SomeUselessGeek

This thing was visually appealing and well constructed. The acting was superb, with all the player well matched to their characters. However, the story was incredibly weak and left colossal holes. For instance, just one guest with a concealed carry license or proper hand-to-hand training and the whole mess would have come to an end right there.

Oh, well. It's hard to get into specifics without listing spoilers, so I'll let somebody else do that. Suffice it to say that I was ultimately disappointed in the haphazard treatment of the characters and the situation by the writers. Read other reviews if you need more or less motivation to give this one a pass.

Lots of things make no sense in this mess. Lots of side tracks for plot "support" bits that are just drivel sprinkled into a never-ending series of random encounters (for those familiar with adventure games). Lots of flashbacks to bits that are supposed to help develop characters, but which ultimately make no difference one way or the other.

Needless to say, anything having anything to do with technical matters was completely wrong. But the bizzare interaction of all the little critters didn't add up to an ecosystem that could possibly be maintained -- if it could exist at all. The critters all seemed to be just bit players, like NPCs for a silly adventure game. Didn't matter if they were dangerous or not.

The stories didn't really interact, the characters made no sense whether people or not, and the overall storyline ended up with a dissatisfying thud and no real conclusion. I wasted an entire evening watching this turkey through to the end and felt ripped off for my time. Don't do the same.

This is _not_ some kind of horror flick. The critter is more or less a plot device to move things along. Half the movie is people talking, and lots of character development just through that. The twists and turns are easy enough to follow, and totally unexpected. I pride myself on being able to predict a lot of movies; how the characters will act and react, how the dialog will go, how action scenes will play out, etc., etc. This is one of the most unpredictable films I have seen in ages. Stick around for an unpredictable ending that is in line with the story but I never saw coming.

Chloë Grace Moretz gives a spectacular performance as the main character and wild woman in restraint. She portrays strength, grace, need, fear, resolve, resourcefulness, and a host of other qualities all in the space of a few minutes. Just marvelous to watch.

It's not often that I can recommend a movie with the kind of gusto I can for this thing, but here it is. It's not perfect, but you can suspend your disbelief with ease. Too bad I can't reveal much without providing spoilers that really will damage the viewing experience. Just watch it and you'll see.