13hrs, a review by samuelrichardscott
13hrs (2010) Region B United Kingdom
Overview:From the producer of Dog Soldiers, 13 Hrs stars some of the hottest young British talent in one of the horror hits of the year. Starring Tom Felton (Harry Potter), Gemma Atkinson (Hollyoaks), Isabella Calthorpe (How to Lose Friends and Alienate People) and Joshua Bowman (Holby City). A full moon hangs in the night sky and lightning streaks across dark storm clouds. Sarah Tyler (Isabella Calthorpe) returns to her troubled family home in the isolated countryside, for a much put-off visit. As the storm rages on, Sarah, along with her family and friends shore up for the night, cut off from the outside world. But something emerges from the driving rain and darkness. Something that holds a dark secret so devastating that, in one night, it could wipe out the entire family. Trapped, Sarah, along with her brothers and friends must use their heads as well as their physical strength to survive not only the thing that is hunting them down one by one - but their own entrapment as the besieged group turns in on itself. Can they survive the horror which is stalking them? Can they survive for 13 hours? Or is their enemy already amongst them and always has been?
My Thoughts:"From the producers of Dog Soldiers" is mentioned on the case, and is admittedly what interested me in grabbing this from a mate's shelf to watch. Starring Isabella Calthorpe, Gemma Atkinson and Tom Felton among others, 13Hrs is unfortunately a rather poor British werewolf movie that misses the mark in several respects. First of all, the quality of the acting is poor throughout. Whilst Gabriel Thomson, Gemma Atkinson and Simon MacCorkindale have all got successful television roles in their CV, they have never really been known for their outstanding acting, but in this film, all three fail to reach even the mediocrity of their TV roles (though I have seen much worse in Brit horror). Tom Felton, who plays Draco in the Harry Potter movies is of particular disappointment here. The script is as formulaic as they come and the dialogue is often clumpy and hammy but there is the odd spark of well placed dialogue. Special effects at times are OK, but they are not utilised well enough throughout and the opting for a red tint view through the eyes of the werewolf is sometimes amateurish compared to what could have been done. The film does manage to build tension quite well when the gang first realise what is happening but the poor acting stops the suspense and atmosphere in its tracks at times. I really wanted this British horror to be good, but I can't bring myself to recommend it to anybody no matter how hard I try. Skip it... btw, if anyone can tell me what the title actually has to do with the movie, please let me know! 2/5
(From Never Ending Movie Marathon (short reviews) on December 31st, 2011)
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May 19, 2024, 04:49:31 PM
