Cursed (66%)

Director: Wes Craven     Cast: Christina Ricci, Jesse Eisenberg     Genre: Horror/Comedy

Runtime: 109 minutes     Release Date: February 25, 2005     Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1

Up until last night I had only ever heard of Cursed but had never yet had a chance to see it. I wasn't around when it came out in theatres (I was living in the UK) and where I was living I do believe that it never actually got released. That was almost 8 years ago to the day and since then I have heard only bad things about this movie.

When I say bad things I mean that it has been universally panned by critics everywhere. Anybody I know who has seen it, which is not many, have all stated profusely to stay away. As I have made my way through all the films directed by Wes Craven, Cursed is the one that I have been least looking forward to. Craven has made a few stinkers in his time and from what I heard this film sits at the bottom with Swamp Thing and Deadly Friend.

Well I finished it and imagine my surprise when I found it to be nowhere near as bad as I was led to believe. I mean, sure there were over the top moments that leave nothing to be desired, some acting that could use a little more finesse and some plot issues that could fill the Indian Ocean but otherwise I kind of had fun watching it.

Christina Ricci and Jesse Eisenberg are brother and sister who, one night, get in a car accident. While trying to rescue a third party in the accident they get attacked by a wolf of sorts but survive to live another day. It turns out that the creature that attacked them is a werewolf and that they have now both been cursed, as it were. They discover that the only way to cure themselves is to destroy the beast that originally attacked them which of course turns out to be not so easy.

The Good:

Cursed is a highly illogical movie but it sure is fun. It breezes by, it's got a lot of familiar faces and it's amped up in the gore department (uncensored version only). Blood and guts and decapitations are around aplenty in this film. I love a good gory flick and Cursed delivers on all fronts for that. It also looks really good. Give or take an effect or two most of it looks 'bloody' good.

As does the locations and the sets and they are captured perfectly by the cinematographer. The lighting is eerie and the sets well designed. Some of the setes have a look to them of old school horror movies from the 30's and 40's, a la Frankenstein and The Wolfman and the horror museum is just cool. It's also fun to see all the references to other horror films in the museum (and out). 

In an early role, Jesse Eisenberg shines as Jimmy. His transformation from dweeb to macho hunk is nothing short of awesome and it really comes together because of his acting chops. Judy Greer and Joshua Jackson also give good performances that anchor the film and I'm not gonna lie but I find Judy Greer to be super sexy and I could watch her all day. Craig Kilborn makes a cameo as himself (back when he hosted The Late Late Show) which is damn funny (funniest thing in the film).

Putting them all together, Eisenberg, Greer, Jackson, copious amounts of gore, cool horror references and some genuine chills and you've got a movie that is not only fun and entertaining but is a movie that you wouldn't mind watching again on a cold and rainy night or if you were came across it playing on television as you were flipping through the channels trying to decide what to watch.

The Bad:

The script for Cursed is no great shakes. Written by Kevin Williamson, the man behind Scream, he does a good job at keeping the pacing going but it is filled with illogical moments and over the top scenes. Scream was a perfect horror film that referenced the films that came before it and brought something new to the table. Williamson tries to do the same here but in the end he doesn't pull it off.

Characters switch between good and bad for no reason other than to propel the plot. Characters appear  for brief moments and then disappear never to be seen again.  If you think about the plot, and not even for that long, you'll realize that there are to many coincidences to be believable and to many scenes that make no sense in context of the story. For example, the film is a werwolf film so why does Ricci dream she is a vampire?

Speaking of Ricci, her performance here is pretty weak. I usually like her and actually think she is a damn fine actress most of the time but in this movie she just wasn't very good. I guess she does get better as the film progresses but in general she gives the weakest performance in the film, and the weakest performance I have ever seen her give.

And the film is just not funny. It's billed as a horror/comedy and it comes from the huy who brought you Scream and Scream 2 but most of the humour falls flat. Other than Kilborn's appearance I wasn't actually sure this was supposed to be a comedy. Eisenberg is kinda funny as a neurotic nerd but that alone does not make the film a comedy. I only realized that the film was indeed a horror/comedy when the wolf at one point gets upset with Ricci and gives her the finger. Otherwise it felt like a straight up horror film.

The Ugly:

Shannon Elizabeth appears at the beginning of the film. Typical of Craven and Williamson, they hire a beautiful, known celebrity to get killed off in the opening sequence. Elizabeth is just that star for this movie. She gets attacked by the werewolf and she is torn literally in half. It's gory and it's cool but then she breathes and moves and crawls and looks at the camera and is in pain and does a whole lot of things that really make no sense. Why? Why wasn't she just dead? Why did she have to still be alive? It made no sense, it felt weird and it really took me out of the film. Thank god it happened at the beginning.

There are a few other moments in the film that were as bad as that moment. For the life of me I can't recall what they were right now but I do remember feeling out of place when watching them. They are very brief and happen far enough apart that they don't ruin the film in the end but they are there and they are distracting enough to warrant mention. I'm thinking all of these bits I don't remember had to do with Ricci and her character, but I could be wrong there.

The Verdict:

While over the top, illogical and filled with enough holes to give Sonny Corleone a run for his money, Cursed still manages to be fun enough to be a good time waster. It's no masterpiece but it's enjoyable and super gory. It breezes by and never left me bored. Sure the humour falls flat on it's face but you wouldn't even know Cursed is a comedy unless some told you. Taken as a straight horror film it's got enough going for it to recommend a viewing or two. Watch Eisenberg prove he's a star, watch guts and blood fly everywhere, watch Cursed and have a good old time at the movies.

Recommendation: An American Werewolf in London

           Re-playability: 6 out of 10     Directing: 7 out of 10     Originality: 4 out of 10                 

Costumes and Make-up: 8 out of 10     Acting: 7 out of 10     Editing: 8 out of 10

Cinematography: 8 out of 10     Music: 7 out of 10     Script: 4 out of 10

         Production Design (Sets/Locations/Special Effects): 7 out of 10                  

Total Score = 66%