Movie Description: When a team of explorers ventures into the catacombs that lie beneath the streets of Paris, they uncover the dark secret that lies within this city of the dead.
Initial Reactions: My roommate and I decided to take a break from school work, so I made it a movie night. I was interested in seeing this movie because I went to Paris last Spring, although I didn’t get to visit the catacombs due to political protests. I watched the trailer and it seems like it was going to be scary, plus that one guy from SuperStore stars in it! (Ben Feldman)
Character Development: As far as character development, I held no emotional attachment to the main female character, Scarlett (played by Perdita Weeks). She pushes her friends, Benji (Edwin Hodge) and George (Ben Feldman), around during the entire movie. She makes them do incredibly dangerous, and potentially deadly, stunts in order to help her find the Philosopher’s stone. She is so driven by her desire for the stone, a supposedly fabled stone that was sought after by alchemists for its ability to turn base metals into gold and grant eternal life to whoever possessed it, that she put her friends, as well as complete strangers, into harm’s way.
Throughout the movie, her actions towards her friends, as well as the people she hired to help with the expedition into the catacombs (Papillon, Siouxsie, and Zed) led to a complete lack of sympathy by the end of the film. It is for this reason that, although she is the “star” of this movie, she is not the best character. The character I liked the most was George, AKA the voice of reason.
George, or Scarlett’s long-time friend in treasure hunting, tells Scarlett several times during the film that this adventure is too dangerous. His loyalty to her, however, leads him to become a reluctant participant in the hunt for the Philosopher’s Stone. Even before the crew descends into the catacombs, George tells Scarlett that the expedition is a terrible idea because they could get arrested or even killed in the process.
Settings/Location/Camerawork: This movie is set in the beautiful city of Paris, France. The movie starts off, however, in Iran, where Scarlett is searching for the Rose Key, which is basically just a clue to finding the location of the Philosopher’s stone.
The entire movie is shot from a first person point of view, either from Benji’s main camera or from headlamp cameras worn by each of the characters. In the beginning scenes of the film, the use of first person POV makes it almost difficult to watch. There is so much shaking that it almost makes you feel sick. Cloverfield had this same issue when it was released in 2008. For the rest of the film, the POV makes for an interesting, and engaging, horror film.
Feasibility: I often find myself stumbling over basic plot holes that are otherwise widely ignored in the horror film industry. For example, the amount of time it took for the characters to make connections about the location of the Philosopher’s stone was grossly exaggerated, to the point of becoming ridiculous. This distracted from the storyline, making the movie seem completely unbelievable at some points. That being said, the imagination, production value, and effects that went into the different scenarios that the characters find themselves in saves the movie. The jump scares, as well as the feeling of claustrophobia that surrounds the movie, makes it scary. There was a part where I actually screamed out loud (and also scared my roommate) and that’s something I haven’t done in a while.
Overall Plot: The plot for this movie makes sense, even if the characters seem either infeasible, unlikable, or both. The story moves along at a reasonable pace, and I found myself engaged for the entire duration of the film. The plot is riddled with many different historical landmarks and facts, which makes it an interesting watch for history buffs and horror movie fans alike.
Final Impression/Remarks: This movie is now on my “must watch” list for a few different reasons. Despite my disinterest in the main character (see above), the movie redeems itself with its production value, effects, and plot. The first person point of view adds another dimension of believability and suspense to the film that would’ve been left out by traditional camera techniques. The computer generated effects complement the plot in a way that makes this movie exciting and terrifying. As long as you ignore the few character flaws and plot holes, this film provides a decent movie-watching experience.
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