I was in the mood for one of those backwoods thriller type movies. Someone surviving by their wits, being stalked by some crazy person / people. Then they would turn the tables, breaking past their limitations to beat the opposition.
Instead, I was treated to a surprisingly clever story, something that defied expectations, and kept me curious about how things were going to play out. Even at the end, I was still expecting that things would resolve differently.
The antagonists are not motivated by some urge to kill. The protagonist is not helpless, and doesn't need to overcome her weaknesses. She's resourceful, and remarkably in control of herself.
Her relationship with Lowell is interesting since we don't know how it's going to work. Will she turn on him? Will he turn on her? Is there some sort of Stockholm Syndrome thing happening?
My primary complaint is with the main villain. He's a little too... obvious. He sells his evilness too clearly.
I would like to take a little time to address some of the trends in complaints about the movie. First, GPS technology has improved, but it remains pretty terrible in certain parts of the world. Plus, people have been known to do really ridiculous things when the GPS tells them to do it - like drive into areas where roads don't exist. Second, our heroine fights off her attackers using usual self-defense techniques taught for women, especially at the college level. She isn't some unusually skilled fighter. These techniques are not intended to defeat an enemy, they're supposed to give you a chance to escape. And she does. Third, complaints about why she didn't retrieve other things from her wrecked car... what do you think she has in there? She was traveling for a job interview. Maybe she has a suit? Getting her phone was the highest priority. Maybe if she had a crowbar or a tire iron in the trunk, that would have been worth having.
Most importantly, when these sorts of questions come up in your head, that means the movie is doing a good job of persuading you that this story happens in the real world.
Instead, I was treated to a surprisingly clever story, something that defied expectations, and kept me curious about how things were going to play out. Even at the end, I was still expecting that things would resolve differently.
The antagonists are not motivated by some urge to kill. The protagonist is not helpless, and doesn't need to overcome her weaknesses. She's resourceful, and remarkably in control of herself.
Her relationship with Lowell is interesting since we don't know how it's going to work. Will she turn on him? Will he turn on her? Is there some sort of Stockholm Syndrome thing happening?
My primary complaint is with the main villain. He's a little too... obvious. He sells his evilness too clearly.
I would like to take a little time to address some of the trends in complaints about the movie. First, GPS technology has improved, but it remains pretty terrible in certain parts of the world. Plus, people have been known to do really ridiculous things when the GPS tells them to do it - like drive into areas where roads don't exist. Second, our heroine fights off her attackers using usual self-defense techniques taught for women, especially at the college level. She isn't some unusually skilled fighter. These techniques are not intended to defeat an enemy, they're supposed to give you a chance to escape. And she does. Third, complaints about why she didn't retrieve other things from her wrecked car... what do you think she has in there? She was traveling for a job interview. Maybe she has a suit? Getting her phone was the highest priority. Maybe if she had a crowbar or a tire iron in the trunk, that would have been worth having.
Most importantly, when these sorts of questions come up in your head, that means the movie is doing a good job of persuading you that this story happens in the real world.