Running Time: 90 minutes
Release Date: January 9, 2015
Review by: Stacey
Survival horror films put our biggest fears onto the screen- where people are stuck in an environment (usually surrounded by nature) while trying to survive the elements and/or being hunted by someone or something. From Aftershock and Eden's Lake to Black Rock and Wolf Creek, people have been surviving and dying on film so we don't have to (well, at least not at that exact moment.)
Preservation is no different than most survival thrillers in regards to story, Wit (Wrenn Schmidt) goes on a camping trip with her husband, Mike (Aaron Staton), and his PTSD-suffering brother Sean (Pablo Schreiber). Mike wants to help his brother deal with his issues while Wit hopes Mike will ditch the cell phone and pay more attention to their relationship. They wake up the next morning with their supplies gone and X's on their foreheads- someone is hunting them.
I'm still not quite sure how to feel about this movie. It has good and bad points. On one side, you have a story that lacks originality but boasts a likeable cast...who makes the shittiest decisions every possible chance they get. There are a lot of unnecessary actions and major oversights that I just can't get over.
Written and directed by Christopher Denham (actor-Shutter Island, Argo) Preservation doesn't pack too many surprises (that you don't already see coming) but at least makes the killers' reveal a surprisingly good twist. Again, good and bad points. The actors themselves didn't suck at their jobs, but Denham's script forced their characters to be walking cliches; taking the film down another notch. Throwing in an unexpected pregnancy with some obvious social commentary doesn't lend anything to the film's already dwindling case.
It's not that I wanted this movie to be amazing- I didn't want it to be as mediocre as it was. I'm not going to tell you not to watch Preservation, it's not a horrible movie and you won't feel totally cheated afterwards, BUT, there are a multitude of far more exceptional survival horror films out there that are more deserving of a watch.
2/5 intense stares into the screen
Preservation is no different than most survival thrillers in regards to story, Wit (Wrenn Schmidt) goes on a camping trip with her husband, Mike (Aaron Staton), and his PTSD-suffering brother Sean (Pablo Schreiber). Mike wants to help his brother deal with his issues while Wit hopes Mike will ditch the cell phone and pay more attention to their relationship. They wake up the next morning with their supplies gone and X's on their foreheads- someone is hunting them.
Written and directed by Christopher Denham (actor-Shutter Island, Argo) Preservation doesn't pack too many surprises (that you don't already see coming) but at least makes the killers' reveal a surprisingly good twist. Again, good and bad points. The actors themselves didn't suck at their jobs, but Denham's script forced their characters to be walking cliches; taking the film down another notch. Throwing in an unexpected pregnancy with some obvious social commentary doesn't lend anything to the film's already dwindling case.
It's not that I wanted this movie to be amazing- I didn't want it to be as mediocre as it was. I'm not going to tell you not to watch Preservation, it's not a horrible movie and you won't feel totally cheated afterwards, BUT, there are a multitude of far more exceptional survival horror films out there that are more deserving of a watch.
2/5 intense stares into the screen
Check out the trailer here!
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