Terry's Reviews
Page
|
||
| Movies | Music | Books |
Movie Reviews: |
||
 |
Darkness Falls Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment - 2003 Directed by: Jonathan Liebesman Story by: Joe Harris Starring: Chaney Kley Emma Caulfield |
|
| This is quite simply a monster movie. Most
critics were turned off because of this, but if you like horror films with a monster, then
don’t listen to them. This is one of those films that you should want to see not for
what it’s about but rather how it plays. First time Director Jonathan Liebesman has a lot of passion for the horror genre and it shows in DARKNESS FALLS. What the film lacks in originality and story depth is made up with stunning cinematography, hair raising sound, genuine suspense and a top-rate score. Since this is Liebesman’s first feature film he hasn’t had the chance to develop his own style but you can certainly see the strong influence of other memorable filmmakers. I believe as Liebesman does more films, you will see him emerge as a talent to reckon with. Brian Tyler has to be the most exciting composer to arrive on the scene since Marco Beltrami. Tyler’s music for DARKNESS FALLS helps elevate this film above most of the competition. This also proves that Tyler’s score for FRAILTY was no fluke. This is a super aggressive score rocks and is probably the most important element making DARKNESS FALLS work. I saw DARKNESS FALLS the night it opened in theaters and I can tell you the audience was on the edge of their seats. You will too if you have a nice television with some kind of surround sound. In fact, without a proper sound situation, this film will probably not have the same effect. Columbia TriStar has put together two audio commentaries. The first includes Jonathan Liebesman and the producers, which I found a bit disappointing. The excited producers pollute the commentary track with overzealous affection for the movie and frequently talk over each other. I found this approach annoying and left me wanting to hear more about how the film was made. The second track features the writer and is much more listenable. There is a so called documentary The Legend of Mitilda Dixon, which comes across as pure fiction. Deleted scenes, storyboard comparisons are what you normally expect from a DVD. The Making of Darkness Falls was kind of cool but too brief to leave any lasting impression. |
||