Plenty to Like, Plenty to Dislike

Brilliant and touching

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

So, to start off, I'd like to say that if I could rate this film lower than one, I would. While the style of editing was interesting, and the scenery was beautiful, it was not enough to redeem this abysmal mess of a film.The plot was loose, vague and vaguely incoherent. As I watched, I found myself uncertain of what was going on and why anything was happening. It felt like a bunch of found footage tropes were thrown into a film and given no real reasoning or explanation.There were plot holes everywhere, such as the "dutch hunters" and the man following the people. The mysterious "possession" of the character, with no reasonable cause behind it. Was the entity a ghost? A demon? There was absolutely no building on this plot or superstitions and it was complete tripe. Not to mention the unneeded shot of a penis, the excessive filters during the phone camera scenes, and poor special effects of blood.It was not scary, and relied on jump scares for most of the "scary" parts. Absolutely abysmal, haphazard and with a barely coherent plot.

The positive reviews for this movie are mind-boggling. The characters were poorly developed, the script was unnecessary, the scares were cheap, the plot was driven by gimmicks and the climax was non-existent. This film possibly had the worst ending I have ever seen, it certainly posed more questions than it answered, but I'm not sure what those even are. Just as the story began to take shape, though not a very interesting shape, the credits rolled. I searched for something positive to say about this film, though I came up with nothing substantial. I do remember being entertained at first, somewhat interested, even confident that the movie would take off. That never happened. I recommend you skip this film, even you are an avid viewer of found footage/mockumentary films.

Dark Mountain is beautifully directed and filmed, it really took me by surprise. This isn't another nauseating, shaky-cam mess. There are a lot of terrific shots and brilliantly edited moments -- especially, the opening montage as the characters drive to the Superstition Mountains. The glitches that periodically disrupt the footage are also particularly effective.When the characters arrive at the mountains, a growing sense of unease builds. Soon, they are lost, confused and frightened. The actors are all well-cast and give strong performances -- their descent into hysteria and madness is completely believable.Dark Mountain is terrifying and thrilling, with memorable scares. Highly recommended.

I caught the premiere of this movie at the Austin Films Festival last night. The experience was enhanced by the screen writers and producers being in the audience. Firstly, the cinematography was very enjoyable. Shot in Arizona by the real-life Superstition Mountains, this movie is easy on the eyes with nature shots (and Sage Howard shots) alternating with sepia scenes (for when the characters are supposedly filming on their camera phones). The film makes great use of seemingly extended pauses before any tense moment, which left us leaning forward in our seats. However, I'll admit that the jump scares and sudden loud noises got old to me after a while, because I think I jumped every time the radio came on randomly. The filming in documentary style really helped us meet the characters. I enjoyed the dilemma the main character faced in her friends' safety versus great footage for her documentary. My biggest complaint is the number of unanswered questions. Three or four plot elements were introduced and then not later addressed to my satisfaction. This added to the suspense in the case of the time warps, but in most cases distracted me because I was left curious. The ending was complete but cliché. Conclusion: Paranormal Activity with more Frights and Eye Candy.