There's a long version of this review and a short version. You're getting the short version because Chernobyl Diaries really isn't worth the effort.
If you haven't watched the trailer, do so. It's unnerving, it shows great promise, the location shots look great and the big selling point the distributors push is that it's from the pen of Oren Peli who scarred the hell out of me with Paranormal Activity and it's imaginatively titled sequel, Paranormal Activity 2 (I resisted the lure of the ball-tightening third installment). Unfortunately, the full 86 minute feature acts only to dilute the impact.
That Chernobyl Diaries is the directorial debut of visual effects man Bradley Parker is great news for him but not so much for us. The only original aspect of this film is the setting and he's brought nothing new or exciting to this dark party. Not even sufficient lighting to enable the audience to see. Forget dim lighting to enhance the atmosphere, this is darkness to shroud the tedium.
Set in the present day, it paints the entirely predictable story of a group of young travellers who venture into the utterly deserted, uninhabited, nobody-has-been-there-in-years wastelands created by the 1986 nuclear disaster for a spot of extreme tourism. Easy peasy. Except it may not be quite as deserted as they expect and the nuclear radiation may have something do with it. Dumb dumb duuuuum It's The Descent set in Chernobyl with the quality dial turned down to 20%.
Why would you? Forget Chernobyl Diaries and revisit, or experience it if you missed the cinema release, the superior The Descent; it's far scarier, far better scripted, it's British and the Production Designer, my mate Simon Bowles, utterly rocks For more reviews from The Squiss subscribe to my blog at www.thesquiss.co.uk
If you haven't watched the trailer, do so. It's unnerving, it shows great promise, the location shots look great and the big selling point the distributors push is that it's from the pen of Oren Peli who scarred the hell out of me with Paranormal Activity and it's imaginatively titled sequel, Paranormal Activity 2 (I resisted the lure of the ball-tightening third installment). Unfortunately, the full 86 minute feature acts only to dilute the impact.
That Chernobyl Diaries is the directorial debut of visual effects man Bradley Parker is great news for him but not so much for us. The only original aspect of this film is the setting and he's brought nothing new or exciting to this dark party. Not even sufficient lighting to enable the audience to see. Forget dim lighting to enhance the atmosphere, this is darkness to shroud the tedium.
Set in the present day, it paints the entirely predictable story of a group of young travellers who venture into the utterly deserted, uninhabited, nobody-has-been-there-in-years wastelands created by the 1986 nuclear disaster for a spot of extreme tourism. Easy peasy. Except it may not be quite as deserted as they expect and the nuclear radiation may have something do with it. Dumb dumb duuuuum It's The Descent set in Chernobyl with the quality dial turned down to 20%.
Why would you? Forget Chernobyl Diaries and revisit, or experience it if you missed the cinema release, the superior The Descent; it's far scarier, far better scripted, it's British and the Production Designer, my mate Simon Bowles, utterly rocks For more reviews from The Squiss subscribe to my blog at www.thesquiss.co.uk