Running Time: 95 minutes
Release Date: April 13, 2012
Review by: Adam
Sometimes you just want to punch somebody in the face. Well, maybe I just want to. Because at some point, sometime during its theatrical run, someone I “trusted” told me “Cabin in the Woods” was a piece of crap. And I believed this person. Which means I was unable to see this movie in all of it’s big-screen glory. Never experienced the Sam Raimi-view as we were introduced to the cabin; didn’t see “jump” in all of it’s high-dying glory; would never get that giddiness as the cube-prison keeps expanding across all 52 fabulous feet of screen.
But that’s not to say I haven’t watched, re-wound, paused, laughed, and fallen off the edge of my seat every time I’ve watched it. That’s the genius behind this movie. “Cabin in the Woods” grows. It’s not a One-And-Done. It doesn’t rely on its scares to carry the story, it actually relies on “story.” And the story isn’t just what is told to us, it’s what you still want to see. What happened in Stockholm? Why did Japan fail? What happens if ANY other thing is chosen in the basement? How does every object in the basement correspond to the cube-prison? HOW WERE THEY ABLE TO CAPTURE ALL OF THESE MONSTERS?!?
Drew Goddard and Joss Whedon told us a story that they themselves wanted to see. How can we make something new while honoring what came before us? By telling us a comically-horrific tale from both the protagonists and antagonists sides. We suffer and sympathize with the above AND the below. It seems unfair, but really, isn’t the entire situation unfair? There’s no pandering by these story-tellers, and you don’t need to know any of the references, that’s all just icing on this gory, violent, quadruple-tiered terror-cake. It’s all a story of choices and their consequences.
I love this movie. Hold on. You’re thinking “hey, Adam really likes this movie.” No. I LOVE love this movie. Even while knowing what’s going to happen next, it never gets boring. I notice something new every time I watch it. I come up with different questions, write my own scenarios, find even more monsters I hadn’t before. It’s one of the most exciting rollercoaster’s I have ever been on, and before I can get unbuckled from my seat, I’m already running to get back in line. My advice? If you haven’t seen it, stop what your doing and watch. If you’ve seen it, watch it again. If you’ve watched it 10 times, email me and we’ll compare notes.
And if by some chance I remember who told me to not go see this, said person is owed one fat lip.
4.5/5 flying purple people eaters
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I like this movie, I don't love it, though. I feel like it gets put on a pedestal just because of it's association with Joss Whedon.
ReplyDeleteIt's hardly the first time we've dealt with a meta-origin story for horror films. The comic book Hack/Slash started back in 2004. Also, Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon.
Now, neither of those had the same explanation for where the monsters and killers come from...but, I honestly think both of them gave us explanations much more interesting than Cabin In the Woods.
Surprisingly, I don't give a rat's ass about Joss Whedon, but personally, I love this movie because it's awesome. :)
DeleteI still haven't had a chance to see Behind The Mask, though!
I really liked this film. It wasn't a groundbreaking masterpiece, but I have rarely had more fun and laughs in a theater. That being said, there are a few glaring flaws that I think are more an issue of editing than anything else. However these flaws (ie: the far too early reveal of the energy field keeping everyone trapped) were enough to knock "cabin" down a notch or two. I have always enjoyed Whedon's dialog choices and character building; although it can certainly be argued that he is not deeply sophisticated or nuanced and that he often sacrifices style over substance (esp to create an opportunity to extort a laugh). Still, I love his ease with creating likable characters and then gleefully creatively dispatching them. That's where I think "cabin" shines. Near every character, from the hapless victims to the post industrial middle management acolytes, are as beautifully absurd as they are grounded. Whedon is far from avant garde, but right on the money with panache.
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