Visitors Review

(2012-05-26 02:22)

Devil

This review is from: Devil [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray) Was disappointed in this movie, low budget, acting was not that good, and the trailer was the best part of the movie.

(2012-05-25 11:09)

Feels like a made-for-TV movie

The positive reviews here are scarier than the movie. This felt like a made-for-TV/cable/video movie. Everything about it felt so ordinary, especially the poor script. The ending was abrupt and cheaply feel-good. And to strive for that PG-13 rating, there was the one stupid joke one guy says about bending over some chick. Cheap and bad B movie with a high budget. What a waste of a Saturday night. I lost a fraction of an IQ point, I think. Hollywood--quit insulting us!

hl123mthd (2012-05-25 19:20)

Doesn't quite get where it wants to go...

Full of shortcomings, clichéd and derivative, and not really deliveringthe promised chills, but all in all a decent film, especially withChristmas in the air. It's not so much that the plot is lame, but thatit's apparently, within the context of the film, based on a story forchildren, to teach them about the existence of the title character, andthat feeling that it's not really an adult tale sticks with you as youwatch it. The premise develops by means of cheesy talkover andstereotype Latino security guard, cinematography that avoids graphicviolence and a dénouement can be seen coming a mile off, with a littlenod to "Saw" as some other reviewers have mentioned.There is a lot to be said, though, for how he gets there in the end.It's not a long film and for all the narrow focus on the inhabitants ofthe elevator, it has enoughs twists and turns to keep you entertainedand may even provoke a thought or two. Restores a bit of MNS'sreputation after "The Happening" but if you're expecting a real filmmaker's film, then you're likely to be disappointed by everything afterthe slightly clever opening credits and first few minutes.

jjdosha (2012-05-25 07:49)

Indulgent

I personally felt, overall the film had a mediocre plot - at first.. Ifyou are a cerebral person who analyzes the story line, the film has alot to offer the audience. First of all, each of the characters possessbad characteristics that can be "evil," meaning any one of them couldbe the "devil." In my opinion, the "devil" was the first character inthe film to instigate any communicative problem within the group(butthat depends on what you consider "instigating."). To me this film willteach you a bit about yourself because some people notice variants incommunicative etiquette. "Devil" as a film makes the viewer questionwhat they consider a sin, no matter how selfish or how selfless the sinis! Without spoiling anything; the simplicity of this film insists theviewer dig digger into analyzing the origin of sin and how we bringourselves to it. Without making a long story short, see this movie!

Lokesh Chandrasekaran (2012-05-22 10:06)

Same old School...

The theme is already delivered by tons of films earlier. Same oldconfessing thing not even thrilled a bit. Most importantly the filmalmost blacked out the real things. All those coincidence make sensebut not that good to meet the thrill. Night Shymalan is one of goodthrill maker and proud of him despite the thrill doesn't contain tomeet the perfection. Worth watch for a time. Sarah Caraway was goodenough to hide her past and get into a wealthy family. At last thedevil just left on its way without hurting Tony just for confessing hissin but all came to know in the end, lives could be saved if this founda bit early. Devil on the God's hand....

Michael_Elliott (2012-05-21 17:39)

