Maybe I'm biased because I haven't seen many 'maniac computer system' thrillers, but Down was a great watch. It felt like the Hollywood Resident Evil movie but without all the oh-so-serious dialogue and obviously the zombies. I noticed somebody namechecked Larry Cohen describing this movie's feel and script. They're totally right, it has his tongue-in-cheek thriller vibe all over it.
The big problem I had with the Resi movie was they had a cool idea at the start with the sentient computer killing off all the SWAT/Marine types, but then went into godawful too slick zombie action. Down just concentrates on one idea, and therefore delivers it much more effectively. It also has an edge over many other thrillers in that it has a really watchable and amiable cast. James Marshall and Naomi Watts rock as the leads, and the supporting cast includes lots of great cult actors like Micheal Ironside and Ron Perlman, really bolstering the film with their performances.
It's pretty far-fetched and very silly, but it does so in an appealing fashion. A lot of movies pull out this kind of dumb plot and expect you to take it deadly serious. The fact that Down doesn't adopt the typical deadpan approach is it's major strength. It's simultaneously funny, tense and exhilarating to watch.
It might all be a little too much for many people to accept all at once though. A lot of other reviewers really hate this film, but that's their opinion not mine. The only possible turn off I can think off is that the movie is fairly uncompromising when it is violent (in a similar fashion to Resi, someone's decapitated by a lift, but unlike Resi, Down actually shows you their head coming off, which may be a little too far for the more fragile among you) so it may not be for everyone, but I loved it, and hopefully more people will see it for what it is, an unpretentious 2 hours of fun.
The big problem I had with the Resi movie was they had a cool idea at the start with the sentient computer killing off all the SWAT/Marine types, but then went into godawful too slick zombie action. Down just concentrates on one idea, and therefore delivers it much more effectively. It also has an edge over many other thrillers in that it has a really watchable and amiable cast. James Marshall and Naomi Watts rock as the leads, and the supporting cast includes lots of great cult actors like Micheal Ironside and Ron Perlman, really bolstering the film with their performances.
It's pretty far-fetched and very silly, but it does so in an appealing fashion. A lot of movies pull out this kind of dumb plot and expect you to take it deadly serious. The fact that Down doesn't adopt the typical deadpan approach is it's major strength. It's simultaneously funny, tense and exhilarating to watch.
It might all be a little too much for many people to accept all at once though. A lot of other reviewers really hate this film, but that's their opinion not mine. The only possible turn off I can think off is that the movie is fairly uncompromising when it is violent (in a similar fashion to Resi, someone's decapitated by a lift, but unlike Resi, Down actually shows you their head coming off, which may be a little too far for the more fragile among you) so it may not be for everyone, but I loved it, and hopefully more people will see it for what it is, an unpretentious 2 hours of fun.