Review of The Ward (2010) by Tom W — 02 Jul 2011
John Carpenter has had a rather hit and miss career. He's directed gems such as Escape From New York, the Thing, and most famously, Halloween. However, for every success there are failures, such as Ghosts of Mars. It's been 10 years since that particular monstrosity, so I have to say 'The Ward' Is a rather sucessful return to form.
The film concerns a young woman named Kristen (Amber Heard), a pyromanic who is committed to a psychiatric hospital. She is given a room in a ward with four other girls, each with their own individual issues, but as Kristen discovers, one shared problem. Someone or something stalks the halls at night and is not to keen on any of the girls getting the chance to escape the hospital. As Kristen learns more, the the threat increases, but who will believe a crazy girl?
What I must say about 'The Ward' is that it doesn't try very hard. It's not groundbreaking, nor does it try to be. Many of the situations, scares and set peices are all borrowed from other films. It feels like a combination of Girl Interrupted, Gothika, Identity and some of Carpenter's earlier work such as Halloween. The film overall lacks complete originality, and at times is rather predicatble, or cliched.
However, despite the drawbacks, for what it is, The Ward is an entertaining, and affective horror. It makes you jump where your supposed to, and makes you feel what your supposed to, without ever pushing the boundaries. It plays it safe, but plays it well.
Amber Heard is pretty good as the troubled Kristen, and this seems like a decent stepping stone for her to move onto bigger and brighter things. But thats the thing. Never does The Ward ever feel more than a 'Stepping stone' or 'vehicle' so to speak, but at the same time, it is a very well polished one.
Overall - The Ward is neither groundbreaking, nor particualrly original, but a good flair and compelling premise keep it ticking over, and Carpenter craft something that stays within it's boundaries, but stands out from it's peers.
This review of The Ward (2010) was written by Tom W on 02 Jul 2011.
The Ward has generally received mixed reviews.
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