And Soon the Darkness

This film doesn’t have much to do with horror. I didn’t feel any strong need to turn it off while watching, which could be said to be a positive rating. Two very pretty girls are travelling across Argentina, one of them is kidnapped and the other starts looking for her, three other characters get mixed up, then there is some weird interaction, and the end. The way these few characters casually run into each other (or miss each other) it’s quite funny, though unintentionally so (in this sense, the best part is the fifteen minute wander around the ruins of some sort of abandoned “big city”). Awful, though, to be honest, I wasn’t bored. In any case, I don’t recommend it. (19/12/2010)

The American-Argentine-French production And Soon the Darkness is terribly predictable right from the beginning. It is immediately clear who is going to be the son of a bitch and who is not. However, at the same time, it is incredibly drawn out and drags, which it tries to make up for in the last twenty minutes or so when the pace suddenly becomes frantic. However, the end cannot redeem this movie. (24/02/2020)

Another remake of an original that I haven’t seen. ASTD most of the time seems like a well-filmed tourist guide to Argentina. Two engaging cyclists, the enchanting Odette Yustman, who has to portray some dummy, poor thing, and all the work is left up to responsible beauty, Amber Heard, they wander the countryside enjoying themselves until, of course, something happens. It’s actually a routine thriller, interesting only because of those two beauties already mentioned above. Then there is a terribly casted (and blond!) Karl Urban, a few twisted twists and illogical situations leading... well... nowhere. This movie can be recommended only to hardcore nature lovers or fans of one or both of the ladies in the leading roles. (02/02/2011)

If I had seen this in the cinema, I would have been annoyed. As a B-movie on DVD to kill a free evening it’s okay, if you like nature and South American wildlife. The director fails to have the characters act in a logical way and, for example, in the scene of hiding behind the columns, he even fails to follow the basic laws of image perspective and editing. And Karl Urban sticks out like a sore thumb. I haven’t seen such a badly cast and woodenly acted role in years. Fortunately, Odette Annable and Amber Heard are not just pretty, but also surprisingly good actresses, so they salvage it somewhat. A better two stars. (28/05/2011)