Pulse
1/4
Starring: Madeleine Stowe, Mischa Barton, Bijou Phillips, Norman Reedus, Jonathan Rhys Meyers
Rated R for Strong Violence, Language, Some Drug and Sexual Content
Not to be confused with the 2001 Japanese horror flick or its 2006 remake
"Pulse," is a void. There is nothing here. And when I say nothing, I mean nothing. Quite frankly, the only reason why I didn't give this film a lesser rating (which I probably should) is because it couldn't even get me to feel hatred towards it. Certainly not in the way that "Ben & Arthur" did.
Senga (Stowe...gee, what a name!) is in hot water with her daughter, Nat (Barton). Senga won't allow her daughter to go to a music festival with her friends. As all teenagers do, Nat pitches a fit and whines. She decides to get revenge by offering a hitchhiker (Phillips) a ride. That's when things start to get weird, and Nat ends up taking a ride with the hitchhiker and a few of her friends.
The problem isn't the acting. By and large, everyone does their jobs. Madeleine Stowe, a good actress who never quite "popped," is effective as Senga. Her relationship with Nat is credible, and it would have been better had the script given them something to work with. "O.C." hottie Mischa Barton is adequate as Nat. She's good as the rebellious teen (she looks a little old to play a teen, but that sort of thing happens all the time in movies...especially in the horror genre). However, if she wants to play a scream queen in the near future, she'd better hope that producers don't get their hands on this dud. Bijou Phillips is weird enough to play the hitchhiker as well. Norman Reedus does what he can, but he has almost nothing to do. No one else bears a mention except for Jonathan Rhys Meyers. An actor of considerable range and talent (he should have gotten an Oscar for "Match Point"), Meyers plays a decent villain as The Father (his entrance is pretty cool, by the way). Unfortunately, he doesn't show up until the final 20 minutes.
"Pulse" is like a mix of bad Hitchcock, bad David Lynch, and a bad music video all in one. Suffice it to say that a mixture of three bad elements does not make a good movie. Part of the reason is that the script by Stephen Volk, is completely empty. It's a wonder that this film attracted these actors, who, while not well known, had at least made a minor name for themselves.
It has long since concerned me that music video directors are the ones who are getting the directing jobs. Sure, special effects and visual storytelling bring in foreign audiences (and some music video vets, like David Fincher and Michael Bay, have done great work), but there's more to making a movie than just eye-popping visuals. Plus, director Marcus Adams suffers from the same affliction that affected Hype Williams when he directed "Belly:" he forgets that he's making a movie, not a music video. Not all the time, but there are sequences that seem to be lifted straight out of a video for a rock band (the scene in the truck is a good example).
"Pulse" is a supermarket of bad decisions and general ineptitude. Pacing, focus and direction are lacking, and the script and atmosphere are non-existent. As such, "Pulse" is the equivalent of an Ambien.
Starring: Madeleine Stowe, Mischa Barton, Bijou Phillips, Norman Reedus, Jonathan Rhys Meyers
Rated R for Strong Violence, Language, Some Drug and Sexual Content
Not to be confused with the 2001 Japanese horror flick or its 2006 remake
"Pulse," is a void. There is nothing here. And when I say nothing, I mean nothing. Quite frankly, the only reason why I didn't give this film a lesser rating (which I probably should) is because it couldn't even get me to feel hatred towards it. Certainly not in the way that "Ben & Arthur" did.
Senga (Stowe...gee, what a name!) is in hot water with her daughter, Nat (Barton). Senga won't allow her daughter to go to a music festival with her friends. As all teenagers do, Nat pitches a fit and whines. She decides to get revenge by offering a hitchhiker (Phillips) a ride. That's when things start to get weird, and Nat ends up taking a ride with the hitchhiker and a few of her friends.
The problem isn't the acting. By and large, everyone does their jobs. Madeleine Stowe, a good actress who never quite "popped," is effective as Senga. Her relationship with Nat is credible, and it would have been better had the script given them something to work with. "O.C." hottie Mischa Barton is adequate as Nat. She's good as the rebellious teen (she looks a little old to play a teen, but that sort of thing happens all the time in movies...especially in the horror genre). However, if she wants to play a scream queen in the near future, she'd better hope that producers don't get their hands on this dud. Bijou Phillips is weird enough to play the hitchhiker as well. Norman Reedus does what he can, but he has almost nothing to do. No one else bears a mention except for Jonathan Rhys Meyers. An actor of considerable range and talent (he should have gotten an Oscar for "Match Point"), Meyers plays a decent villain as The Father (his entrance is pretty cool, by the way). Unfortunately, he doesn't show up until the final 20 minutes.
"Pulse" is like a mix of bad Hitchcock, bad David Lynch, and a bad music video all in one. Suffice it to say that a mixture of three bad elements does not make a good movie. Part of the reason is that the script by Stephen Volk, is completely empty. It's a wonder that this film attracted these actors, who, while not well known, had at least made a minor name for themselves.
It has long since concerned me that music video directors are the ones who are getting the directing jobs. Sure, special effects and visual storytelling bring in foreign audiences (and some music video vets, like David Fincher and Michael Bay, have done great work), but there's more to making a movie than just eye-popping visuals. Plus, director Marcus Adams suffers from the same affliction that affected Hype Williams when he directed "Belly:" he forgets that he's making a movie, not a music video. Not all the time, but there are sequences that seem to be lifted straight out of a video for a rock band (the scene in the truck is a good example).
"Pulse" is a supermarket of bad decisions and general ineptitude. Pacing, focus and direction are lacking, and the script and atmosphere are non-existent. As such, "Pulse" is the equivalent of an Ambien.
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