Effective But Short of What It Could Have Been

Devil (2010) ** 1/2 (out of 4) Simple story of five strangers entering an elevator when it breaks downand the group begins to get picked off one by one. A Detective (ChrisMessina), dealing with his own haunted past, watches from a securitycam trying to find out what's going on but soon they begin to realizethey're working with a force they can't stop. Right off the bat I'mgoing to say this is the most disappointing movie of the year. I saythis because the story itself, by M. Night Shyamalan, is so simple instructure that you could do so many great things with it. The storyitself is a very good one as being stuck with strangers while they'rebeing picked off by the devil is something interesting but what reallyhurts the film is its direction. For the life of me I'm not sure whyShyamalan himself didn't direct this as the small structure issomething that I'm sure he could have handled and I think it would havehelped his career get back on track. This film runs a very quick72-minutes without the end credits so everything pretty much happens ata fast pace. I really enjoyed that they did it this way but thedirection doesn't create enough atmosphere or tension early on. I thinkthis here is what really brings the film down because being in a tightspot like an elevator should leave you feeling claustrophobic but thisnever happens. As the movie went along I couldn't help but find myselfenjoying the characters and the story but at the same time thinking tomyself that this thing should be so much better. I think betterdirection would have really helped this thing because there so manygood things in the screenplay that needed to be explored. Thescreenplay itself plays out in a simple fashion but I enjoyed the smallback stories given to all the characters and how these come into playas the story works itself out. The performances aren't anything that'sgoing to bring Oscars but they're good enough for this type of filmswith Messina leading the way as the Detective. Jenny O'Hara, BokeemWoodbine, Geoffrey Arend, Logan Marshall-Green and Bojana Novakovicplay the people trapped and I enjoyed each of them. Shyamalan's name isall over this thing and I think the story of his is a very good one butwhat makes this film worth viewing is one sequence that I won't spoil.When the twist comes in the story it really took me by surprise and Imust admit that it sent cold shivers throughout my body and I thoughtit was extremely effective. This part of the film certainly pulled therug out from under me and it certainly made everything else worthsitting through. I'm sure most of the movie was building up to this onemoment and for me it was extremely effective. With that being said,DEVIL is a good little movie but at the same time you can't help butsay it should have been much, much better.

IMDB_Vits (2012-05-19 23:18)

"DEVIL,are you going up or down?" "What do you think?"(***/*****).

So what is the problem with this movie?It breaks a rule.Let's say youmake a movie where a man is in love with 2 women.The audience will knowthe possible outcomes(he chooses one,both or neither).You can't make amovie where the premise gives you the outcomes,like here.Somebody willeventually figure out the ending.Not to mention people will think toomuch about it the entire movie instead of enjoying it,specially wherethey tell there's gonna be a twist ending no matter what.I didn't judge the twist at all.If there's anything we learned from M.Night Shyamalan is that twists can be so overrated to the point they'reconsidered the most important part of the movie,specially twistendings.Actually,it was kind of good for him to give away that therewas gonna be a twist.A lot of people hate them because they feelcheated.By the way,I feel I should point out something unfair.Had thismovie been bad,people would've said his career bombed,but if it hadbeen good,people would've said the director should take credit.Speaking of him,by the Rule Of 3,it's fair to judge John ErickDowdle.His 3 movies have been average for different reasons,but theyall scare you.Here,it'll be mostly cheap thrills.It doesn't get trulysuspenseful until the last part.But it's worth it.Not to mention howhard it is to make a story interesting in such a confinedspace.Although I'm not saying he's in the same level as Danny Boyle in127 HOURS(this one doesn't take place almost entirely in the elevator).As for the story,is not different from the others that come "from themind of Shyamalan".Writer Brian Nelson dismisses a lot of the usualmelodrama,but he keeps the episodic feel suited for a series and heincreases it,making this movie forgettable.And the performances aresuited for TV movies.Not because the actors aren't famous,but becausethey're weak(in particular,Bokeem Woodbine is very over the top).Thiswill be the first of a trilogy where supernatural elements appear inmodern day,and because the stories will be unrelated,it will make themall equally episodic.Is Shyamalan aware his movies are compared toepisodes of THE TWILIGHT ZONE?Although the events of the ending are unsatisfying,the ending as awhole is good.It pushes the right buttons to make you emotional,andwhen the credits start rolling with that creepy music,you realize yourheart had been beating fast for several minutes,and it will continuefor some more.Guess which is the only other movie in history that leftme with that strange yet nice mix of emotions.THE 6TH SENSE.Grades:C in the U.S. and 5,0 in Chile.

Tecun_Uman (2012-05-19 13:52)

What do you call a horror movie that is not scary? Devil

I guess I should have been tipped off that this film was not screenedfor critics, very wise. None the less, I wanted to see a movie so Igave it a shot. What I got was a very uninspired and ludicrous filmthat was just flat out boring. There was literally not one scene inthis movie that made you jump or feel scared. The characters lacked anydevelopment and the script was just, well, uninspired. This looks likeone of those studio leftovers that they decided to dump on the publicwith the tease that M. Night Shamylan had something to do with it. Iwould suggest "The Last Exorcist" if you were interested in a horrorfilm with some imagination and some real scares.

