The delayed fifth film in the Paranormal Activity franchise has finally hit theaters. While not a true fifth film, this spinoff marks a fresh direction for the franchise that will take these frightening films to a whole new level.
Say what you will about the Paranormal Activity franchise, or any ‘found footage’ sub-genre film, really, but they put butts in seats and as a result they aren’t going anywhere. The Paranormal Activity franchise in particular is so powerful that it even dethroned the Saw franchise from their highly-coveted box office Halloween spot that they annually held. This past October saw no Paranormal Activity film because the franchise was reportedly being taken in a new direction. That new direction is a spinoff of sorts, with an end product aimed at a minority audience; but don’t worry, all that you’ve come to love about this franchise (if you have loved it up to this point) is there.
“
As this film stands, though, it’s about as good as any of the other films. No better, no worse.
”
This installment of of the Paranormal Activity franchise takes us to Oxnard, California in present(ish) day. At a high school graduation, we are treated to a valedictorian speech while our cast records and makes jokes during the speech. At a graduation party, we are introduced to Jesse, Hector and Marisol. Jesse, our main subject, has been given a camera that he and Hector immediately take a liking to. Jesse lives in an apartment building with his grandmother above a creepy old lady named Anna, who some say might be a ‘bruja’ or Mexican witch. While playing with the camera, they begin to hear strange noises emanating from the apartment downstairs and upon investigating, they discover really strange things happening. The day after Anna's mysterious death, the boys break into her apartment to figure out what really happened and soon after that, mysterious things start happening to Jesse that they can’t explain.
The Marked Ones, like all of the other Paranormal films follows the same tried and true formula that might be kind of stagnant at this point to some viewers. The first act kind of drags at points, but thankfully it’s full of some witty dialogue that makes this one of the more whimsical Paranormal Activity films. The second act is a strange tonal shift in the franchise wherein Jesse isn’t necessarily being haunted, but feels a little like parts of Chronicle, another clever found footage film from recent years.
Another issue some have with found footage films is that to appear like amateur films, most of the time they have amateur actors. There’s one recognizable face in this movie, and although it might be obvious to guess as to who’s face that will be, it’s probably wise to let that spoiler remain unsaid. Andrew Jacobs, the lead playing Jesse, has more than a few moments to shine, and in those scary moments he does well. Everyone else leaves a little to be desired.
It may be a little too soon to say this is a step in the right direction for the Paranormal Activity franchise. From the first film onwards, the Paranormal Activity films have certainly gone places that very few viewers expected, even extremely interesting places. The problem is that in the next film, the interesting developments don’t get acknowledged or expanded upon. This is a frustrating pattern, and we may not truly get our questions answered until the inevitable end of the franchise which has revolutionized the found footage era of filmmaking. As this film stands, though, it’s about as good as any of the other films. No better, no worse. Whether that statement is enough to get you to go out and see it this is up to you, either way, I still can’t wait for the next one.
0 comments:
Post a Comment