With such a glut of movies that truly lack any budget whatsoever, we always try to at least give the creative forces behind these films the benefit of the doubt. In the distinct case of Inoperable it's impossible to do even that. Considering its absolute lack of vision or any type of artistry whatsoever, there's really nothing positive to say about the project. Using every single mental facility trope under the sun that's blended with a failed high concept, this movie is just another symptom of uninspired genre non-intellect that does nothing to entertain or maintain interest.
Cashing in on the time loop craze that seems to be bleeding back into pop culture and horror alike, Inoperable is actually hard to watch. The acting is sub-par. The directorial efforts are nil. And the soundtrack plays like a non-stop catalog piece of synth garbage. Wanting to always give everything a chance, I had to prop my eyelids open to finish this thing. This was a monumental task. This new play on the Groundhog Day theme is a lousy piece of devolved film making that is both confounding and archaically confusing. Nothing makes sense even through the convoluted conclusion that you're smart enough to see a mile away. And the plot itself is a terrible mess. How on god's green Earth does a mental patient wake up every morning with perfect makeup and hair? I digress.
Danielle Harris seems bored to tears with a script that does nothing for her mediocre acting talents as she receives no support from a cast of D-grade actors that belong nowhere near a film set. Half these people sound like robots when they speak and the antagonists get no backstory, no arc, and nothing to make us fear them. Using standardized characterizations of the freaky religious man, the overbearing mental health nurse or caretaker, and numerous other repetitious elements from other movies, Inoperable is just a mess that tested my will to keep watching.
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| Anyone got any more of those Halloween sequels? |
Knowing that Harris has a loyal fan base and/or following, I know we'll get bashed for taking a negative stance on this straight to video release. It's not necessarily her fault that it sucks. However, she's far better than doing these types of low level flicks. I wanted to like this. But I didn't. Inoperable is a serious step backward in a year that we've been given such a great amount of real horror. Christopher Lawrence Chapman needs to get a grasp on how to draw real performances from his actors. Until then, don't waste your time or money on watching adults talk like wooden elementary school actors doing their yearly play.
Inoperable stars Danielle Harris, Katie Keene, and Jeff Denton. It releases on December 1st.
Score
-CG