(2012-05-18 19:14)

The Elevator Ride from Hell

"Devil" is the best film M. Night Shyamalan didn't direct. I think I now understand why I haven't liked any of his movies - he lets himself get in the way of his own good ideas (exempting "The Last Airbender," which wasn't his idea at all). By giving the filmmaking responsibilities to others, his ideas can remain intact, but at the same time, they can also be approached from a different, less self-constraining angle. They might even be improved. For "Devil," Shyamalan is credited as the story creator and as one of the producers. The screenwriter is Brian Nelson, recently known for penning the vampire thriller "30 Days of Night" and the indie shocker "Hard Candy," the latter of which scared the living hell out of me. The director is John Erick Dowdle, who underwhelmed me with "Quarantine" and is still intriguing me with his as yet unreleased film "The Poughkeepsie Tapes," delayed since 2007.While by no means a great supernatural thriller (as so few are), "Devil" is surprisingly effective - taut, suspenseful, and brisk, with decent performances and intriguing dialogue to boot. On the one hand, it's a claustrophobic horror story about things that happen in the dark, and if there's anything we've learned from the good horror movies, it's that your mind can conceive of things far scarier than what a director reveals on camera. On the other hand, it's a chilling character study, a peek into the souls of people. Many of them are bad. Others have simply made mistakes and lurking underneath is the capacity for change, which covers everything from facing your demons to forgiving those who have wronged you. It all boils down to a simple decision: You either pay for your sins, or you ignore them. You can probably guess which of the choices is easier. You also probably know that what's easy isn't necessarily what's right.The film is founded on the premise of a Devil's Meeting, in which Satan takes on human form and tests evildoers by tormenting them. And so it comes to pass in a Philadelphia high rise that five people enter an elevator, only for the car to stop mysteriously stop in mid ascent; what begins as an inconvenience quickly gives way to suspicion, paranoia, and the occasional loss of light, at which point awful sounds are heard. When the lights come back on ... well, I don't think I should say what we see, for it would ruin the apprehension. Let's just say that on board are a mattress salesman (Geoffrey Arend), a temp security guard (Bokeem Woodbine), a young woman (Bojana Novakovic), an old woman (Jenny O'Hara), and an ex-soldier turned mechanic (Logan Marshall-Green). In one way or another, all have done things that have hurt other people. And as the ads have repeatedly told us, one of them isn't who he or she seems.They all have clashing personality quirks. The salesman is insensitive and never knows when to keep his mouth shut. The guard is uncomfortable in tight spaces. The young woman overreacts. The old woman worries about everything. The mechanic has a short fuse and is always guarded, which is a good indicator of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Who amongst them seems a likely candidate for the Antichrist? Take your pick - they're all equally capable of bad deeds.Keeping tabs on them via surveillance camera is Detective Bowden (Chris Messina), who was drawn into the situation when investigating an apparent suicide at the same site. Bowden is a recovering alcoholic and still trying to cope with a recent tragedy. He doesn't believe in anything greater than himself, and he certainly doesn't believe in the Devil; it's a matter of reasoning, of processing the information as he finds it. At his side is the film's narrator, a security guard named Ramirez (Jacob Vargos). He's devoutly religious. He completely believes in the Devil, who he's convinced is responsible for the terror unfolding in the elevator. How else to explain the distorted face that appears in a single frame of the elevator's surveillance footage? How else to explain the warning signs his mother dictated to him as a child? How else to explain why every attempt to fix the cable system or penetrate the shaft walls have all failed?If Bowden is a man of no faith, and if he's in a situation that has no logical explanation, one must deduce that he's eventually forced to believe in something higher than himself. I should emphasize that I'm not necessarily referring to God. Saying that you believe in something higher than yourself could mean any number of things, and of that, I will say no more. Regardless, Bowden is being tested, just as the people in the elevator are. I leave it to you to discover who passes and who fails. "Devil" is certainly not groundbreaking, but it's a perfectly competent horror film - technically sound, nicely performed, frightening, and above all, engaging. In my review of "The Last Airbender," I admitted that my nature was to resist the films of M. Night Shyamalan; on the basis of this film, I think he would be wise to let other directors interpret his work from now on. If Dowdle could do it, imagine what someone else could do.

mjhalta (2012-05-17 22:45)

Very Scary Movie with a moral to the story!!

