THE OTHERS A film review by Pete Croatto Copyright 2001 filmcritic.com
The Others has a great ending -- one that will be spoofed in Scary Movie 4 and referred to in Entertainment Weekly for years to come. It's the reason why people will rush to the theater this summer, spurred on by the word of mouth from friends and co-workers.
What people will forget to tell you is that there's more than 90 minutes of an OK horror movie to watch before a glorious 10 minutes. Take away the ending--which ties the script's agnostic themes together too perfectly--and you get The Haunting, just with superior acting and production values.
The latest horrorfest brings us to 1945 England, where the repressed, icy Grace, played by Nicole Kidman (Note: Tom Cruise served as an executive producer on the film), cares for her kids Ann and Nicholas (Alakina Mann and James Bentley) in a colossal house, where things are in turmoil. Grace has been told that her husband (Christopher Eccleston), who's fighting in World War II, is missing and unlikely to return. The house's staff has simply vanished. And to top it all off, Ann repeatedly sees visions of another family who she says used to live in the house.
Ann tries to explain what she sees to her dubious mother, who drums Christian doctrine into her children's heads and has an impatient streak. At first, Grace doubts her daughter. But when doors fly open and unknown screams are unleashed, Grace strives (unsuccessfully) to gain control of the situation. Meanwhile, the new housekeeping staff led by the friendly Mrs. Mills (Fionnula Flanagan), acts peculiar. Mrs. Mills tells Ann that she has seen the same visions, and that their presence will lead to some changes in the house.
The movie is propelled by a few highlights, most notably its look. The house is devoid of natural light (the kids are allergic to it), which gives the movie a continually creepy feel. Fog swirls in and out, creating a dreamlike environment. Throughout the movie, Kidman dresses in long, uncomfortable dresses, which scream her repression and cool demeanor. The kids talk in sing-songy English accents, giving the false impression that everything is fine.
The one nuisance is director/screenwriter/composer Alejandro Amenábar's pacing. Amenábar (directing his first English language feature) spends so much time establishing mood and religious symbolism that the movie simmers, instead of boils. There are very few chills until the finale. However, the ending still falls a bit flat because it's so much livelier than the material before it.
Writing this review, I'm reminded of when I first saw The Blair Witch Project two years ago. I loved the idea, but I left the theater feeling a little disappointed. It just wasn't scary enough. I feel the same way about The Others. The film geek inside of me is satisfied, but the Scaredy Cat in me isn't.
RATING: ***
|------------------------------|
\ ***** Perfection \
\ **** Good, memorable film \
\ *** Average, hits and misses \
\ ** Sub-par on many levels \
\ * Unquestionably awful \
|------------------------------|
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Director: Alejandro Amenábar Producer: Fernando Bovaira, José Luis Cuerda, Park Sunmin Writer: Alejandro Amenábar Starring: Nicole Kidman, Fionnula Flanagan, Alakina Mann, James Bentley, Eric Sykes, Elaine Cassidy, Christopher Eccleston
http://www.theothers.com
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