kdv93

It's not too often an Anime keeps me guessing where the story is going, but Another certainly did that. From very early on in the story till the very climax of it all (which should be noted is extremely satisfying) Another never steps in the tracks of the expected, which is quite something for a horror story.

Though progressing somewhat slow in the beginning after the third episode the series boosts away and rarely stops to let you take a breath. As a mixture of true mystery/horror and Final Destination style deaths it's clear that no one is safe. Except for the "Another" off course.

Ki o tsukete!

Nova Zembla doesn't hold up to the promises made. In fact, it fails utterly, which, truly, is a shame. An adventurous story, a beautiful setting and (for Dutch standards) good acting but all that cannot make watching this film bearable.

The storytelling is unbelievably slow. While being promised an action-packed heroic story it instead halts drastically every time a little climax should be due, resulting in the opposite. And if your film is to be made for a Dutch audience based on a classic Dutch history lesson almost every Dutch person will remember, you just can't get away with it. Not even with showing random scenes of Doutzen Kroes' breasts.

The cast was fine though and the acting wasn't particularly bad. The lines didn't seem forced and it all had a genuine feel, which is often lacking in Dutch films. The technical side of this film wasn't bad either and the effects, costumes, locations and props are a rare perfect blend.

It is clear this film lacked the experience of a great captain and should be a learning opportunity for inexperienced director Reinout Oerlemans. Nova Zembla fails to hoist the colours and sail full speed ahead and instead feels more like a rowing boat without oars. A typical trailer-beats-film.