There are very few scary movies being made any more, but this is one ofthem. Hollywood thinks that slasher movies are scary but their way toopredictable to be scary. This movie has some good twists to it and theplot was quite interesting and "bonus plan" a moral to the story. Agood horror movie requires lots of tension, this one has plenty. Theyounger movie goer will not like it as they don't get to see themonster/devil until the end. The younger crowd with no imagination hasto see the monster right away or they don't like the movie and give ita bad review. Good acting by the cast! I will add this movie to mycollection as it is that good. I wish people would leave M. NightShamala out of this(listen up movie morons, you know who you are, hedidn't direct this movie) and not judge this movie based on theirinnate dislike of him. He makes a great movie like 6th sense and thenall his other movies are slammed because they somehow don't measure up.Other directors don't get this kind of abuse. Look at Scorcese and someof the dud movies he has made, or the Cohen bros. but they are somehowIcons and cannot be criticized. Go see it, some movies are not worththe price of admission let alone popcorn, but this one is.

studiologic12 (2012-05-16 13:33)

My god Shamalan!!

Jesus.. he's really making bad movies these days. The only good moviehe made was Sixth Sense.... which became one of the best horror moviesof U.S. I think he just lost his creativity now. This film has goodideas and concept. However, it really lacks of story. Wasn't there anyof evacuation team who tried to reach to the elevator through rope fromthe top? Why did they waste so much time on breaking wall? whichdoesn't make any sense. The writer guy needed to set up scenes thatblocks reaching elevator through the rope. Also.. the twist ending justdoesn't strong enough. It seems like all the guys there believe indevil and god. So unrealistic and hollow characters. The twist endingis too much like 'made up' ending... What a disappointment...

(2012-05-15 23:42)

Elevator Creeps

This review is from: Devil (DVD) It's hard to believe that this entire movie took place in an elevator and a security booth. The ending was very refreshingly surprising in this time of obvious movie outcomes.

disdressed12 (2012-05-12 18:35)

five people are trapped in an elevator,and they are not alone

i really liked this movie.the suspense builds nicely.there's a verytense atmosphere.you never know what going to happen next or who isultimately responsible,until close to the end,which i didn't seecoming.the acting is really good here,as is the direction.M. NightShyamalan produced the film,but did not direct it.the story moves alongat a good even pace.even the dialogue was pretty decent.i liked thefact that each of the characters had their own unique story.i found themovie quite compelling.i liked the fact that the motive for everythingthat happens in the film isn't revealed right off the bat,so you haveto try to figure it out yourself.for me,Devil is a 7/10

JoeC345 (2012-05-12 06:22)

Just a good enjoyable movie.

There's only one way to enjoy this movie and that is to push play andtry to not figure out the ending, you might be able too however this isa movie where it's just fun to let the film makers take you for a ride.I was very unsure about this movie considering most of the film doestake place in a small elevator it's hard to keep the interests of youraudience.John Dowdle's last film was "Quarantine" which I enjoyed but found his"Devil" to be a better all around movie. I will probably watch it againbecause there were a few little things that I almost didn't pick up onon my first viewing so I'm sure there are other things that I missed.The cast is effective in there roles, this isn't the kind of movie thatrequires or should even have a big blockbuster cast it would actuallytake away from the character's these actors are portraying.I was fortunate enough to be in Chicago and catch an early look at partof the film and sit down in a Q and A with the director and writer ofthis film. One of the things they discussed was the "Night" Series thatM. Night Shyamalan is coming out with where apparently he has ideas formovies and giving them to younger directors for them to basically playwith. Who's career has taken a sad turn for the worse with his last fewmovies. However this was his first of the series and if this one showsthe quality of what this series will be I will be looking forward tothe next one.If you go into this with a open mind you'll find a good entertainingmovie. Which is one thing I think companies are forgetting about we goto the movies to be entertained.

(2012-05-08 17:47)

Take M. Night's Elevator to the Outer Limits of the Twilight Zone!

