Alone In The Dark (2005)

Christian Slater plays a brave yet emotionally complex and vulnerable archaeologist.

Genre: Action Horror Thriller (USA, Canada, Germany)

Starring: Christian Slater (True Romance • Gleaming The Cube), Tara Reid (The Big Lebowski • American Pie)

Directed By: Uwe Boll (House of the Dead • Postal)

Overview: An archaeologist of the paranormal discovers the final artifact of an ancient race from another world. The evil of that world is waiting to cross over...

Not many critics have given Uwe Boll a real chance since seeing his mediocre work displayed in his first video-game based film production, House of the Dead (2003). Granted, such a film with actual clips from the poor-graphic shooter vid were clunky, and a plotline about kids going to a rave on a zombie-infested island may be a little too basic, so basic in fact that one can, without much derision, carry forward an opinion of a man's work to the next production (and the next and the next).

Let me be the first to say House of the Dead was perhaps not the best work (financially successful though it was) that was made by a director with little experience and few contacts. Watch Alone in the Dark, however, made two years later and you can see the leaps and bounds made by a director into this realm of the chilling Horror Thriller Genre. Rather than using merely one famous B-Horror famous name, we have a cast of proven talent: Christian Slater, Tara Reid and the omni-present Stephen Dorff, just to name a few.

These actors perfectly grasp the subtleties of the complex character dynamics that exist. Not only do we have reunited once-lovers, but they are faced with a global threat that taxes their rekindling love to a point that is all too honest, all too true a metaphor in this day and age where the speed of life leaves little room for the more important things. Boll and his team of script-writers explore at length the humanity in our characters, whether they're suiting up for battle, or trying to convince others to stop playing with the fire that can unleash such finality to our world, and allow the dramatic moments of Alone in the Dark to climb out of the mire that could have been mere shoot-em-up action.

But Uwe's true capabilities shine when he applies his storytelling-over-acting style. As he has said in the past, "Actors don't have real value," and we can clearly see in every scene that production and post-production is more important to him. Alone in the Dark is truly not about the characters we watch on-screen, but the creatures, the set design, the editing and the costumes.

In short, Alone in the Dark excels in the mood it conveys to its viewer. From the beginning we are terrified at what we will be watching for the next 96 minutes, we bask in the paranoia we feel in Uwe's production, and when we are done, are left instilled with the hopelessness that is being surrounded by a growing force of negative change in our society.

Well met indeed, Boll.

"Of course we're completely versed in tactical assault training, we're ARCHIVISTS FOR GOD'S SAKE!"

Overall Rating: 89.987% (Those Blind To Genius Might Find Themselves...)

Aftertaste:

An homage to Aliens is very difficult to criticize and those that would are simply too elitist to see the originality that comes with honouring that which has come before.

Don't just take my word for it, Uwe Boll has said it himself, "Alone is a much better film than House of the Dead and better than most horror movies out today."

If that doesn't sell it for you, I don't know what would.

Of course there's always the real world.

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