Sorry, this movie sucks

SERIOUSLY. This is what the crap Hollywood still puts out?

A Major Disappointment

n my opinion it was a great movie with some interesting elements, even though having some plot holes and the ending probably was just too messy and crammed together, but still fun to watch and not your casual movie that is similar to all other ones.

'The Dark Stranger' drew me into seeing it, with a cool poster/cover, an intriguing and quite creative premise and as someone with a general appreciation for horror. That it was low-budget, which from frequent personal experience is rarely a good sign due to that there are so many poor ones out there, made me though apprehensive. It is sadly however yet another film seen recently, hence some reiteration because the exact same strengths and flaws are here present in those films, that to me was quite disappointing considering its potential which it doesn't do enough with. 'The Dark Stranger' is not great, or good, has a fair share of problems (fairly big ones too) and doesn't do enough with its potential, which was hardly small. There are however a few decent, even good, qualities in 'The Dark Stranger'.Lets start with the positives. The scenery is atmospheric, likewise with the decent way it's shot. The music is suitably spooky and quirky and doesn't distract at all from the atmosphere, while not exactly enhancing it. A few unsettling moments and horror tropes and the acting is better than average.However, the story does feel over-stretched and some of it feels vague, under-explained in the last third where the film especially became duller, more predictable, more senseless and less scary it got. Too many characters are too sketchy and with nowhere near enough to make one want to endear to them. Their irritating and illogical decision making and behaviours frustrates. Making the film feel bland and forgettable with not enough heart put into it. The effects are ropy at best.Dialogue can be stilted and rambling while the pace is uneven, dragging in a lot of the second half and never is it exciting. Found too many the supposedly shocking moments not surprising or scary and the supposedly creepy atmosphere dreary, due to the excessive obviousness and the lack of tension and suspense. A lot of the film has underdeveloped plot elements and often nonsensical and confusing character motivations. There is very little threat here and what there is of it is used poorly, while the psychological elements are unimaginative and are more odd than scary. Some badly sagging momentum too. The direction is pretty leaden.Overall, not a terrible film by any stretch but should have been darker and scarier. 4/10 Bethany Cox

It felt like much more like a play than a movie. The 2D dream sequences were a story in itself and the two stories intertwine in a somewhat childish manner, which shows a traumatized teenager's struggle and how she independently deals with the suicide of her mother. Considering the fact, that she is actually supposed to be a teenager in this movie, I can understand why the movie followed the path it did. It doesn't seem to delve into much of anyone else's story, other than her own, and made the surrounding characters seem to be mostly bit players to show her self-involved fight with whatever psychosis she had going on. I'm a fan of Stephen McHattie (Pontypool), but he too, was a background character in this movie. I suppose if I were younger, I would find more depth in this movie -- but alas, I'm not. It seems like a PG movie that they would show on a later-in-the- evening teenager's television channel like YTV (as it does deal with some adult situations like suicide and self-harm) -- but I found myself disinterested. Which is a shame, because the first fifteen minutes of the movie had me quite interested with the CGI at the beginning.

Lovely little movie right here, presenting a story rarely used, with a way better execution and quite good actors.Stephen McHattie does it again, comes in and steals the show as a dark, mysterious man, just like he did in Haunter (2013). Teaming up with Enrico Colantoni, you can be sure to have at least a A- acting style. The plot itself is lovely to watch, if your eyes are set on the horror industry of course, and if you are able to appreciate smaller productions, do yourself a favor and find this one.The visuals are beautiful, the story goes on at a good pace, the reveal is nice but the ending feels forced. Quick and easy, perhaps some more time was needed on the climax, but nevertheless I took the film for what it was, a nice change of direction, pace, and a different way to tell a horror story. I will definitely recommend this one.Cheers!

I'm a big Stephen McHattie fan so when The Dark Stranger came along I had to take a peek.This film has a lot of good, very creative ideas but somehow its comes across as rather nondescript. There is nothing wrong with the performances from the cast, with McHattie fitting snugly into the role of The Dark Stranger. Where this film falls down, is in its pacing and the fact well, its really not all that exciting. The key issue here is this is, at its heart, a horror thriller and its really neither of these things in enough "measure" to really hold the viewers attention. I frequently found myself distracted by other things, not a good sign. In short, The Dark Stranger is not a bad film and the ideas are good but there's just not enough happening to really bring this film to life.Six out of ten from me.