Paranormal Activity 3 (2011)
Brief review: "Catfish"'s directing duo brings this parallel prequel to the original film, and thankfully they deliver in spades. Even though "PA 3" is the typical 'slow burner', the directors manage to build tension and suspense throughout very convincingly, thanks to their creative ideas and great technical skills. Though the third entry is visually-plain, in terms of variety, camera angles and editing, it's probably the best-shot of the three. It also offers more character development than the previous two films, and the characters themselves are well-written, and easy to relate to. The biggest surprise is that the over-the-top scary scenes from the trailer didn't make the final cut. On one hand, the fans of in-your-face scares might be disappointed by this fact, but on the other hand, those unnecessarily unrealistic scenes were cut for good, because their absence make the film even more credible, hence realistically frightening. Speaking of scares, "PA 3" follows the same successful formula - it doesn't show too much, allowing the viewer's imagination to go wild. The final 15 minutes of the movie are tense and heart pounding, thought the ending is rather confusing and leaves more questions than answers, which sets the stage for further debate.
Overall summary: As expected, "Paranormal Activity 3" is 'more of the same' in terms of style and shocks, and is the least scary of the three, however, it goes in a slightly different direction than its predecessors, hence, it's refreshing and effective enough to leave most fans satisfied.
Overall summary: As expected, "Paranormal Activity 3" is 'more of the same' in terms of style and shocks, and is the least scary of the three, however, it goes in a slightly different direction than its predecessors, hence, it's refreshing and effective enough to leave most fans satisfied.
10 comments:
I have to confess - I didn't really like the first one. Of course, it was so overhyped by the time I saw it...
Alex, many people didn't. It's a matter of personal cinematic taste I guess. I love the 'found footage' style, and I loved the original, as well as the second and the third movie. It was like nothing I've seen before.
I like them for what they are, but still are more of a take it or leave it one me. Nice to hear they changed it up a bit and didn't just rehash like Final Destination though.
Pat, PA3 is only slightly different than its predecessors, but that was good enough for me. I like the franchise a lot and I think it will be remembered for ages to come.
I think you nailed this review. I saw this a couple of weekends ago and honestly it wasn't scary (at least for me) but the film itself wasn't bad, it was entertaining enough. The ending threw me off but in a good way. I kind of like leaving a horror film with some dangling suspense.
Nicole, thank you, sweetheart. Glad we share the same opinion about this one. No, it wasn't as scary as the original or the first sequel, but it was still creepy and somewhat effective.
This franchise has grown on me. The first one really pissed me off, but now I'm all into it. It is kind of like an event more than a movie. It is fun to watch, and watch the reaction of the audience as well. While I kind of was hoping this would be the end of the story, I think you are right. There are plenty of questions still left unanswered, and a part 4 probably will be here next year. Great review!!!
HorrO, I liked all three PA movies, though the first one remains the best for me. The second was very good as well, especially the ending.
I haven't seen any of those films on the big screen, because they weren't released in my country, so I wasn't able to watch audience's reaction.
Thank you, buddy!
Wow! You didn't get to see them on the big screen. They are so much better, especially the first one. The big screen gives you a good view of the opening of the bedroom. I watched it on the TV and it was harder to see.
HorrO, don't worry about me, buddy. I watched them all on my 46' plasma ;)
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