Chernobyl Diaries (Rated R)
- Starring Jesse McCartney, Jonathan Sadowski, Olivia Dudley, Nathan Phillips, Devin Kelley, Dimitri Diatchenko, Ingrid Bolsø Berdal
- Directed by Bradley Parker
I had high hopes for this one, as the creepy trailer made it
seem like a solid entry in what has been a less than stellar year for horror so
far.
A group of American tourists visiting Russia ends up going
on an “extreme tour” to visit the site of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. While not my cup of tea, I was willing to
forgive this stretch or plausibility.
After a fun (?) day of sightseeing, the van won’t start and, of course,
no one knows they’re there. Well, except
for the remaining townsfolk who are now mutants.
Starring a likable enough cast, we’re never given any to get
to know them, so by the time they finally start getting knocked off one-by-one,
we don’t really care. The movie also
fails to successfully build any sort of suspense at all.
Instead, we’re treated from one horror movie cliché to
another – red herrings, a car that won’t start, an uninspired threat, and a
predictable procession of bodies.
Oren Peli wrote this film, and to be honest, I expect a little
more from the guy who gave us the Paranormal Activity series.
FYI: If you would like an easy-to-read look at the real Chernobyl tragedy (who wouldn't?), there are a few chapters in my novel "Rad Decision" which tell the story in a way that allows a lay person to folllow along and understand what the real problems were. The book is free online (no advertisements or sponsors) at http://RadDecision.blogspot.com , with the Chernobyl section linked at the homepage. I work in the US nuclear industry, which I suppose gives me some credibility for explaining this.
ReplyDelete