1408 (2007)
Written: Jun 22 '07 (Updated Jun 26 '07)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Some.
Cons: Too much.
The Bottom Line: would rather read the short story.
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| updateghost's Full Review: 1408 |
Think of a horror-thriller in 2007. Images of severed limbs, mutilated cuticles, screaming women, castrated manly men, butchers' knives, barbed wires, blood everywhere, intestines everywhere, open-mouthed decapitated heads, and (insert random metallic object here)s are likely to arise. Thus, it isn't surprising that 1408 has received a relatively large amount of critical acclaim: the film actually has some degree of artistic merit. Instead of attempting to shock the audience with the maximum amount of repulsive images, the filmmakers actually try to include character development, a plotline, background... you know, silly stuff like that.
It's unfortunate that they're weak artists-----nearly everyone who contributed to this film erred somewhere. Take the script-----in Stephen King's eponymous short story, Mike Enslin is a smug, determined fella who writes books about haunted graveyards/bridges/brothels/doghouses for a living. He heads into the "haunted" hotel room 1408 expecting to find nothing (obvious foreshadowing). There's something alluring and grating about him that makes the reader want to see more. In the film version, Mike Enslin is downright annoying, vacillating between "calm and rational" and "excited and caustic." He doesn't have much wit or reason, inhibiting sympathy with his struggle over his young daughter's death.
Cusack also overacts the role, but it might only seem this way because of the weak dialogue-----there are many toothless punchlines that evoke shrugs instead of laughter; it's hard to imagine how any actor could have done better. Predictably, the same happens to Samuel L. Jackson in his performance as Gerald Olin, the hotel manager who attempts to stop Enslin from entering the room. Both characters are overwritten and made out to be more cunning than they actually are, which never works.
Mikael Håfström is the icing on the cake-----at times, his direction is shoddy and baffling (such as the revolving camera used for Olin and Enslin's first meeting), though there are some effective moments-----despite Enslin's unappealing personality, the scenes with his daughter are exponentially more moving than they should be, and that's largely due to some good old-fashioned screenwriting and a remarkable (albeit brief) performance from Jasmine Jessica Anthony. Yet Håfström's ultimate failure to create a frantic and engaging setting in the film's more chaotic scenes detracts from the poignancy.
1408 is far from awful and its last 30 minutes are competent on a B-minus level, yet the sub-professionalism of nearly every cast and crew member keeps it closer to mediocrity than the audience should be comfortable with.
Rating: C+
59/100
Recommended:
No
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Epinions.com ID:
updateghost
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Member: Tom Speaker
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