Before any 2012 movie got released, this always sounded like the most likely one to become my favorite of the year and the one main Oscar contender for 2012. Well, seems like my predictions and hopes for this movie were a bit too early and wrong, since "Zero Dark Thirty" is by no means a great film, even though it still behaves like one.

Of course it's far from a terrible one as well but it still remains a movie that does plenty of things in a just too remote and not involving enough way.

The entire movie is just a telling of events, almost in the same way as a documentary. This means there is no room whatsoever for any personally drama and other plot lines to develop. It focuses on its main subject and its main subject alone, making this very dry movie to watch, also mostly because its set at offices and involves lots of talking. Nothing wrong necessarily with this type of approach and some directors might indeed get away with this but it seems that Kathryn Bigelow was overplaying her hand a bit with this movie.

It's of course OK for a movie to not really feature any action or other excitement but a movie at least needs to give you something thats both interesting and involving enough to follow, especially when the movie is nearly 3 hours long. This movie definitely has too little of that, due to its more observing type of approach.

There is also still no good excuse as to why the actual raid toward the end of the movie is a thing that also works out as something that's far from exciting and engaging. It's supposed to put you on the edge of your seat and should make you hold your breath, even though you of course already know how it's all going to end. But it almost treats its like an afterthought and perhaps it's something more subtle and less exciting to be more in tone with the rest of the movie? I don't know but it all felt like a missed opportunity to me.

If this movie teaches us one thing, it's that the hunt for Osama bin Laden was a very long, frustrating and not always that exciting process. It might be a very accurate movie but I somehow doubt that as well. The movie claims it's based on a first-hand account of all of the events but that would only make sense if the real 'Maya', or someone very high up, was involved with this movie, which is all extremely unlikely.

And just to show it also can be done right; "Seal Team Six: The Raid on Osama Bin Laden" is a made for TV movie about the same subject, only told from a different (more interesting) perspective. It's nearly twice as short and made with a significantly less budget but it's about ten times as exciting, interesting and engaging to watch.

Really, it's not like this movie ever gets a bad one but it's missing something, all throughout, to make the movie truly something interesting or engaging. It tries hard but it still never really pushes through. It's filled mostly with wasted potential really. The movie as it is remains a good enough one and it remains a well enough made movie with some decent acting but it's obviously hardly any Oscar material, though it will probably still get nominated in a few categories, due to its subject and persons involved.

7/10

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A chronicle of the decade-long hunt for al-Qaeda terrorist leader Osama bin Laden after the September 2001 attacks, and his death at the hands of the Navy S.E.A.L. Team 6 in May, 2011. From: IMDb.com

Directed by: Kathryn Bigelow

Starring: Chris Pratt, Jessica Chastain, Joel Edgerton and others

Current release date: December 19, 2012

A chronicle of the decade-long hunt for al-Qaeda terrorist leader Osama bin Laden after the 9/11 attacks, and his death at the hands of the Navy SEAL Team 6 in May, 2011. From: IMDb.com

Directed by: Kathryn Bigelow

Starring: Chris Pratt, Jessica Chastain, Joel Edgerton and others

Current release date: December 19, 2012

This is a different type of vampire movie, that's not all focused on the monster or horror aspects but more on its storytelling, characters and dramatic aspects, without becoming a melodrama or anything like that.

It's a pretty subtle and more quiet type of movie, so to speak. That's also being really the foremost thing that I didn't like all that much about it; it isn't really following a clear main story. Its more the type of movie that follows its characters around and shows things as they happen, without building up to anything. There also isn't a classic type of hero or main villain in the movie, which is of course something that not every movie needs to have in it but in this case, I think I would had most definitely preferred it if this movie had those type of characters in it and followed a more usual main story, with a more typical beginning, middle and end in it.

Other than that, I can't say that the movie is a bad one but it indeed is one that never hits a home-run, metaphorically speaking. It's nice that the movie tries out plenty of new and unusual stuff and it's definitely being an original movie in the vampire genre but not one that's an absolute must-see for anyone. It's just not quite interesting or entertaining enough for that.

