Post by Mr.HoRrOr on Sept 28, 2011 18:50:07 GMT -5
Plot:Tells the tale of an abandoned experimental medical center that harbors a deadly secret. A secret which makes itself known when the crew of a restoration project set foot onto the grounds.
Cast:
Cataldi-Tassoni
Sean Clement
Simonetta Solder
Jordan Hayes
Jason Blicker
Bjanka Murgel
My Thoughts:A dash of good. And a dash of bad.
Review:"Hidden 3D" (which is also presented in 2D depending on your location), is a genre piece from filmmaker Antoine Thomas. The movie follows a female scientist who was working on an experimental serum to cure severe brain diseases. Unfortunately, the insect who she used as a catalyst for the cure. Ends up biting and killing her. Thus, her lab is abandoned and eventually shut down. Sometime later, her son inherits the building, and decides to bring along a few friends with him to the dwelling. As part of a restoration project.
But the building still acts as a home to a few of her "experiments". Who have a taste for human flesh. "Hidden" wasn't exactly a terrific horror film. But one positive about it was. It was different. The film, which is an Italian and Canadian production (don't see that very often)...plays out in similar fashion to some of the older horror films of the 60's, 70's and 80's. Does it have the same quality as those movies? No. The acting talent here isn't nearly as strong.
Nor is the script. But the movies overall design is certainly patterned after those 3 era's of horror filmmaking. You can just tell by the way the set pieces are fleshed out. The way the story unfolds, and even how the villains dress and look. The movie however doesn't make much sense. And really comes off as seeming like the director and writer maybe weren't on the same page. I thought the director wanted to make the movie scary. But the writers seemed to want something very classi-scary.
Which means scary, but with a hint of class. I didn't think either really were in sync with one another. And that was this movies biggest problem. As a horror movie. It has all of the needed elements. Except...a coherent story. The film sends out a swarm of experiment insects to first attack our protagonists. Before later on in the movie, it decides to break out some sideshow tykes. Apparently, these little terrors were what the good Doctor "left behind", in her lab. But in the midst of all of this, the story never really comes together.
You have people just wandering around the house. Doing the usual exploring and stuff. Trapsing if you will. And one by one of course. They're attacked or whisked away by the buildings "residents". But I felt like a story needed to be told here. The film started off nicely by opening up a good, robust story opportunity. But once the film hit the 20 minute mark. It just seemed to become anothet young-adult horror/thriller. Where our unsuspecting heroes are attacked and killed off by malevolent "things". I can see that sort of stuff anytime. I was expecting though, "Hidden 3D"...to give more of a coherent storyline.
And eventually connect the good Doctor's experiments, their purpose, and their victims into one grand finale. Instead, the movie gets mixed up in its own chances. It seems to want to be a lot of things. It ultimately succeeds at being many things. But it can never nail down what it really wants to be. It kind of wanders a bit until it reaches the end where everything eventually unfolds. And the obligatory twist, of someone within the group being "involved" in the shinanigans makes an appearance. Of course. When it's all said and done.
The movie doesn't have much that horror fans of the harsher variety will love. There's no gore, blood, graphic violence. Or gruesome demises. The movie like I said above. Tries to really be horror with class. By crafting a mad doctor story that relies more on monstrosities and laboratory-bred mutants. Than any hardcore blood splatter. But how can the viewer buy into a mad doctor story when the film is only long enough (78 minutes), to give us half of the equation?
There doesn't seem to be enough time here within this movie to do anything it might want to do. Not enough time to get us to believe this doctor was truly "mad", or crazy. Misguided? Sure. But "mad"? Not really. Not enough time to scare you enough. Not enough time to craft a solid story that doesn't have huge gaps in time and rely heavily on cliches and "been there done that's". Not enough time in general. "Hidden 3D" is NOT, a total failure. If anything, it's puzzling. A horror film which has cool throwback appeal, and seems to offer something different.
Yet, at the same time. Has the football, but doesn't know whether to throw or hand it off. It wasn't going to be eye-poppingly amazing. Considering it was a small budget indie creature film. But it could've been one of those indie gems. If only it went into the game knowing EXACTLY, what it wanted to be. And what it wanted to do.
Positives:Good throwback appeal with the look and tone of the movie. The story had shades of something new and different. The potential was there.
Negatives:The potential is squandered when the film is pulling itself in too many different directions. The ending was cheesy at times also.
Overall:Two stars out of four.