My Bloody Valentine 3D

My Bloody Valentine 3d is a remake from an old Canadian horror film. It's also a throwback to the maniac serial killer/slasher genre from the seventies/eighties but with some modern touches. First of all, I'm not sure it would have been made and released without the 3d gimmick. I watched it home with standard 3d glasses and the 3d effects were fairly good especially the fences and pickaxes. The only problem of course being that the colors are not as nice as the 2d version also available on the DVD/Blu-Ray. With that out of the way, it's a pretty standard slasher, with a deranged miner with costume and gas mask as the protagonist, but it starts the carnage very quickly without much of a buildup except for some kind of story recap background as if it was a direct sequel (it's not). After a few slaughters, it's 10 years later. That was pretty bold and cool. As you might expect, killings start happening again after an old survivor from the first incident comes back to town.

It's never really scary because things happen so fast and because a guy in a miner suit just isn't that horrifying. The appeal comes from the surprise apparitions of the killer, the attempts at escaping and the original gruesome dispatches by the maniac miner mostly with his pick axe and shovel. I suppose it also comes from a very long sequence of a young woman in full-frontal nudity trying to escape the killer. As a side note, most of the story doesn't take place in mines nor is the movie claustrophobic. I enjoyed the mystery of who the maniac guy behind the mask was as it was well presented with a few false leads and likely suspects being offed gradually. However, no clear motivation was offered for the maniac. The ending with the trio (not telling who) was also strong and dramatic. The acting was OK in a TV-quality kind of way, mostly sober although some of the old guys seemed a bit weak. I think the directing was modern and dynamic with good cuts, in more ways than one ;-) So this film is a little above average in the retro slasher genre. It would make a good rental especially with 3d glasses and a few friends.

Rating: 6 out of 10

A movie titled My Bloody Valentine is clearly non trying to pander to art house crowds, nor does it even seem to be reaching for a higher ilk in the horror genre, but while appearing as a fully tacky horror movie entry (a 3-D remake) My Bloody Valentine succeeds in avoiding and ultimately reviving the never ending pitfalls of such films; a strong, unique opening and a surprising and completely plausible, non-ridiculous finale.

Unfortunately the movie is not as strong as its bookend acts, but it is certainly gory, fun, terrifying, tense and nothing but entertaining. (And yes, there is also nudity). The use of the trademark, in your face, 3-D tactics is mostly restrained, although it seems that director Patrick Lussier (who has mostly been in horror movie limbo since he directed Dracula 2000) could not avoid the intermittent pickaxe to the screen. The performances are actually quite strong, and while this is becoming more the norm in horror films, MBV even forgoes the smart-alecky, prankster character which removes the propensity for us to be taken out of the film.

The unique opening is actually a three-tier start. Flashing newsreels reveal that the collapse of the Hanniger Mine in a small town which claimed the lives of 6 miners (Or was it something else that killed the men?). Awakening from a comma years later, the sole survivor of the cave-in, Harry Warden, picks up where he left off, slaying dozens before being killed himself concluding what the town dubbed the Valentines Day Massacre. But all is not what it seems, as 10 years later Tom Hanniger (Jensen Ackles), a near-victim of Warden, returns to the small town to sell the mine but the killings suspiciously begin once again and it is up to Tom to clear his name.

My Bloody Valentine is a full-fledged throwback to the golden age of slasher films, like Friday the 13th (and is ironically better then the Friday remake this year) and never for a single second tries to be anything it's not and in doing so, it ultimately becomes something it shouldn't be; fun.

6.5 / 10.0

Read all my reviews at: simonsaysmovies.blogspot.com

Pretty run of the mill slasher film but one thing it really has going for it that a lot of horror movies don't is that its not as predictable as you might expect it to be and I feel like that kind of plays a big part in why I personally enjoyed it. Cool but cheesy 3D effects, interesting plot. However I will admit one thing I feel like might be a deal breaker for some people is that if you don't like supernatural and have seen the show before, this movie might not be for you. Jensen's character acts a lot like Dean and the whole movie's plot is basically a giant supernatural episode, which if you're like me and like the show you'll definitely like the movie but if you don't this movie might be a turn off.

The use of three dimensional effects have not been a part of cinema for over twenty years, with IMAX the exception, but now it is back and better than ever in 2009. During "My Bloody Valentine 3-D," the audience will experience large pickaxes, flying bullets and tree limbs coming out of the screen and into your lap. At times the effect seems gimmicky as the story forces the occurrence of projectiles moving through the air and other times the three dimensional effects hit it just right. When you see the film you will know when the effect works; the mesmerizing visuals are sometimes jaw-dropping, literally.

