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Review: The Cabin in the Woods ****
13 years ago
General
I didn't cut him...
I thought it was gonna take a LOT longer than this to have my first perfectly rated movie, but here t is! My inner hipster was relly clawing at me for a long time to to give it half a star less, but really this movie wasn't made for prentiousness.
Also, given the nature of the movie. I try my best to not give any spoilers so, as a precaution, any spoilers in the slightes will be marked with a Spl denoting when it starts and when it finishes. But even if you read them it should have no effect regarding your enjoyment of The Cabin in the Woods. :)
As always tell me what you think of this review and the movie itself in the comments below! :)
In my years of watching movies, I have come to determine that there are three different types of good horror movies. First off there’s the most popular style where it has a strong emphasis on story and character that doesn’t necessarily disembowel only your guts, but instead goes primarily for your brains. That would be your Psycho, The Sixth Sense, and Black Swan. Then there are the ones with camera shy boogie men that act like the goth kid wanting to ask the popular kid out on a date, unknowing that both have VERY different opinions on what dates consist of. That would be your Blair Witch Project. Then there are the ones where it’s the drunken boogie men taking a joy ride through the suburbs, laughing and congratulating each other on who can create the most mess with the passing bystanders. That’ll be your Evil Dead 2, where it’s terrifying for everyone losing their blood, but hilarious for everyone who isn’t and that includes the audience. When I saw the trailer I didn’t know what to make of this movie as it seemed like another stupid senseless slasher movie mixed with Hostel if it had a bigger budget. So you can say that I am very Very VERY happy to say that The Cabin in the Woods falls into the Evil Dead 2 category and Sam Raimi would be proud to the point of tears. This is the movie that maniacal laughs are made of people and it feels great to let it out.
The script is written by cult favourite Joss Whedon and freshman director Drew Goddard (Cloverfield) which is what made me want to see the movie in the first place. Even though I’ve never seen any of Whedon’s work until now I knew that he had a show that was cancelled by the Fox network so therefore I was confident enough to know that he creates good work. The story consists of Fred, Daphne, Velma, Shaggy and the black guy travelling in their van to go to a secluded cabin for the weekend. Low and behold before you can say , “ZOINKS!” they’ve set themselves up with some iffy house guests with a very reverse interpretation of personal bubbles. If you think you’re going to be able to sing along then you’re just going to embarrass yourself in front of the music class and if you’re able to figure out what’s going on then shut up you’ll ruin it for the rest of us! It’s no secret that there are people behind the scenes manipulating the carnage. Even if you figure out the secrets, which is not hard for properly working humans, you’ll still have a ton of fun. It’s not why these people are doing it, but how?
Spl The basic premise of the movie is that it answers the question of why does every horror movie’s storyline exist and why are they so cliche?Spl This is not just another standard horror movie; it is a tribute horror movie. It takes pride in how predictable it is and then will throw a wicked smirk every time it throws in a twist that makes you want to have its demon babies. This is probably the best tribute movie since Hot Fuzz or Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World and is just as quotable. Though this is not just for fans of horror but any lover of film will get something out of this, like The Beatles is to music but only more delightfully shameful. All the actors are as fantastic as the script. Fran Kranz however absolutely steals every single scene he’s in and is easily the most likable character since Thor’s chest. Spl Speaking of which the only complaint that I have is that the way the movie was going with its humour I was expecting Chris Hemsworth to whip out his goods instead of the girl. I was about to dock this movie half a point for that but when she gets to act sexy, she is... very... sexy.Spl Everything continuously keeps getting more and more enjoyable and they never slow down for a second, all the way up to the refreshingly hellish fantastic ending. Spl The third act of this movie is seriously every B, horror, monster movie fan’s wet dream come true and we all, including myself, left the theatre walking very awkwardly.Spl
I could go on and on about the movie’s subtle themes that make it one of the smartest movies of the year so far and my newest intellectually raunchy late night quickie, but for the sake of spoilers I won’t. The Cabin in the Woods knows it’s not a Palme d’Or and instead favours for just taking the audience on the most absurd and entertaining ride they’ve ever been on. Just imagine that you’re riding your most favourite roller coaster in the world and then give it the theme of Scooby Doo as if written by Steven King, only with a more plausible ending; right there you got The Cabin in the Woods. It’s a tremendous build up as you’re climbing up the rails and the first drop has you screaming with excitement. Then you just enjoy the ride with every scary drop and fun twist it has to offer while laughing after every scream along the way. When it’s all done, just like any good ride, it’ll leave you smiling and you won’t be able to wait to go for another ride on that monster. And you didn’t even throw up! Good for you!
