The Cabin In The Woods: Review
Directed by Drew Goddard and written by Goddard and Joss Whedon, Cabin in the Woods starts with Dana, Jules, her boyfriend Curt, Holden and Marty (Kristen Connolly, Anna Hutchison, Chris Hemsworth, Jesse Williams and Fran Kranz) as they decide to take a weekend trip to a cabin to party and have some fun. It quickly becomes evident that they are being monitored by a mysterious organization that are not just watching them but also controlling environments and coercing them into certain situations without them knowing. The cellar door flies open as the group is in the living room of the cabin and they head down. Dana recites something from a diary she finds and it triggers a horde of zombies coming up from their graves. The group has to fight for their lives and little by little they start to unravel the truth. Only one last question remains………………why?
I’m a little biased right off the bat because I am a huge Buffy The Vampire Slayer/Angel/Cloverfield fan (Ok, a lot biased). When I initially heard the title and read the synopsis of the movie the first thought that came to mind was “This is totally going to be an Evil Dead ripoff” but it had more layers than just the obvious setting. One of the great things about this film was the dialogue. Goddard and Whedon just know exactly how to banter back and forth with characters in between major plot points and still be able to move the story forward with ease. I see this movie as a fresh perspective on a genre that has become more and more watered down or having blood and guts flying all around the screen just to get a “gross out” factor. I’m not saying this movie was the greatest movie in the world but it was an extremely fun one with lots of twists and some comedy thrown in there as well. This movie also includes a (Pre-Thor) Chris Hemsworth. Although his part isn’t a major one he does own the screen for the scenes he’s in. The final 20 minutes of the film when a huge group of creatures ran amok were just complete insanity with chaos going on left and right. It reminded me alot of the Buffy series in certains aspects but with no TV rating restrictions. I really liked this movie a lot and hope to have Goddard and Whedon team up on something like this again. Also, if you’re a fan of Whedon’s previous works then you’ll notice some of his “regulars” scattered throughout the movie. If you’re an old school horror fan and a fan of Whedon’s sarcastic humor then this is a must watch.
The Cabin In The Woods is available now on Bluray and DVD from Lionsgate Home Entertainment
