pesic-1
I didn't hate this film, but it disappointed me in scene after scene. The characters are pretty dull, the story is weak and progresses too slowly, the scares are too few and too cheap (largely jump scares and false flags), and the ending is stupid. People in found footage films tend to do silly things, and this can have an alienating effect on the audience. This film is a really good example of that trend. In the climax of the film, the characters end up doing unbelievably dumb things, which, of course, gets them killed. Also, in the true found footage manner, nothing is ever explained. It's very convenient for the screen writer, is it not, to be able to throw all kinds of silly and confusing things at the audience, and never have to explain them, because in the final scene the characters all end up dead, and there is no one left to explain anything. Ultimately the thrill of found footage is the ride itself, and this ride picks up pace only at the end, which is a huge detriment. Had the plot been intelligent and cleverly developed, this wouldn't have been the problem. Unfortunately, this was not the case.
InaneSwine
The Borderlands is one of the better found-footage films that has come out of late, and is one of the best British horror films to come out in a seriously long time.Initially a little unconvincing, and with a slightly irritating character played by Robin Hill, it may take a short while to settle into. But as events unfold and things get darker, I guarantee you will be glued to the screen, as creepy and sinister becomes terrifying and horrific. The acting is great, the tension never falters, and the ending is one of the nastiest to feature in a horror film in years. A good film.
gokeymichael
I am like a lot of movie lovers these days, I have had my fill of found footage flicks. Once in awhile one comes along that doesn't make me want to break my TV. This movie had enough coverage with all of the cameras, the story was intriguing and the actors did a very nice job selling their characters. If you want a movie with a ton of jump scares then go elsewhere. If you want a buildup to a great, unexpected ending, then stick around. Yes, the ending of this movie was completely unexpected. I am so glad that I didn't read any reviews or comments about this movie before I watched. I just went on blind faith and I was treated to a great movie. I am a fan of the genre of movie that has to do with the idea of hell or demons or what other place there is in the afterlife. Hell, Purgatory, Heaven, Limbo, whatever. This movie had enough of the in the dark creep factor to keep me on the edge of my seat and the ending just capped it off like a nice Grand Marnier.
Lars Bear
Film-makers can't really win with stories of this sort. The plot moves along, the characters do their thing, and then tension gradually increases. But, in the end, we either have to be shown the monster (or whatever), or we don't. Either way, we go away disappointed. If we see the monster, then our reaction is (to paraphrase Stephen King) "Ugh! It's a 30-foot bug. But at least it's not a 300-foot bug!" If we don't see the monster, we're left wondering what on earth it was all about.Sometimes not showing us the monster can work; for example, the story might be cleverly ambiguous about whether there really is a monster at all. In this movie, however, we know there is a monster. And that makes the ending particularly lazy and inept because, if the film-makers aren't going to show us the monster whose existence has been increasingly strongly hinted at, the film has to offer us something else. But it doesn't -- it's just curtains down, at no particular point.Still, credit where it's due. The small cast of characters is convincingly written and portrayed well. The scenery/environment is engaging and atmospheric, and the church where a lot of the action takes place is creepy, but not unbelievably so. In fact, I enjoyed the movie right up until the last twenty minutes or so, when it became heart-sinkingly clear that there wasn't going to be any plot resolution.I don't mind a movie that leaves me wondering what happens next. What irks me is a movie in which it's patently obvious that even the writer had no idea what happens next, and probably didn't much care. On the whole, I'd rather have seen a 30-foot bug.
AD
