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Darkness 2002 |
Review by Jonathan Cornwell |
Directed by Jaume Balagueró
PG-13, 102 min. (terror/violence, language) |
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Starring: Anna Paquin, Lena Olin, Iain Glen, Giancarlo Giannini, Fele Martínez, Stephan Enquist
Producers: Julio Fernández, Brian Yuzna
Screenplay: Jaume Balagueró, Fernando de Felipe
Cinematography: Xavi Giménez
Distributor: Dimension Films
Released: 12.25.04 (Wide) |
Rating:
 (out of  ) |
The strange release date for a film the caliber of Darkness could be explained only by the desire to earn the dubious honor of worst film in the history of the month of
December. Amidst Oscar contenders and mostly quality fare, Darkness stands out for all the wrong reasons. Clearly attempting the strike a nerve in the same vein
as The Ring and The Others,
this pale import from Spain (although in English) slowly spirals into chaos and some of the worst editing in some time. Maybe the only thing worse than enduring this train
wreck of a motion picture is watching a talented actress like Anna Paquin struggle to keep her head above water because of an erratic screenplay. Directed by Jaume
Balagueró, the film never seems to decide whether it's a pure horror or supernatural yarn, juggling elements of both until the characters themselves don't seem to know
what's happening. Darkness is an incoherent, disastrous miscalculation that is certainly one of the worst films of the year.
Mark (Iain Glen) and his family - wife Maria (Lena Olin), daugther Regina (Paquin) and young son Paul (Stephan Enquist) - relocate from America to Spain and move into
a mysterious shaped house that is equally ominous. It's not long until flickering lights and eerie darkness hint at things unseen; Mark begins having fits of anger, Maria
remains in denial about the dangers that lurk, Paul watches his colored pencils roll under the bed on their own, and Regina tries desperately to unravel the connection
between the house and the murders of six children forty years earlier. Meanwhile, her grandfather, Albert (Giancarlo Giannini), tries to keep things together.
At first glance it seems that Balagueró has taken lessons from M. Night Shyamalan in regard to building tension. There are slow, talky scenes that are intended to
develop characters and allow viewers to sympathize with their plight. Unfortunately, when the action starts everything that has come before is for naught; characters suddenly turn
stupid, the visual pyrotechnics become irritating and pointless, and the screeching soundtrack is annoying. I'm not sure I've encountered a film that careens off the tracks
faster than this one in its final act, although that reason alone isn't why it fails so completely. Stilted and silly dialogue, telegraphed scare tactics, and campy performances
combine to produce a final product that is embarassing for everyone involved. Made in 2002, Darkness should have remained shrouded in darkness on the shelves of unworthy pictures
that never see the inside of a theater. If not for a few other films, this shockingly poor movie would be the rotten egg of 2004.
© 2004 Jonathan Cornwell
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 |
 | Masterpiece - Film perfection |
| Excellent - A Must See |
| Good - Highly Recommended |
| Fair - Worth seeing |
| Average - Viewable, but not recommended |
| Below average - View at own risk |
| Poor - Avoid at all costs |
| Very poor - An embarassment to the film industry |
| Zero | Awful - One of the worst films ever made |
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