Post#4 - The Cabin in the Woods

Discussion Post #4 Movie Review

“The Cabin in the Woods”

The first review I read of the film entitled, “The Cabin in the Woods” by Peter Travers was featured in Rolling Stone magazine on April 12^th, 2012. Peter expresses his amusement in the humorous horror flick, which kept him laughing and screaming at every turn. He goes on to describe the characters as paper-thin, but the “wicked, twisted” plot being rich of surprise and fun. Travers gives the film 3.5 out of 4 stars as he explains the significance of the clever horror movie being much more delightful than the common “mindless torture” terror type.

The next review I read on this film called, “Cabin in the Woods thrills” by Rafer Guzman was published in Newsday on April 11^th, 2012. His review is short and to the point, as he generically summarizes the plot, “Five college kids go for a weekend vacation – but if you think you know the rest, you’re dead wrong.” Rafer labels the feature as being a “delicious practical joke” before praising its endlessly energetic creativity. He briefly identifies director Drew Goddard and writer Joss Whedon as being veterans of the fiendishly funny horror genre. Guzman awards the film 3.5 out of 4 stars for being far better than he’d anticipated, with much potential as the year’s first sleeper hit.

The review by Peter Travers is much more informative than Rafer Guzman’s. Though each shared the same rating for the movie, Guzman’s review is half the length and seems to reflect more on his prior expectations of the film, rather than discussing the actual performance of the actors or richness of the loaded plot. Travers’ review is well organized and descriptive as he compares the movie to similar genre titles, adding commentary of how The Cabin in the Woods succeeded where the others lost their flair. Both Travers and Guzman did agree the movie is a surprisingly-funny scare and included one vital element - the late release of the 2009 movie, delayed due to MGM Studios’ past bankruptcy.

Guzman opens his review by urging his audience not to cross The Cabin in the Woods off their movie-going list as he calls it an “unpredictable jack-in-the-box of a movie”. He wants his readers to experience the unique inventiveness of the film as his next paragraph mentions the feel of the movie is, “like a booby trap waiting to explode.” He goes on to explain that the movie is not flawless, but indeed boasts a “rare bait and switch” plot between what you expect and what you get.  His bottom line phrase includes the description “left-field horror-comedy” to indicate his unanticipated enjoyment in the feature.

Travers begins with a play on the phrase “if it’s true that you always kill the thing you love…” and continues to describe the love of killing affair he’d encountered during his viewing of the film. He shares his guilty pleasures of the film to his audience while stimulating curiosity by using the “you haven’t lived until you’ve seen…” tactic during discussion of unforeseen antics. Travers repeatedly praises the film with juicy descriptions and loaded words for enhanced effect on his readers.





References;


Travers, Peter. The Cabin in the Woods. Rolling Stone Magazine, 12 April 2012. Http://www.RollingStone.com/movies/reviews/The-Cabin-in-the-Woods--20120412. Web.


Guzman, Rafer. 'Cabin in the Woods' thrills. Newsday, 11 April 2012.
Http://www.Newsday.com/news/Cabin-in-the-Woods-thrills-1.3654950. Web.