I Am Lisa

Wow from the rating i though this revenge flick would be good but the werewolf bad makeup and low budget sort of killed the movie.

I think this revenge / werewolf story was not half bad for a low budget Indi film. Seen way too many movies with acting far worse, so this doesn't deserve all the 1's and 2's, nor does it rate any hire that a 6, even for a low budget Indi. Don't expect American Werewolf in London or even Ginger Snaps and you'll enjoy this one more.

I've nothing against low budget films if they have something new or creative to offer but this was just tripe. Terrible acting. Not one character felt real or had any substance. This was badly done and should be avoided at all costs.

I have seen some bad horror movies,(and ever worse werewolf themed movies), but this one is on a whole other level of terrible. It's like you take the worst parts of every werewolf movie you've ever seen (bad acting, terrible script, insufferable cast, amateurish special effects and some of the worst cinematography I've seen in any movie all year) and even that movie would be better than this one. Seriously, why go through all this trouble of getting funding, writing a script, finding a cast, and filming a movie if it is just going to be this dreadful? Did the creative team not screen this to anyone, and were the BOO's I'm sure they heard from the audience not enough to tell you that this movie was just plain bad? I just don't understand how a movie like this happens.

It's like everyone involved in this did not understand what it takes to make a watchable film. It really blows my mind that with all of the resources at someone's disposal, all of the best works to draw on and finding inspiration from past successful werewolf films, you still make THIS! It's enough to make this jaded horror fan weep in exhaustion.

Save your time, people. It's not worth it. Waste your time watching something dry. Like your tears.

For good or for ill, there are far worse titles you could watch.

Moments of violence tend to play out unconvincingly with a restraint suggesting lack of safety measures on the set and/or lack of will by the performers to risk real harm. Resulting blood and wounds more often than not seem critically underrepresented, and perfunctory. Characters are thin and dialogue is tawdrily direct, with only an occasional suggestion peeking through of greater care in the writing. Scenes in general are likewise too often penned with an indelicately forthright approach, and no few story beats plainly mirror earlier werewolf (or otherwise genre) stories with the tropes at hand.

The assembled cast sometimes seem to give reasonably capable performances exceeding the strength of the material - star Kristen Vaganos in particular - but it's at best difficult to discern considering the modest quality of the movie otherwise. At some point I quite enjoy Natalia Perez's score; at others, it's simply middling. I appreciate the subtle simplicity of the changes the camera shows in protagonist Lisa's features - eyes, hands, teeth. Given what we broadly get out of the movie, I suppose we should be glad there was little effort to employ more dramatic special effects.

There are two definitely solid elements in the picture; take these as you will. One is the portrayal of a small town practically held captive by a few cruel, corrupt individuals - and more specifically, the cruel, corrupt law enforcement they embody. The second is a scene set at a local metal show, in a bar of this small town - so poorly attended that it's awkward to behold. Having been to a few such shows myself, this is cheekily true to life.

In almost every way, 'I am Lisa' is characterized by aspects that infrequently show skill and worth while too much of the runtime is regrettably flimsy and weak. And so it is with the movie as a whole. It's not outright bad, but the entertainment here is cursory, offering crude satisfaction. I admire the effort to create a werewolf flick with limited screenwriting experience and seemingly few resources, and overall I like the feature more than I don't, despite its clear faults. That certainly doesn't mean it's not a rough ride, and I probably couldn't argue with any review offering a still more harsh perspective.

It had great potential, and there are some good ideas here. Still, how much one will enjoy it depends on the individual's will and patience to overlook and persevere through unfortunate flaws that are all too predominant. If that means you, then 'I am Lisa' is a passingly worthwhile watch if you come across it - just don't go out of your way, and keep your expectations in check.