Chernobyl Diaries [DVD]

America has a rich history of sending its youngsters off into remote locations, only for them to end up getting slaughtered one by one by werewolves/vampires/cannibal rednecks and so on.

If modern horror films have taught us nothing else, it's don't go anywhere that doesn't have mobile phone reception.

Therefore, when a group of overly-attractive American teens go on holiday across Europe and end up in Moscow, they can't resist the offer of being driven round Chernobyl - the site of a nuclear reactor leak a couple of decades ago which left the neighbouring towns deserted - by a one-man Russian tour guide.

Yes, there's no cell phone reception. Yes, their van just so happens to break down once they get inside. And, yes, they ignore the warnings not to go there by the Russian soldiers who tell them there is `Maintenance' going on inside. So they go in. Guess what? They soon wish they hadn't.

I won't spoil the surprise of what awaits them inside, but they soon end up fighting and fleeing for their lives and screaming along the way.

It's not a bad little horror film. The performances are acceptable, but by the time the credits roll you won't really feel much of a connection to any of the characters as they have never really been properly developed. The real star of the film is the location itself. I don't know where it was filmed, but it's bleak, deserted and creepy, which does lend itself to the film's subject material.

The ending has come in for some criticism. And, yes, it did feel a bit `tacked on' to the rest of the film. Maybe there's an alternative ending out there that would suit the mood a little better?

Overall, okay, but probably not quite as good as it should have been (and I wished it was).

The idea of a survival horror in the worlds biggest ghost town really got my attention. Look Prypiat up on Wikipedia it looks like a great setting.

What we get is a bunch of not very likeable American Tourists that visit a couple of abandoned apartment buildings and then when it goes wrong, they blame each other and then run around a bit.

The ending was just stupid. Such a let down, I would not watch this film again. 2 Stars is all I can give this film.

Disappointing. The idea was good. Extreme tourism in a abandoned city after a nuclear disaster. Woods and city full of wierd mutant creatures. Unfortunately, the acting was dire and they always choose annoying American tourists who deserve to get killed for being so stupid. It would have been better off as a computer game. I would have enjoyed it more if the characters had been more resourceful or had more wits about them to try and get out of their situation. Survival horror with the viewer wanting the actors to survive. But this is the opposite, I wanted them dead as they were just plain irritating. A tired formula, nothing new.