Writers Tom Farver and Zane Smith keep the pace up throughout "My Bloody Valentine 3-D," right until the end when it appears that a miner, with grievances will take on a whole town. Right from the beginning the story starts off with a woman on the run from a mysterious figure, behind a breathing mask who seems to delight in wrecking other people's good time. The start to the movie is explosive and the film does not back down from creating a suspenseful horror flick that is simply out to horrify and be fun. At times the dialogue or introduction of characters into scenes comes off as slightly campy, but the delivery of lines in each scene is generating intensity for the final climactic act.

The plot of this horror film is somewhat conventional with Tom Hanniger returning to his hometown in order to heal some past misgivings at the hands of a bloody serial killer. "My Bloody Valentine 3-D," mostly centres on the character of Tom Hanniger, with Sarah and Axel Palmer supporting. Adding enough smaller characters to keep the story complex and creating enough diverging plot lines to keep things tight "My Bloody Valentine 3-D," does a good job of keeping the killer's identity mysterious while piquing viewer's curiosity. Instead of going for a closed box Hollywood ending the film slightly steps it up by leaving the ending open for a sequel. Some of the most successful film franchises come from the horror genre and "My Bloody Valentine 3-D," might be trying to capitalize on future returns by delivering a plot twist that slightly disappoints.

Lighting, environments, and music are all spot on, only the overacting of certain characters distracts from an otherwise excellent horror film. Many of the scenes within "My Bloody Valentine 3-D," take place in darkly lit mine shafts or the interiors of houses, at night and the overall tone feels like a thriller while showing enough gore to entertain horror fans. The music in the film is subtle enough while picking up the pace slightly during action sequences. On the other hand, the musical score of "My Bloody Valentine 3-D," could have been much more eerie in order to build up further tension. The acting of Jaimie King comes off as pretentious and somewhat naive while Kerr Smith, appearing to take his role of a small time sheriff a little too seriously displays some awkwardness. The rest of the actors including veterans; Tom Atkins and Kevin Tighe play their smaller parts well; Jensen Ackles, could have taken a darker approach to his character, in order to truly deliver a role of someone who is struggling with the trauma of past brutal events but the portrayal is still good.

Overall "My Bloody Valentine 3-D," delivers an entertaining ride through dark alleys, mine shafts and the evil minds of writers Todd Farmer and Zane Smith. Slightly on the lighter side of the horror genre this film develops enough jump scares, with the help of three dimensional effects to deliver a fun and fast 101 minutes. See this one with a friend and laugh out loud when a 20' branch comes screaming at your head (and try not to duck)! 6 Mesmerizing Skulls out of 10.

My Bloody Valentine 3-D (2009)

*** (out of 4)

Remake of the 1981 slasher has a maniac minor killing twenty-two people but ten years later more bodies start to pile up. Is it a copycat killer or has the original come back for more revenge? I'll start off by saying that I'm not a big fan of the original and I'll go even further by saying this one here, story wise, isn't that good. It's more like a two-and-a-half star movie thanks to its throwback to the 80's slashers but the 3-D effects are what really makes it worth seeing. The story has some logical issues to say the least and this includes the identity of the killer, which is pretty impossible considering what you've seen throughout the film. With that said, the movie certainly goes all out in terms of violence and gore. I was pleasantly shocked at how gory this thing was as we get all sorts of graphic killings ranging from picks through the eyes, necks, heads, decapitations and much much more. The red stuff is constantly flowing so I'm sure gore hands are going to be very happy. The film also goes back a few decades in terms of nudity because there's some full frontal female nudity, which we haven't seen in a horror film in a very long time. It seems a lot of slashers today play it safe but that's certainly not the case here. The film goes all out and that includes the 3-D effects. The "Real3D" process is certainly the greatest I've seen and I'm sure others will be very impressed. There are a couple classic scenes with various objects floating at you with one of the best early on when the killer throws his weapon towards the camera. Thankfully the director knew these effects would be the main draw here and he constantly keeps the stuff coming at the screen. Unlike many 3-D movies there's nothing here done for comic relief as the film uses the effects to show off the gore and violence. We get some smaller stuff like one character spitting at the camera but for the most part it's murder and mayhem. The performances are what you'd expect from a film like this but it was great fun seeing Tom Atkins in the cast. Many horror buffs will know him from films like Halloween 3 but it's nice to see him here. In the end, the film certainly doesn't stand out as a classic but you know what to expect when you walk into this. The movie isn't a total success but there are certain things horror and 3-D fans want and this film delivers them.