Derivative but enjoyable horror flick with stylish direction, an intriguing mystery and strong performances from its cast.
The Messengers (2007)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:81
Fresh:9
Rotten:72
Average Rating:3.6/10
Consensus: The Messengers is an atmospheric but derivative rip-off of countless other horror movies.
Rated: 15 [See Full Rating] for mature thematic material, disturbing violence and terror.
Runtime: 1 hr 31 mins
Genre: Horror/Suspense
Theatrical Release:06-04-2007
Synopsis: Twin filmmakers Danny and Oxide Pang's creepy 2003 feature THE EYE earned them enough kudos to make the leap to Hollywood, and their first effort is the creepy chiller THE MESSENGERS. A... Twin filmmakers Danny and Oxide Pang's creepy 2003 feature THE EYE earned them enough kudos to make the leap to Hollywood, and their first effort is the creepy chiller THE MESSENGERS. A Chicago-based family comprised of Roy (Dylan McDermott), his wife, Denise (Penelope Ann Miller), their teenage daughter, Jess (Kristen Stewart), and young son, Ben (played by twins Evan and Theodore Turner) try to put the hard times behind them with a move to a picturesque farmhouse in North Dakota. Jess quickly becomes convinced that the house is haunted after some peculiar occurrences while she's alone there with young Ben. But Ben can't articulate what he's seen, and Jess's story is met with skepticism by her parents. It soon becomes apparent that past family tensions are slowly boiling to the surface. Meanwhile, the ghosts keep coming, and the Pang brothers never keep their audience waiting for long before another nerve-jangling scene shudders into view. But as the ghosts torment their new residents, Jess does a little research on the old farmhouse and discovers a few secrets that may just hold the key to why this is all happening. Packed full of CGI effects and a few moments that may cause a jump or two, THE MESSENGERS is a horror movie aimed at a young audience and not horror aficionados, as indicated by its PG-13 rating. [More]
Starring: Dylan McDermott, Penelope Ann Miller, John Corbett, Kristen Stewart
Starring: Dylan McDermott, Penelope Ann Miller, John Corbett, Kristen Stewart
Director: Oxide Pang, Danny Pang
Director: Oxide Pang, Danny Pang
Screenwriter: Todd Farmer
Producer: Sam Raimi, William Sherak, Jason Shuman, Rob Tapert
Composer: Joseph LoDuca
Studio: Columbia Pictures
Reviews for The Messengers
Gaping plot holes, a tacked-on ending and a twist that belongs in a different movie.
Many of the images feel over-familiar, and the shocks a mite too forced.
Viewers who prefer to see blood splattering and internal organs being sliced and diced will be disappointed.
The Pang Brothers' sense of style often overcomes the lack of substance in this derivative scarefest.
The Messengers is still worth seeing for the strength of its first half and for the consistently solid performances, but the sense of unrealized potential is tough to ignore.
The worst part of this film is its advertising; don't let the studio's lack of faith in their own ghost story ruin a clever little thriller for you.
The first half is very well done, making it one of the best haunted house movies since The Grudge.
With The Messengers, the Pang brothers devise scenes so scary that they stain the imagination and never scrub out.
The Messengers does deliver on jump scares, compelling characters, top-notch acting from the entire cast, nice atmosphere and excellent cinematography augmented by a lush color palette.
The message of this creepy-ghost thriller is that no matter how talented the Hong Kong filmmakers may be, they'll invariably be forced to make their first American movie an unimpressive, generic creepy-ghost thriller.
the running motif of crows run amok has too much of Hitchcock's THE BIRDS about it to stand on its own, even in the Pang's capable hands. Then again, any script that dared use that motif was setting itself up for a fall, and that's exactly what it got
While [the Pangs] display some of the visual style that has distinguished their Asian films, nothing could compensate for the derivative, ill-plotted script.
Yet not even the Pang brothers' sense of panache can redeem what is a lame script by Mark Wheaton.
Patchwork filmmaking designed by a corporate mentality devoted only to the defense of the lowest common denominator. The viewer is assumed to be stupid and easily duped.
For every one moment of genuinely built suspense, the Pang Brothers chase it with at least three follow-up scenes of either out-loud stupidity or baffling tedium.
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