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Reviews
Don't hope for a good 'Return'
Date published: 11/23/2006
By BEN LESTER
YOUTH CORRESPONDENT
If I had seen only the trailer and the cool effects "The Return" had, I would have thought it was a decent scary movie. However, after sitting through an agonizing 85 minutes, I stood corrected.
"The Return" left me speechless. I couldn't formulate a list of all the horrible things that went wrong with this movie.
Going into this movie, anyone who thought it had scary similarities to "The Grudge" was slapped in the face by this plot-lacking film.
It's focused somehow on Joanna Mills (ironically, played by "Grudge" star Sarah Michelle Gellar), who is traumatized by a murder that occurred 15 years ago. She experiences flashbacks and ends up inflicting deep cuts on herself for no apparent reason. These occurrences intensify, and she follows her visions to a small, rinky-dinky town with a population of about 15.
She bumps into Terry Stahl (Peter O'Brien) and forms a relationship, which is somewhat creepy, seeing as how he looks a good 20 years older than her. He plays the sulking, brooding, puppy-dog-face 24/7 type of guy, which seems to do nothing but slow down the film.
Joanna's father, Ed Mills (Sam Shepard), is somehow used to speed up the film and move the plot forward. To be honest, I don't see it. I was really disappointed with this film--but as it was called "The Return," what else was there to expect?
Gellar walks away with some dignity, as she always seems to play any role she's given at a respectable level. She's consistent with her emotions (the few she was assigned) and made this a somewhat presentable film.
The movie is rated PG-13 for mild scary moments, language, violence and some sensuality. I can't recommend this movie for anyone unless you feel like torturing yourself and your wallet.
BEN LESTER is a senior at Massaponax High School.
Date published: 11/23/2006
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