A family tries to save their comatose son from being lost forever in a realm known as the further.

James Wan director of the original Saw is back with his latest attempt to scare audiences. After Dalton(Ty Simpkins) mysteriously falls into a coma his parents Josh (Patrick Wilson) and Renai (Rose Byrne) begin to experience paranormal events in their home. Following moving to a new home with no lapse in the activity they consult a psychic named Elise (Lin Shaye) who tries to help them get their son back.

For the first 75% of the film I would have to say does qualify as a success, It brings back old school haunting in a creepy fashion, The type of movie that will make you turn on the lights and second guess every creaky sound in your own home. It’s the next 24% of the film that loses all momentum. When Elise starts talking about Astral projection and “the Further” it goes from scary to silly real quick. We are told that Dalton is lost in this world and cant find his way back, That a demon is waiting for him to not get back to his body so its easier to possess; upon The only person to save Dalton is his dad upon Josh’s entrance in the Further he quickly finds his son who is chained in a boiler room by the exact same demon that is wanting to possess his body. Which begs the question If Dalton is chained and has no way of getting back to his body why doesn’t the demon immediately take possession rather than hang out in a boiler room in “the further” sharpening his claws like a third rate Freddy Krueger? Secondly this idiot demon with the flawed plan looks like Darth Maul from Star Wars the phantom menace, If looking like you had a tragic lipstick accident doesn’t illicit a fearful reply then I don’t know what will. The whole further concept should have been revamped or completely scrapped, as all it is a dark foggy area that a little kid wouldn’t want to go to any way. Get rid of “the further” and the Demon or just skip the last half hour and you have a solid film.

Grade- 79

In 1931 the peak of prohibition, Jacob (Robert Pattinson) is attending his final day at Cornell, right before he takes his final test he is taken out of class and given the sobering news that his parents have both been killed in a tragic car accident. Unable to be around anything that reminds him of his parents, Jacob starts walking the rails. The train he jumps into just happens to be that of the Benzine Bros. travelling Circus.

Quickly Jacob moves from lowly roustabout to circus vet, soon Jacob finds himself in a love triangle between star act Marlena (Reese Witherspoon) and her husband Owner/Ringmaster August (Christoph Waltz).

Although Witherspoon gets top billing the film revolves around Pattinson who aside from one or two smiles can’t seem to show any range of emotion that doesn’t involve broodingly sulking, half of his performance could have been replaced with a sad looking mannequin. He doesn’t expel and ounce of charisma, yet at the same time we are supposed to believe that Marlena whose entire life has been the circus, is going to fall in love with him and leave what she loves all due to him putting her horse down rather than letting it suffer through a couple more shows in pain.

A film like this requires chemistry and Witherspoon and Pattinson just don’t have it.

Waltz is excellent as usual as the vicious and unscrupulous owner of the circus who has no problems doing whatever he needs to do to keep his show going.  He also provides an unintentional laugh when after drinking too much he grabs a hold of Witherspoon by her handle of a chin and holds on for dear life while acting drunk and menacing. The biggest issue though resides in how August who aside from one horrible scene in which he takes out his frustration by viscously beating Rosie the elephant is supposed to be the bad guy, while Jacob is painted the hero, the same Jacob who when he finds out his parents died and left him nothing, Realizes his parents leveraged their paid off home to put Jacob through an Ivy League school. How does Jacob thank them for this selfless act? Does he take his final test to make their sacrifice worthwhile? Nope this stand up guy instead decides to run away like an overly emotional teenager and walk the railways with no plan whatsoever.

Jacob is a man who jumped on Augusts train, lies that he is a Cornell grad and a Vet and wants to steal away his wife and star attraction during the great depression, The result of which would be the circus having to shut down and everyone being unemployed. This is not the legacy of a hero.

On a side note the CGI animals at the end are pathetic, the quality of which is up there with scifi greats such as Sharktopus.

Far too convenient, (Rosie the elephant only understands Polish which Jacob happens to speak.) and not believable yet not so outlandish to be a fairly tale. A grimy good story should have been found under the big top in a seedy traveling circus, alas that story is never told.

Grade-73