Mike Stec is back with a review of the recently released Beacon Point.
Horror and sci-fi are the bread and butter of the
independent film market. Every week
brings at least half a dozen new films, competing for the attention of horror
junkies and bored streamers looking for something interesting to watch, or
perhaps hoping to find a diamond in the rough.
Occasionally an enterprising viewer will find that diamond, or word of
mouth can elevate an otherwise ignored film to buzzed-about status. Most of these films will simply fade away or
blend into each other into one big mediocre mess. Beacon
Point is one of the latest of these films hoping to avoid the terrible fate
of being forgettable.
Beacon Point starts
off like your average “hikers in the woods” horror flick, complete with
exposition about our suspicious trail guide.
Very little that happens in the next third of the movie does much to
change this perception. In fact, very
little happens at all. Just bits and
pieces that may or may not be significant to the story. There are events unfolding, and eventually
there’s a climax of sorts, but none of it seems to matter much. The “story” is so difficult to follow that by
the time it reaches its end you have no idea how you got to where you are.
 |
| We're getting ready to camp. Hopefully nothing bad happens. |
It’s clear that the filmmakers really tried to do something
unique and cool here. And quality-wise
it’s pretty well done. The acting is
fairly decent for this type of film, led by a charismatic performance by lead
actress Rae Oliver. The special effects
are impressive, and there are even a few good ideas scattered throughout the
overall theme. Unfortunately, none of
these ideas come together into anything interesting to watch, much less
cohesive. Beacon Point is a dull, meandering mess that is distractingly hard
to follow.
Score:
-Mike Stec