I've gotta disagree with part of Paul Giata's Amazon.com review of "Devil", M. Night Shyamalan's supernatural mystery brought to life on the big screen. I don't think the lack of pulp dialogue took away from the overall quality of the movie. As a matter of fact, I think M. Night should stay on the production side of the house (while opening more doors for others to direct his stories) since this is the best movie he's done in a long time, maybe even as far back as "The Sixth Sense". Alfred Hitchcock and Rod Serling would be proud of this film, which combines simplicity with a twist, and was enough to keep me interested in how the plot would climax throughout the rather short 80-minute duration. It reminded me of some of the old "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" and "Twighlight Zone" episodes; which, by the way were short in length but long on quality.The cast was full of underrated familiar faces, including Bokeem Woodbine, Chris Messina, Jenny O'Hara and Jacob Vargas, who did an admirable job delivering lines from Brian Nelson's screenplay. John Erick Dowdle did a nice job of guiding the scenes and characters from behind the camera and I throught his style of direction was well suited for this subtle mystery slash thriller.Bottom line: Night Chronicles Productions stepped up to the plate and hit a home run with M. Night's "Devil".

(2012-05-08 13:09)

Shyamalan is Back on His Game

I was pleasantly surprised with how much I liked this movie. I had read some very negative reviews (and considering that the last couple of M. Night Shyamalan's movies did so poorly) I really wasn't sure if the movie was going to be any good or not. Much to my surprise, I didn't think it was just good, I thought it was great. Shyamalan (who wrote the story but did not direct) got back to basics with this script and it's much more in the vein of his early movies The 6th Sense, The Village and Signs. First of all, to the people who are giving this movie a bad review because it wasn't scary - it's not meant to be scary, it is meant to be suspenseful; just as his early movies were not scary, but suspenseful. Also, it's rated PG-13, so exactly how people expected it to be a full blown horror movie...well, if people had thought about the rating before going to the movie, they would have realized it wasn't a horror movie. M. Night Shyamalan also brings a moral/ethical point into the movie, as is par the course for his stories. Basically - "own up to your sins before they destroy you". The "twist" ending was easier to guess than some of his earlier movies...I knew `what' was going to happen, but I didn't know the `who' until the end.All in all, I really liked this movie and I think that fans of his earlier works will like it as well.

Supachewy (2012-05-08 02:24)

Devil isn't Devilishly Fun But it Will Still Give You An Entertaining Ride

The horror film Devil is directed by John Erick Dowdle and stars ChrisMessina, Caroline Dhavernas, Bokeem Woodbine, and Logan Marshall-Green.The film takes place in a modern day Philadelphia elevator for the mostpart.The film starts off with a body falling from the sky onto the top of atruck. Afterwards Detective Bowden discovers that a person fell from abuilding onto the truck and it went down the street. Then five completestrangers enter an elevator in an office building. One of these fivestrangers is the devil. The elevator stops and all the people aretrapped, and the devil begins to torment them. The rest of the film isabout how the police try to get the people out of the elevator and howthe people try to determine which one of them is the killer becausethey don't know that one of them is the devil.I thought the screenplay for this film was solid. As everyone has heardthe story was by M. Night Shyamalan who has been going steeply downhillsince the critical success The Sixth Sense. Yet this one is nowherenear as bad as The Last Airbender or The Happening, if Shyamalan haddirected this one then I feel that it could be said that it is the endof his spiral downhill. I thought the plot was good and it was veryentertaining the whole way through. The characters weren't that strongbut rarely in horror films they are, let alone in Shyamalan films. Yesit does end in a twist and it is not that ridiculous or expected.The direction for this film by Dowdle was adequate as well. Dowdle hasproved that he is successful in directing closed space films with thisone and also his previous film Quarantine. He is not the greatest whenworking with actors but it is not like anyone gave a terribleperformance. There was not that many great shots in this film exceptfor what I like to call a money shot at the beginning of the film. Bymoney shot I mean a shot that uses CGI to make it a really long shotand Dowdle uses it when entering a building into an elevator shaft. Hedid a fine job of directing this film and I am curious to see what heis going to make next.The acting for this film was decent, no one really shined in this filmbut no one was truly awful. Messina played the detective who is tryingto save the people in the elevator and his part does not require muchacting ability so he does it fine. Dhavernas plays the young woman Elsaon the elevator and I never really grew to like her or dislike herthroughout the film. She is alright at being scared the whole timebasically and suspicious, she could have done better though. Again withWoodbine and Marshall-Green they as well did decent but I thought theycould have been better being scared and suspicious.Overall I give this film a 6/10. I would recommend this film to fans ofthe horror genre, suspense, and a decent twist. Now in many films itgives away the twist by saying that there is a twist but in this one itis obvious there is going to be one so I don't feel bad saying it.

