Barricade

First off, let it be known that I was never a fan of this actor. The only exposure I've had was the one or two times I stumbled upon a Will & Grace episode.

With that being said, I think he did a good job and it was nice to see him step into this genre. He did well, although, the children were not a good match. As one person said, "children just don't act that way". I thought there was some provocation of thought. I am the type of movie watcher that likes to figure things out (Usual Suspects.... Awesome!) I don't think it was a bad movie and felt that it showed he has talent that is versatile and should be utilized in a wider range of films.

Overall, I can see how some watchers might be confused, but I enjoyed the movie, there were some good "jolts" in the movie. A parent, inexperienced, on medication, taking care of sick kids after losing his wife & mother of his children, in a cabin, in a snowstorm. Not the best setting for a Rockwell moment, huh?!

Think it was a good movie. Had the potential to be better but they did good with the budget they had to work with.

If I could describe this movie in one word it would be...plain. Its your run of the mill low budget thriller, and if you've watched 10 horror movies in your life, you've already seen everything this movie has to offer. Its full of "boo!" scares mixed in with someone standing outside the window one second, and gone the next double takes. Also if you can't stand the disruptive flow of stories where you watch a scene, then all the sudden the character is back on the couch and the last two minutes didn't really happen, you will not like this, because it does that a lot. But it is better that you'd expect for a WWE direct to video movie so watch it only if you come across a free copy and have some time to kill. Lastly, as for all the "confused" reviews- this movie does leave you with a lot of questions, but there is one scene where it zooms in on something for a pause, and that will answer most of the questions. You will know it when you see it.

Nothing too great about this movie but it uses its low budget creatively and besides is a well made and good looking movie.

It's absolutely, most definitely, a far more professional looking movie than the average low budget genre attempt. The directing, the editing, the cinematography, it's simply all good, making this a perfectly watchable genre flick.

The movie does a good job at handling its mystery and tension. It's being a real effective movie in that regard and the movie constantly keeps throwing you off. Is it being a horror flick, is it all taking place inside the head of main character? The movie implies lots of different things throughout, making you feel unsure what is exactly going on with the story. It really keeps things interesting and helps to keep things going, even when there really isn't an awful lot happening.

This movie often just implies things, without ever truly showing you anything. This is what being creative with a low budget is all about, as opposed for instance other genre movies with a low budget, that show far too much or try to do too much with its restrained budget, with as a result things just look plain bad and work out more often ridicules or laughable. I really do believe that is the main reason why the movie in fact works out.

You could complain that the movie is too dark looking, which is true but again, I also see this in this case as using its low budget creatively. It besides does help to establish a certain type of atmosphere for the movie, which is the right type of atmosphere required for an horror.

It's also certainly true that the movie does sort of fall apart toward it's end but really, it's not any worse than often is being the case with any other random genre attempt. Let me just say that it didn't ruined the experience for me, which perhaps was also because I could see the end coming from miles away, as should any other horror lover. So it's not surprising but still the movie does a good job at handling things and simply does what it does well enough.

Nothing too brilliant obviously but the movie as it is remains a perfectly watchable one.

6/10

http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

What actually was the movie about? My wife and I sat hear watching Barricade for around 1hr & 15 minutes and have no idea what it was about. The father character "Eric McCormack" missed so many opportunity's to rescue the kids. I know it was wrote in the script that way, but why? Maybe if we had any idea what is was about, we my have understood why. But probably not. Whoever had there hands in making this movie, were probably in a daze the whole time while writing and making it. Don't know how it's getting a 6.8 rating. I think I was more than generous giving it a 3.0 rating. I believe with a little bit of thought it could have been a really good movie. Almost all the time I had no idea if we were in real time or fantasy time. I will go read the synopsis and see if I can make a little sense out of it.

Admittedly I created this account because watching this left me so confused I'm hoping for answers, this is my first review so please be gentle...

I didn't get into Will & Grace but enjoyed Perception and this seems like one of Dr Pierce's psychotic breaks but without the insight or resolution. I get the premise; recently widowed husband takes kids on the Christmas winter break they both remember from times past and never got to enjoy, but the variables are too many to make it coherent. At a certain point, the story reaches a crossroads and seemingly takes all directions simultaneously. Maybe he's mentally unstable and missing his medication, maybe the house in the middle of nowhere is haunted, maybe he's psychotic and wants to reunite the family. All are reasonable plot lines for a thriller/horror but a story needs to be more than just a beginning. Perhaps I've missed the point, Technically I thought the young actors were good and gave effective, understated performances that did them credit, Eric was (I think) good but I'd give a more informed opinion if I knew what the hell he was talking about. Cinematography was far too dark, far too early and the establishing shots left me as lost as the plot. If anyone can shed some light I'd be appreciative...