Review of Open Grave (2013) by Becky S — 31 Jul 2016

This movie frustrates me, because it could have been a great movie - had it been done differently. It annoyed me more than any shocksploitation film I've seen. I don't think the story was dumb, but the way the director pulled it off was almost offensive.

Firstly, I was really disappointed that there wasn't more detail about what it would really be like when waking up with amnesia. THAT part could have been very interesting, if the characters weren't incredibly dumb and hot-headed. Yes, I get there's a lot of rabid humans around, but realistically if you came across other normal people in that situation, I really feel like you wouldn't be hostile. And for the love of fucking Christ, there was no need to display the characters dealing with their anxiety with a FUCKING MONOLOGUE. If you're going to make characters have a monologue, at least develop it with all of the main characters.

An interesting point I wish the movie touched on more: if a person has no memory of the horrible things they've done, do they deserve to be punished for it? Disappointing that they missed out on that, would have made the movie intriguing.

Secondly, holy FUCK, the audience is not going to feel any emotion over a characters death that had NO DEVELOPMENT THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE MOVIE. There were maybe four scenes (if that) with the brother, he was 150% a flat and static character, and then when he dies this fucking sad piano music comes on and I'm supposed to feel upset about this??? I am one of the easiest to move with emotions and I laughed out loud during that scene. And then Jonah's dead kid being thrown in at the end, like, we didn't see any development of the child, let alone if the main character even gave a shit about his son. I don't have children, but I'm pretty sure if I realized my FUCKING CHILD was also alone in the apocalypse I would try to save him. The wife said she "remembered everything" yet didn't give a shit about her own child????? Seriously?

The one star I gave is for the potential it could have had. Other than that, besides the decent budget they had and the production of it, it seems like a college kids project for a film class. And a sub-par one at that.