Regression

It’s impossible to write much about Amenábar’s new thriller without spoilers. During the story I was truly surprised that an A-list director with an A-list cast has made such a B-movie - a trashy Satanist tale where much of the (to be fair, not insignificant) fun lies in comparing the intended effects of each scene with their real effects. It’s a lot of fun, really, and a horror guilty-pleasure for the most part, because I actually like this type of clichéd silliness with Satanist cults, rituals, etc. But in the end it breaks down, though not nearly enough for Regression to suddenly become a smart film, but too much for me to keep on making contemptuous fun of it. So nothing, basically. Maybe 60%, but it could move either way. (23.01.2016)

Eine traurige Demonstration dafür, wie erfolgreich man sein Talent verschwenden kann. Der Schöpfer großartiger Thriller/Horrorfilme wie Tesis oder The Others hat laut eigenem (!) Drehbuch diesen absolut uninteressanten Beitrag zu satanistischen Obsessionen gedreht, zudem so kalt wie die Nase von Hermine Granger. Regression zeichnet sich definitiv nicht durch eine besonders unheimliche Atmosphäre aus, der Hauptfokus liegt bedauerlicherweise auf den Polizeiermittlungen, die sich von Punkt A nach Punkt B und wieder zurückziehen. Das mag ich einfach nicht. Was das Ende betrifft, sollte man keine Befriedigung nach der vorherigen Langeweile erwarten, vielleicht nur eine beschämende Doppelrolle dieses "Muggel"-Darstellers. (29.01.2016)

Amenábar certainly has the ability to direct better films, as he has demonstrated to us several times. However, on the other hand, this really isn't as bad as some people say it is. You just have to accept its more lowbrow style and not expect something that completely changes the genre, or leaves you breathless at the end like The Others. That's just not the case here. But the game with the human mind and what is reality and what isn't is still presented well here. (25.01.2016)