Review of The Revival

There are a few decent scenes here and a premise that could be very interesting if handled by more adept storytellers, but everything good about this movie is negated by the abrupt third-act shift in tone. "The Revival" might have worked if it had remained a semi-comedic romance throughout or if it had been a dark morality tale from the beginning, but Frankenstein-ing them together just made the whole experience unpleasant. The movie looks decent for a low budget project, but the camera is a bit too shaky in spots. Some scenes go on too long, while other parts of the story are glossed over and the romance, one of the few elements that actually work, is completely rushed. The two lead actors are both charismatic and deliver respectable performances. David Rysdahl seems confused about what emotion he's trying to convey in some scenes, but that can be excused as he's carrying much of this movie on his back. The writer and director carry equal responsibility for the failures here. Also, a special demerit has to be issued for the Foley artists, who apparently don't know what a blowjob sounds like.