Honeymoon thrills detour down a sinister path for an eager couple (Steve Zahn and Milla Jovovich) in Hawaii as they encounter two other pairs (Chris Hemsworth and Marley Shelton and Timothy Olyphant and Kiele Sanchez), one of which might have murderously cruel intentions.
Writer-director David Twohy returns to the action-horror thrills of his Riddick days, and he obviously has no interest in mining the same old torture-porn path that seemingly every other hack would tread under these circumstances.
He supplies trace elements of a story and even goes so far as to make a few fun insider jokes about screenwriting, although this feels like an exercise in boredom more than a real investment in narrative devices.
All in all, I suppose we should thank him for making the effort. But, in the end, even the most brain-dead audience members will anticipate the twist in store. Still, the relatively engaging leads (especially the shady Olyphant whose smirking good looks keep you guessing anytime he appears) make the mindless trip something more than a complete wank-off. Grade: D
Posted by terrencetodd | Filed under Briefs, CityBeat Archives