Also, given the nature of the movie. I try my best to not give any spoilers so, as a precaution, any spoilers in the slightes will be marked with a Spl denoting when it starts and when it finishes. But even if you read them it should have no effect regarding your enjoyment of The Cabin in the Woods. :)
As always tell me what you think of this review and the movie itself in the comments below! :)
The Cabin in the Woods****In my years of watching movies, I have come to determine that there are three different types of good horror movies. First off there’s the most popular style where it has a strong emphasis on story and character that doesn’t necessarily disembowel only your guts, but instead goes primarily for your brains. That would be your Psycho, The Sixth Sense, and Black Swan. Then there are the ones with camera shy boogie men that act like the goth kid wanting to ask the popular kid out on a date, unknowing that both have VERY different opinions on what dates consist of. That would be your Blair Witch Project. Then there are the ones where it’s the drunken boogie men taking a joy ride through the suburbs, laughing and congratulating each other on who can create the most mess with the passing bystanders. That’ll be your Evil Dead 2, where it’s terrifying for everyone losing their blood, but hilarious for everyone who isn’t and that includes the audience. When I saw the trailer I didn’t know what to make of this movie as it seemed like another stupid senseless slasher movie mixed with Hostel if it had a bigger budget. So you can say that I am very Very VERY happy to say that The Cabin in the Woods falls into the Evil Dead 2 category and Sam Raimi would be proud to the point of tears. This is the movie that maniacal laughs are made of people and it feels great to let it out.
The script is written by cult favourite Joss Whedon and freshman director Drew Goddard (Cloverfield) which is what made me want to see the movie in the first place. Even though I’ve never seen any of Whedon’s work until now I knew that he had a show that was cancelled by the Fox network so therefore I was confident enough to know that he creates good work. The story consists of Fred, Daphne, Velma, Shaggy and the black guy travelling in their van to go to a secluded cabin for the weekend. Low and behold before you can say , “ZOINKS!” they’ve set themselves up with some iffy house guests with a very reverse interpretation of personal bubbles. If you think you’re going to be able to sing along then you’re just going to embarrass yourself in front of the music class and if you’re able to figure out what’s going on then shut up you’ll ruin it for the rest of us! It’s no secret that there are people behind the scenes manipulating the carnage. Even if you figure out the secrets, which is not hard for properly working humans, you’ll still have a ton of fun. It’s not why these people are doing it, but how?
Spl The basic premise of the movie is that it answers the question of why does every horror movie’s storyline exist and why are they so cliche?Spl This is not just another standard horror movie; it is a tribute horror movie. It takes pride in how predictable it is and then will throw a wicked smirk every time it throws in a twist that makes you want to have its demon babies. This is probably the best tribute movie since Hot Fuzz or Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World and is just as quotable. Though this is not just for fans of horror but any lover of film will get something out of this, like The Beatles is to music but only more delightfully shameful. All the actors are as fantastic as the script. Fran Kranz however absolutely steals every single scene he’s in and is easily the most likable character since Thor’s chest. Spl Speaking of which the only complaint that I have is that the way the movie was going with its humour I was expecting Chris Hemsworth to whip out his goods instead of the girl. I was about to dock this movie half a point for that but when she gets to act sexy, she is... very... sexy.Spl Everything continuously keeps getting more and more enjoyable and they never slow down for a second, all the way up to the refreshingly hellish fantastic ending. Spl The third act of this movie is seriously every B, horror, monster movie fan’s wet dream come true and we all, including myself, left the theatre walking very awkwardly.Spl
I could go on and on about the movie’s subtle themes that make it one of the smartest movies of the year so far and my newest intellectually raunchy late night quickie, but for the sake of spoilers I won’t. The Cabin in the Woods knows it’s not a Palme d’Or and instead favours for just taking the audience on the most absurd and entertaining ride they’ve ever been on. Just imagine that you’re riding your most favourite roller coaster in the world and then give it the theme of Scooby Doo as if written by Steven King, only with a more plausible ending; right there you got The Cabin in the Woods. It’s a tremendous build up as you’re climbing up the rails and the first drop has you screaming with excitement. Then you just enjoy the ride with every scary drop and fun twist it has to offer while laughing after every scream along the way. When it’s all done, just like any good ride, it’ll leave you smiling and you won’t be able to wait to go for another ride on that monster. And you didn’t even throw up! Good for you!
I admit I kinda didn't like the very end, where the get stoned and let humanity get destroyed, after causing the horrible deaths of a bunch of normal humans, who were simply doing their job of keeping the Ancient Gods from ruining all of mankind. It sounded needlessly nihilistic. But overall, man that movie was amazing.
Ya I also loved the opening, it did a fantastic job introduing all the characters as 3-dimensional people and then they slowly lose that.
But I think that there's no other better way to end the movie. It was touching, funny and epic and it totally keeps in theme with the movie. Puppetiers man! It's all about fighting and tearing down the system, changing the order and the only way to get rid of all control is complete chaos. I'll admit I found it oddat first but after the shock, oh God I love it!