Get the first verdict before its April 13th release- a truly groundbreaking horror movie that may well shape the genre's future...Joss Whedon certainly has some balls. On top of bringing a team of super heroes together for the ultimate adventure in Avengers Assemble and preparing to bring one of the best-known Shakespeare comedies ever to the screen later this year with Much Ado About Nothing, the director has now brought us one of the finest horror movies in a long time. The tagline for The Cabin In The Woods is as follows: "You think you know the real story. Think again." My advice to you is this- do not take that for granted under any circumstances, because while you might think you know what kind of predictable fanfare the movie has in store for you when you see the stereotyped horror trailers and the demons and creatures that plague them, in reality you'll know so little of the real plot that when you glimpse the first few shots, your perception of the overall film and indeed the various genres it gleefully inhabits and manipulations will shift dramatically. Indeed, one of Cabin's greatest strengths is its first-time innovation and surprises, backed by some tremendously restrained performances from the strong ensemble cast (you'll see why 'restrained' is the right word to use very quickly in some cases) and its general use of a format that is rarely exploited in the world of film anymore. Anyone who has seen The Hunger Games may find what the movie does slightly remniscent of that fantasy flick's latter scenes, but Cabin is far more intelligent and witty than just being able to ape its predecessors, instead going the extra mile to scare, thrill and captivate us in every manner imaginable. If you've noticed that the review has so far remained light on plot details, well done, have a cookie- if I were to reveal the storyline, it would give far too much away and make your first viewing less enjoyable, an unforgivable trait when that first viewing should and will be so amazingly impactful. Once again, Whedon directs things masterfully, yet once again I can only really say that much without treading too close to revealing the nature of the direction the film takes. What I will say is this- The Cabin In The Woods is absolutely a must-see movie, no questions asked. There are one or two missteps, mainly in the epic final twenty minutes or so where the script writers seemed to forget a little that part of the movie's strength lies in its humour, something which begins to fade in the ensuing chaos (not a spoiler, this is a horror film so chaos is a given!), but by no means are they nearly substantial enough to warrant not seeing it. The tonal mishaps are almost completely compensated for at any rate by a sublime surprise cameo in the movie's closing moments, yet I must not dwell further on this until after I've had more feedback on the flick from you guys. Let's leave it at this- The Cabin In The Woods' blemishes lie in its lack of overall filmic substance, but what it does to the horror genre is deeply invigorating for what has long been becoming a predictable and dull area of film to watch degrade. If you see one horror film this Spring, I would urge you to make it The Cabin In The Woods, because when we start to see other writers in the genre buck up their ideas as a result of its wit, intelligence and general fear factor, you'll want to have been there at the place where it all started. The Cabin In The Woods releases in cinemas on April 13th.
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