late in the movie. The family quickly becomes divided. With their youngest daughter caught in the middle. Thus Bettises character realizes she has to make a decision. And this doesn't sit very well with her husband.
The movie doesn't do much prior to it's third act, other than set things up very nicely, and crisply for the crazy, bloody, and graphic finale. Which doesn't come a moment too soon. As the movie begins to run out of story by the time it reaches it's conclusion. Thus, the cap on things is perfectly placed. And much needed. Pollyanna MacIntosh is back as The Woman in the sequel. She doesn't do much early on in the movie. As she's a prisoner of this white-bread dude who behind his A-typical suburban, white picket fence life...hides a sadistic, twisted and evil abusive, person. But she's unleashed in the film..."eventually".
And when she finally is, things get really good. The movies story though is one we've seen in horror before. With the typical suburban...or in this films case, small town/country, white American life. Being just a rouse or window dressing, for some very sick and disgusting secrets that are hidden within. But because this guy is a powerful and prominent lawyer in a small town, no one really bothers to look too deeply into his doings. But more credit goes to him, as he keeps many of them well-hidden.
The movies bread and butter though, comes when all of these lies, travesties, and abuses begin to bubble up to the surface. But also when they cause the family to fracture. Mostly due to the fact that his wife and daughter are nothing like him. And since this guy hides behind his family as a shield to what's hidden, when that foundation begins to crack...he begins to crack. As do all of the secrets he's hiding. It also doesn't help that he's hyper-mysoginistic. A character trait which further builds him up as a modestly decent villain.
But also makes it far more fulfilling to see him placed into a third act scenario where he might finally get his come-uppance. As a sequel to "Offspring", "The Woman" manages to take the story into an interesting, and story-built, new direction. It keeps ties with the first movie. But also builds, concocts, and constructs sort of an adventure, and striking-out-on-her-own kind of story around it's female villain, The Woman. Who in the sequel, undergoes a character transformation of sorts.
And becomes sort of an anti-hero. Similar ironically enough to Angela's May character from "May". "The Woman" is far better than "Offspring". And while it might still lag a bit in overall entertainment value. The sequel's above average story, and bloody-good finale, make it worth a watch.
Positives:MacIntosh gives a good performance as The Woman. A terrific finale that delivers blood, gore, action, and entertainment. The story in "The Woman", is also a lot more well-rounded than in "Offspring". Angela Bettis gives a good performance as well.
Negatives:Prior to act three, the movie can lag a bit, and have some strongly boring moments. This is mostly because the supporting cast around Bettis and MacIntosh isn't as vast as it should've been.
Overall:Two and a half stars out of four.