Unborn DVD: Review By Shelley

THE GOOD:

The Unborn does succeed in creating a creepy atmosphere. The photography and special effects are very well done with very few discernable flaws. The acting is not bad even from relative newcomer Odette Yustman. Yes most of the main characters are young and lack experience, but they do a decent job with the parts they were given. Of course Gary Oldman gives his normal excellent performance even though he was not in the film as much as I would have liked.

THE BAD:

When I think about the bad things in the film the first thing that comes to mind is the name Jumby. I do not care if it is a nickname or not, it is just plain stupid and should have been something different. There are definite flaws in the film but it is not one that is about the details, rather the basic story.

THE FILM:

Casey Beldon (Odette Yustman) is a young college student who has begun to have strange, very vivid dreams. Then her dreams start to enter reality and she begins to see a strange, evil boy. She feels this boy wants to posses her but can she stop it before the possession is complete?

I really did not want to give a lengthy description of the film since I know there are many who have yet to view the film. There are a few details that bothered me but these will not give away the plot so I feel it is safe to explain them. Like I said earlier, none of these really interfere with the story or plot, but to me they were noticeable flaws. The first thing I noticed was the mirrors. Casey is told to break all the mirrors in her home, burn the pieces and then bury them. Then her friend comes over and there are obvious pieces of mirror all over the house. If they are going to go through a big production of her getting rid of the mirrors then they should be completely gone. The next thing was her father. He is out of town for his job quite a bit and very rarely home but at one point she goes to see him at his office but does not come home that evening. He seems unconcerned that Casey is obviously going through something and she is having problems with her eyes. Lastly there is the ending which I guess worked but for once I would like to see how people deal with law enforcement after people are killed. I have seen countless films which depict people dying in horrible ways and the next thing you know the survivors are back to their lives as if nothing happened.

The Unborn made over $76 million worldwide and because of the way it ended I foresee a sequel. I would check it out if one is made, maybe not at the theater but definitely on DVD. I just hope this does not turn into a series of bad, low budget direct-to-video releases as so many other franchises have become. If they are going to do it, do it right and put some money into it.

SPECIAL FEATURES: Unrated/Rated Standard DVD

Disappointingly deleted scenes are the only special feature on this DVD and they are not that great.

Another thing that was disappointing about the DVD was the advertising of an Unrated version. With an unrated version you would expect at least ten to fifteen minutes of extra footage but this particular film had a big unimpressive one minute. Yes you read it right, one minute.

REPLAY VALUE:

For me this DVD has above average replay value. It is one of those movies that even though it is not the best movie, I can see myself enjoying it a couple times a year.

BOTTOM LINE:

Horror is my favorite type of film and trust me when I say I have seen my share. So after seeing what seems like a million previews, I was looking forward to finally being able to see this one. I know there are a lot of people that hated this movie and to be honest, I do not understand why. No it is not scary and far from the best I have ever seen but I do think it had a creepy atmosphere and visuals. I am a believer in everyone is entitled to their own opinion and if someone did not like this film, that is fine with me, but I do recommend this film but not for a piece of extraordinary film making, but just for entertainment. It is best watched late at night and in the dark. I would be hard pressed to say it is worth purchasing, but definitely worth the rental price.

Thanks for reading.