Review of Chernobyl Diaries (2012) by Pablo B — 09 Jan 2013

Chernobyl Diaries is a film that I really did want to enjoy, but after a promising start this one goes of the rails. While the idea of a bunch of dumbasses sneaking into somewhere they shouldn't be is nothing new for horror films, the early going of the film had a nice atmosphere to it and the tension through the first night was palpable.

However, The film starts to lose traction from there and with the exception of a couple of moments, the last 30 minutes or so was actually kind of bland. Nearly every horror cliche is on display here and the characters do little to inspire any real sympathy.

The only character I liked was the guide, Uri. It is almost a little sad to say, but I think this movie could have benefitted from being shot as a 'found footage' film rather than conventionally.

Mind you characters that you care about, avoidance of cliches and a more intriguing ending would have helped too. An interesting enough concept and an effective start, but plagued by unsympathetic characters, an unsatisfying ending and an uninspired second half, this film fails to deliver.

Not a total disaster, but wait for a chance to see it when it doesn't cost you much more than time.