| Dir. David R Ellis, US, 2009, 82 mins
Cast: Bobby Campo, Shantel VanSanten , Nick Zano , Mykelti Williamson , Krista Allen
Review by Joyce Dundas
The inclusion of the definite article in the title should put paid to any more in this gory franchise, though having said that it has not been the worst teen slasher series. The new film sticks to the formula. A gang of shiny, pretty teens escape death; this time in a great sequence during a racetrack crash, but death feels cheated and comes after them one by one. The fact that they are always doing silly things like standing close to precarious weapons like nail guns, or even close to cans full of accelerants, only helps the grim reaper's final plan.
However, the film is notable as it is filmed in 3D and for all the art versus entertainment argument about this medium, the film-makers here just use it for the purpose it was invented: to throw things out of the screen right in your face.
The characters have fewer dimensions than the medium, however, and the script is firmly geared towards its intended, young audience. The fact that one character is actually nicknamed MILF, shows the level of intelligence we are looking at here.
The premise is original, but after the first two in the franchise, which starred the always interesting Devon Sawa in the first and saw Ali Larter return for the second, there is really little more to say in the fourth in the series. So, instead, they have cranked up the body count, this film has the highest, and the inventiveness of the deaths.
It has to be seen in the cinema for the full shared experience of 3D. Don't expect a classic here, not even of the horror genre, but you can expect a thrill ride. |
