Mine Games (2012)

Crappy film

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

This film actually seems promising early on before you realize that that there was no vision, no actual plot, and no way to make sense of it without writing your own replacement screenplay. Character development was non-existent. The plot is incomprehensible. It plays like an idea that two very stoned teenagers came up with, which wouldn't be so bad except that they had absolutely no idea how to put it all together to a conclusion. The acting, cinematography, and direction were good, particularly on a low budget, but wasted on on a terrible screenplay. Don't bother watching this movie - break the cycle.

'Mine Games' tells the tale of seven (typically good-looking American) teens who, while on vacation, stumble upon a mine. And, when they go into the mine, they experience dark, spooky and/or violent visions. It's at this point where any sane person would be heading home there and then. These seven people don't. They just return to their nearby house to 'think things over.' Then, rather than deciding to leave, they return to the mine where the visions get even more nasty and intense.Guess what happens next? They think it's better to stay and think about things rather than running for the hills. This continues for the best part of the film, i.e. every time they go to the mine, they simply go home again, despite the obvious thing to do being to get the hell out of here.In fact, I was on the brink of switching it off. I only stuck with it to see how many more times they would do this 'rinse and repeat' formula. In the last ten minutes or so the film does explain all the little things you might have wondered during its ninety minutes runtime (besides the fact that no one thought to leg it!), so I can see the 'point' the film-makers were trying to make.You may already tell by now that I didn't think much of the film. There are definitely a million better horror films out there. At least I know I'll never watch it again. Unlike the seven protagonists in Mine Games, for they would – no doubt – turn a bad film off, sit there for a moment, then watch it all over again. And then again. And again. And again.http://thewrongtreemoviereviews.blogspot.co.uk/

A bunch of friends on vacation in the country discover a disused mine and find something most strange down in its depths.It starts off in conventional fashion, pretty looking youngsters head off to a large cabin in the woods and after nearly running someone down in the road, they arrive at their destination but nothing is as it seems. The story then spins into another dimension, cribbing from better movies like Triangle and Identity, only the screenplay isn't strong enough to make a success of it, even confusing itself in the process.Things aren't helped by director and co-writer Richard Gray padding out the movie to meet the required run time to call it a feature length production. In truth there just isn't enough material here to extend beyond a one hour Twilight Zone episode, better editing and a better screenplay was definitely needed here. Gray over stretching his ambitions somewhat.The cast of up coming Hollywood starlets give a mixed bunch of performances, while the low budget is often evident. Neither of these things, though, hurt the film as much as the aforementioned issues. There's a modicum of interest value here for those who like the films already mentioned above, but it's not a comfortable recommendation at all. 4/10

This has a group seeing pieces of the future, and so, by it's nature, leaves the story untold, as the present turns into the future. Because of this, the story is a bit difficult to follow, but not much more than any mystery, with clues as you go. The movie otherwise is fine. It's put together with serious effort, with good direction and acting. It moves along at a good pace, and keeps you interested. It's nice to say it has few of those 'dumb blond' moves typically seen in horror films. The low IMDb rating of 4.7 is probably because it's a weird approach to the 'cabin in the woods' story line. Since there is no specific antagonist (just a hinted at evil), there's nothing specific for the cast to fight against, and so it's hard to root for them..to do what?Then again, it may be because of the dumb ending. You decide..Still, I'll rate it at 6.2 until the end, then it gets a 5.9.