Review of Cruel World (2006) by Billy B — 10 Aug 2011

A group of college students are brought up to an isolated mansion thinking they're in a game show to win a million dollars. They soon learn that the show isn't what it seems.

I hate to admit it, but this film was actually a watchable and original slice to the horror genre. It's compelling and intriguing storyline, aswell as the cover made me buy this flick, and it had some very cool scenes and added humour was a nice touch. The opening sequence is great, and throughout the film there are little inconvieniences, but it doesn't stop the film from keeping you watching and entertained. Whilst towards the end it got a little out of hand, the original concept was refreshing to see.

The plot is simple, but also very unrealistic. The fact that the person behind the whole thing just walks around the house when he thinks the students aren't watching was just ridiculous, and the fact that the police did nothing to help everytime the came to the house was silly, but the overall film kept stable enough for me to still enjoy it. The audience gets to meet each character (like in a reality show where they introduce themselves, a great way to introduce characters), and with a few developing scenes where we ultimately get to decide who we like, and don't like.

The acting was average. With any low-budget flick, the actors aren't gonna be the best of the best, but it was good to see some familiar faces. It's no surprise that they headlined everything to do with this film stating Jaime Pressly was in the leading role, but i'm not gonna die. She's in it for 5 minutes. Laura Ramsey is a horror usual. Edward Furlong was great as sadistic killer, and I was surprised to see Mean Girls star Daniel Franzese playing someone sadistic too. The overall acting wasn't horrible, but it was nothing to boast about either.

Overall "Cruel World" has some great scenes, and is creative and original, and will keep the viewer interested. My rating is 3/5.