Siobhan Miller (2012-05-07 04:35)

Another Chilling "Night"

Devil is a chilling supernatural thriller brought to us by the king ofsuspension M.Night.Shyamalan, and it will have you on the edge of yourseats.So the story is set in Philadelphia, where Detective Bowden is stillgrieving the loss of his wife and son following a hit and run accident5 years ago. Bowden becomes entangled in an investigation after someonecommits suicide after jumping from the top of a skyscraper. Meanwhile,inside the skyscraper 5 strangers become inadvertently trapped in anelevator together. Thats when eerie goings on occur, witnessed throughCCTV by the security guards tending the building. Bowden assumes thecase as tension inside the elevator increases. After a sequence ofabnormal events it soon becomes apparent that the devil is one of the 5strangers inside the elevator.The cinematography was superb, with the opening sequence being one ofthe most chilling I have seen in a while. The director used clevercutting techniques throughout to portray the film in an eerie manner,which keeps an audience guessing. The tension which Shyamalan createsat the beginning of the film is still present at the end, which is anachievement in itself, making the movie experience an altogetherpowerful one.The acting, although it does not involve any of the best performances ihave seen, is believable, and the characters who are in the elevatortogether appear to have an intense relationship which only heightensthe mood further. The 5 strangers learn a lot about each other in ashort period of time, and have a lot in common which they may not haverealised when they first stepped into the elevator. Jenny O'Hara shouldespecially be applauded for her performance as the 'old woman.' Devil is new, fresh and innovative and Shyamlan should be highlycommended. Not only is it an entertaining thriller, but with the twistsin the plot an audience is left guessing right up onto the closingcredits.

Fever (2012-05-07 04:59)

huh?

I enjoy a good thriller every now and then, but I just didn't get thisone. Here's the plot: people get in elevator, people start dying, movieends. No, really, that's the plot. At first they try to throw in a fewtwists, possible conspiracies, a spooky scene here and there, but itends up falling flat. You know that feeling you got after watching"Unbreakable"? That feeling of let down after all the building andsuspense? Well, same effect here. I think they try and put a 'learningpoint' to the story, but it doesn't make sense. Sin and you'll be takenout by the devil? don't think so; we'd all be taken out then. Admit asin and you'll be forgiven by the devil? umm, no. I wouldn't botherwith this one, not even for a $1 at Redbox.

gigadragon12 (2012-05-06 20:17)

Devil is a tired old sentiment with great cinematography

It's universally known that this is the new M. Night Shyamalan movieand that it concerns people trapped in an elevator with the Devil.That's the plot, you've seen a trailer you know what its about, I can'ttell much more without sounding like every other reviewer or givingaway plot points.It's important to say that Shyamalan isn't directing this movie, and healso doesn't cameo himself in it, and more importantly doesn't addhimself as a main character and if that's not a plus given his recentfilms, then I don't know what is. This movie does good on the filmingside of filming; the camera angles and shots are done creatively andhelp provide a clear understanding of what is happening inside theelevator. Also the whole movie isn't centered on just the elevator,there's also a side story with a detective trying to figure out what isgoing on the whole time as well.Now Devil is advertised as a bit of a horror film. Its actually athriller, though they do throw in the classic horror score and a fewhorror pot shots. But the meat of the movie really doesn't becomeobvious until the end.See Devil is one of those movies that deals with the whole universalconnectedness of everything. It sports that "everything happens for areason" storyline that we've seen before done better, and by the end ofthe movie it feels like its forcefully shoving down a tired old moralthat if you stop and think about it for a moment seems like its comingfrom far away.Its unfortunate that this review seems so vague, there's actually not awhole lot to this movie. It doesn't leave you room to think by the endand it doesn't challenge you emotionally at all. But overall, I reallythink that the filmmakers got what they could out of the limited storythey were dealing with. Emphasis on some parts could've been hardenedor softened but in the end, that's just a personal perspective.Overall… I would say you wait for the rent, if you absolutely have tosee it.