Jeanskynebu the audience applauded

Nonureva Really Surprised!

Payno I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Jerrie It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...

cricketbat The Messengers is fairly ridiculous. The characters, plot and "twists" all seem familiar because we've seen them before a dozen times. The movie relies solely on sudden noises and movements to scare the audience. Even the ghosts are not much more than blurry, bad CGI. Not really worth watching.

Leofwine_draca THE MESSENGERS is one of those ten-a-penny, kid friendly horror films we're seeing more and more of these days as the genre becomes more and more successful at the box office. This one is produced by Sam Raimi and Rob Tapert, under their Ghost House pictures banner, and also has Lou Arkoff acting as producer, so at least it has some heavyweight clout behind the scenes. Not that you'd really know it, though, as this is very much a predictable Hollywood horror film, utilising staples we've seen time and again in this genre.I admit I wasn't too impressed once we got into the story of a family moving into a rural farmhouse that turns out to be haunted by some CGI spirits. Yadda yadda yadda, seen it all before, etc. etc. One thing kept me watching: the direction. It's a cut above the norm for this genre, and that's because Thai directing brothers Danny and Oxide Pang (they of THE EYE) have been imported in to give the film some extra style. It's a bold step and one that pays off dividends. This is a stylish, visually sumptuous film, with the Pang brothers reaffirming themselves as a couple of guys who know exactly what they're doing behind the camera. This alone makes THE MESSENGERS stand out from similar competition.That's lucky, because the story ploughs very familiar territory. There are killer birds straight out of the Hitchcock classic, and creepy, ceiling-mounted ghosts not too dissimilar from stuff in THE EXORCIST 3 and THE GRUDGE. As this is PG-13 rated horror, there's little in the way of bloodshed or gruesomeness, but lots of jumpy scare sequences, some effective, some not. Although his presence is a cliché in itself, the use of a little toddler who can see the ghosts is one I liked a lot. The cast is nothing to write home about. Lead Kristen Stewart is a big thing nowadays thanks to appearing in TWILIGHT, and she does acquit herself well as a tough, sympathetic heroine type. Dylan McDermott isn't bad as the father, but his role is a lesser one and he seemingly disappears for long stretches. Worse of all is Penelope Ann Miller, who's just as unsympathetic as she's ever been in a film. I'm definitely not a fan of this actress.The last reel twist is predictable in the extreme, and there are some unintentional laughs when somebody gets impaled on a pitchfork and seemingly suffers no ill effect from the severe wounding. At other times, genuine moments of atmosphere are built up, and there's nothing I disliked too strongly: THE MESSENGERS is what it is, and you're welcome to take it or leave it.

Wizard-8 Even if you haven't seen as many haunted house movies as I have, odds are that you'll frequently have a feeling of deja-vu while watching "The Messengers". Now, I will say that the movie doesn't LOOK bad; for what wasn't a megabudget, it looks reasonably slick and is technically competent. But all the polish can't hide the fact that we have seen all of this before. The opening pre-credits sequence is familiar stuff, the central characters are stock characters, the shock sequences have been done before... the screenplay has absolutely no surprises. Well, except maybe for how it unfolds. Unlike other haunted house movies, this movie often takes its sweet time. For example, more than a THIRD of the movie passes before anyone gets a clue that there are supernatural going-ons in this house. Eventually, you'll start to tell the movie to get on with it because of the deadly combination of familiarity and slow speed. The only audience I can think of for this movie is for young kids who haven't seen a haunted house movie before and are whining to see a horror movie. (The movie isn't particularly graphic, which while may make it okay for kids, will at the same time disappoint die hard adult horror fans used to more graphic stuff.)

Siobhan Miller The Messengers released in 2007 is another long line of horror films from the 21st Century, which was okay. It's okay in the fact it is watchable, but it certainly isn't a horror film that excites or a very memorable one at that.The story begins 6 years after the Rollin family left unexpectedly, and now the Soloman family who have been troubled of late move in to their abandoned farmhouse, leaving their lives in Chcago behind. This remote North Dakota farmhouse, is meant to be a fresh start for the family but their attempts at leading an idyllic country life are severely disrupted when Jess and her 3 year old brother start seeing things of a supernatural kind.To me The Messengers is nothing more than a generic horror film, something which is unoriginal and has definitely been done before. Saying this I do believe that the storyline had a lot more potential, had it done justice.The screenplay was simply boring. The dialogue was bland, and the scenes used did not flow into one another. The characters were also very undeveloped, and it was difficult to engage with any of the characters on an emotional level. Therefore it was also hard to sympathise for Jess who struggles to find someone to believe her and what she is going through.The Messengers comes under the genre of horror, which is surprising as the suspense element is severely lacking. The movie appears to rely on cheap scares such as loud noises or random jumps. The music was very unnecessary at points, as it just made the next 'scary' moment more predictable, instead of enhancing it. The house was the main focus surrounding the narrative and this is where the majority of the film took place, yet i don't feel they even did this justice. The same shot of the house seemed to be used throughout. Instead they should of came up with some more creative angles to use, which would of made it a lot easier to engage with not only the house, but also the happenings within the house.At times there was an eerie atmosphere, but this alone could not keep my undivided attention throughout. Overall, The Messengers is worth watching,(once maybe)but for me it is an example of lazy filmmaking.