Also don't expect this movie to be filled with action or bloodsucking. But that's not a complaint from my part. I liked it that the movie only had a handful of typical vampire moments in it and just about only one big action set piece, that worked out great for the movie and really was all that this movie needed. It set the atmospheric tone and established the 'rules' for this movie, so that the rest of the movie could focus on doing completely other things, which you perhaps normally wouldn't expect being in a vampire flick.

The movie also features Bill Paxton and Lance Henriksen in it, among many others. And remember, this is an 80's movie, so that means that it has still awesome Bill Paxton and Lance Henriksen in it! No doubt it helped that director Kathryn Bigelow still was with James Cameron at the time, since he's a director who worked a lot with Bill Paxton and Lance Henriksen around that same time. Same goes for Jenette Goldstein by the way but she is somewhat of a lesser known actress.

The main characters are still played by some big unknowns (Adrian Pasdar & Jenny Wright), which is perhaps also being something that somewhat keeps the movie down. A more charismatic main lead for instance could had most likely spiced up things a little bit more and would had gotten you more involved with the movie its story and main character.

All in all its being a quite good and different little vampire flick but it's nothing to get all too excited about. Very watchable but not a must-see by any means, not even for the most hardened vampire lovers out there.

7/10

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Directed by: Kathryn Bigelow

Starring: Chris Pratt, Jessica Chastain, Joel Edgerton and others

Current release date: December 19, 2012

(Review originally written at 2 September 2006)

The beginning of this movie already gives away how the rest of the movie is. In the beginning the movie tries to be style-full and surprising but it instead is simple and predictable, as is the rest of the movie. The movie is filled with countless predictable and foremost improbable moments. The movie tries to distinct itself from other genre movies but in the end this movie is nothing more than a below average thriller that is watchable but most certainly no must-see.

The movie mainly tries to be different mostly through its characters. It's nice to see that this time the lead is a strong independent female, played by Jamie Lee Curtis. They try to give her a strong and emotional involving personality but most sequences in which they try to achieve this don't really work out, with also as a result that the movie is filled with some too long and unnecessary sequences. It also tries to be different with its villain and it takes a more emotional and realistic approach, rather than a 'simple psychopathic non-explaining' approach of the villain. Also problem here is that this mostly doesn't work out. Not really the actor or character's fault but more of the story and directing-style, that provides the movie with some completely ridicules and unlikely moments. Because of this the most emotional and realistic things don't work out in the movie, which causes this movie to be a rather failed one, as a thriller.

I still sort of appreciate and like it that this movie takes a different approach and tries to be original. It still distinct this movie from most other genre movies. However something went terribly wrong during the process of making this movie. Instead of original and surprising the movie is predictable and simple, despite its original approach of the story. The movie is too simply put together by Kathryn Bigelow and the movie too often takes the simple and easy road, which is the main reason why the movie mostly is predictable as well as unlikely.

Really the worst thing about this movie is that its filled with some amazingly bad and unlikely sequences. It makes the story even more ridicules and improbable. Once again the movie makes the police look like narrow-minded persons who can't seem to arrest a chimp and only thrust on their own instincts, rather than facts. It all adds up to the fact that this movie its story is unlikely as well as perhaps a bit ridicules. Especially the way Eugene Hunt (Ron Silver) and Megan Turner (Jamie Lee Curtis) keep finding each other gets highly unlikely and ridicules after a while. Especially the ending is disappointingly ridicules and far from satisfying.

The acting all around is quite solid. Jamie Lee Curtis plays a fine strong character and Ron Silver is a good enough actor. Not really convincing enough as a psychopath but a fine performance nevertheless. Clancy Brown is also good, although he always has been a better voice-actor. It was also fun to see Tom Sizemore in an early and small role, already acting crazy as always. Also small roles are there for Matt Craven, Richard Jenkins and Kevin Dunn, among others.

The style of the movie is quite disappointing. It tries desperately at moments to be almost artistic like. This doesn't always work out and instead are mostly too distracting and in contrast with the rest of the movie and story, that is quite simple. The weird and simple Brad Fiedel musical score also doesn't add much good to the movie its style and atmosphere. Also this movie isn't the best example of character treatment. It doesn't always lay the right emphasis.

Only still sort of watchable for the most hardened thriller-fan, that wants to see something different. Just don't expect too much of it all.

5/10

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