Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
An apparently unpopular opinion..., 17 Jun 2004
I know this is going to be an incredibly unpopular opinion, but I not only found this film very enjoyable, but actually preferred it to the book, making this the only film I've seen to accomplish that rare feat.The only thing that makes the book any better is the characterisation of "Vassago". In the book we learn a lot about his past and what causes him to be how he is, whereas in the film he remains shrouded in mystery. However, I don't think this is a bad thing at all.
Whereas the book relies more on suspense and characterisation, the film relies very much on paranoia, which is a more suitable approach for dealing with a story of this nature. The only time this becomes a problem is when we encounter Vassago's hideaway in the film, and there has been little or no explanation as to what it is. The film tends to view things from the perspective of Hatch, making it all a very confusing, emotional and paranoid ride, again, very fitting. The film is by no means perfect, but it's still damn good, and helped tremendously by Jeremy Sisto's absolutely incredible performance as Vassago.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
NOT AS BAD AS IT COULD HAVE BEEN, 27 Oct 2007
Coming home from their ski-top resort, Hatch, (Jeff Goldblum) and Lindsey Harrison, (Christine Lahti) and his troubled daughter Regina, (Alicia Silverstone) are involved in a horrific car accident, and Hatch is brought back from the dead afterwards. After being normal for a few days, he begins to have weird nightmares and visions, and Dr. Jonas Nybern, (Alfred Molina) confirms it's nothing. Despite the reassurance, he still has the visions of a strange man attacking people, all done with his mind. Eventually learning that the man is named Jeremy, (Jeremy Sisto) and that he had been brought back to life Hatch's recovery from the accident after himself dying. As he begins a city-wide rampage that includes Regina in his targets, Hatch races to stop him before he can fully return from the dark side.
The Good News: This wasn't all that bad of a film and did contain some nice moments. The fact that the film does use a fairly routine and clichéd storyline into something actually decent. The fact that an ordinary man is in contact with a demonic entity is done before and done quite well, but this is still a very watchable film. They use the technique well and make it a very worthwhile watch. That also has an added bonus in being able to give the film a large amount of suspense through this, and it does have a creepy tone throughout. The visions are thankfully not just of the killer going about his business killing the innocents, but also the set-ups and seemingly random scenes that will eventually be useful later on in the chase. That is a nice touch and is really welcomed. The ending chase is it's best part, full of suspense and some nice action. The reasoning behind the battle is the majority of the suspense, as the longer it takes to get to the final showdown is less time needed to save one of the victims and the journey to get there through a never-ending series of darkened tunnels also chipping in some as well. The final battle, with the turns in the tide of the fight and the setting placed provide some really nice action scenes that effectively end the movie on a high note. The early scenes in the nightclubs do have an eerie quality to them, and are nicely placed to keep it from being a really drawn-process. The car crash at the beginning, while being slightly overkill, is also one of the best scenes, being a really high-action set-piece that is quite thrilling and is a real spectacle. The pace isn't that terrible, and while it could've shortened some scenes there's really nothing that keeps it from being an overlong film. This really could've been far worse.
The Bad News: There isn't a lot here that keeps it from being that great. As mentioned before, the pace isn't that great, and there are some scenes that drag out far longer than possible. The opening car crash is a major example. Once the car hits the woods, the scene could've ended there and still had the set-up necessary for the rest of the movie. There's no reason to drag it out far longer than it is. The many scenes of wandering around listening to the characters attempt to explain what's going on near the end are some other big scenes. That also brings up the other big factor, which is the stupidity of the characters. Major plot points are not revealed by any intelligence on the characters' part, but based on coincidence. The best is the discovery of the motel the killer is staying at. The character happens to drive by it, even though it's been seen through his visions countless time before it and that takes it sheer coincidence that it happened. The CGI at the end is really unrealistic and only just looks fake now as it did then. With a little help, this could've been a lot better.
The Final Verdict: There could've been some little fixing to make this a little better, but it's still not that bad as it is. It's not really the worst film of this type, but there is still room for improvement. Give it a shot if it sounds interesting, just don't expect a classic and it'll be a decent watch.
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2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Hollywood does an average job of an okay Dean Koontz horror, 31 Oct 2000
By A Customer
Hmmm, man nearly dies in crash, wakes up and discovers new psychic talent that wasn't there before... Haven't we seen this before, people? Okay, so there are a few differences between this film and Stephen King's 'The Dead Zone', the main one being tension. 'Hideaway', based on a faintly supernatural thriller by Dean Koontz (the poor man's Stephen King), lacks...something, although what it lacks in suspense it makes up for in wasted talent. Jeff Goldblum makes the best of a cliched and often stilted script, while Christine Lahti's character brief appears to have been 'wet, simpering fishwife.' Alicia Silverstone offers no surprises, playing the spoilt American teen-type with annoyingly wide eyes as usual, as if wide eyes were the only way to portray naivete. But it's not all bad. The guy who plays the baddie is stunning.
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