Worth watching, but definitely not a "10" by any stretch of the imagination. I could go as high as a "7" as it depends on one's mood at the time they watch this film. Some may view this as a "3" "4" or "5".
The writing and direction reminds me of one of the M. Night Shyamalan films. There are some subplots that are not flushed out well. A couple of people pop-up out of nowhere with bit-parts as though the wind blew them on the screen and then they are gone with little to no follow-up. The family dynamic was a bit odd and not flushed out well even when taking the special circumstances associated with the mother into account. I think they would have been better off if they did not include that issue in the family dynamic, which was not written well and was more of a distraction. In doing so they could have focused more on character development and added more substance to the overall plot.
Instead, the film seems like a patchwork of people and circumstances as they toss scenes in for a few minutes then jump somewhere else a little too soon for my taste making the audience fill in the gaps. The closest description that comes to mind is "Jack of all trades but master of none."
The twists and the climax were very cool. I give them points for that. Other than that this is a mediocre film. Gets better in the last 15 minutes. The build up is too disjointed and slow in my opinion. Still, it is worth watching. I may have thought better of this film had it been made for TV, versus a rental. I expect more from movies that charge box-office prices to watch. That said, I have seen much worse films than this.
I recommend watching it with the knowledge you have gained in this and other similar reviews. Do not go in thinking you are about to watch an epic film that will make you jump out of your seat. Think of it as a made-for-TV movie with a moderate budget and suburbia setting. The twists make it worth watching.
The writing and direction reminds me of one of the M. Night Shyamalan films. There are some subplots that are not flushed out well. A couple of people pop-up out of nowhere with bit-parts as though the wind blew them on the screen and then they are gone with little to no follow-up. The family dynamic was a bit odd and not flushed out well even when taking the special circumstances associated with the mother into account. I think they would have been better off if they did not include that issue in the family dynamic, which was not written well and was more of a distraction. In doing so they could have focused more on character development and added more substance to the overall plot.
Instead, the film seems like a patchwork of people and circumstances as they toss scenes in for a few minutes then jump somewhere else a little too soon for my taste making the audience fill in the gaps. The closest description that comes to mind is "Jack of all trades but master of none."
The twists and the climax were very cool. I give them points for that. Other than that this is a mediocre film. Gets better in the last 15 minutes. The build up is too disjointed and slow in my opinion. Still, it is worth watching. I may have thought better of this film had it been made for TV, versus a rental. I expect more from movies that charge box-office prices to watch. That said, I have seen much worse films than this.
I recommend watching it with the knowledge you have gained in this and other similar reviews. Do not go in thinking you are about to watch an epic film that will make you jump out of your seat. Think of it as a made-for-TV movie with a moderate budget and suburbia setting. The twists make it worth watching.