Who cares about these people?!
A huge trend in low-budget films over the last few years have been the so-called ‘found footage’ movies. In other words, the participants in some horrible massacre, ghostly apparitions or alien invasion supposedly used a home video camera and the film you see is that actual footage. In the case of The Blair Witch Project, a tiny indie brought in many, many millions of dollars. However, by now, 15 years later, the idea no longer seems very innovative … in fact, it’s become a bit of a cliché. While some newer found footage films manage to overcome this and still entertain (such as Alien Abduction), a lot of it is just crap…and SX_Tape is just crap. There are two huge problems with this film. First, despite the title, there isn’t that much skin in this film. Instead, they talk about sex a lot and when the characters supposedly are having sex, you don’t see anything apart from a brief scene near the beginning.
- SX_Tape
- Directed by
Bernard Rose - Cast
Caitlyn Folley, Julie Marcus, Ian Duncan - Release Date
16 May 2014 - Martin’s Grade: D
So, for someone just wanting a cheap thrill, there just aren’t very many and the title is very misleading. Second, and this is by far the biggest problem, the characters are utterly hateful and I was annoyed every second they were in the film. And, considering they are in just about every frame, it made watching this movie a real chore. Adam is supposedly filming everything in this, so all you get from him is his voice. He’s a weak-willed guy who seems to do whatever his nutty girlfriend, Jill, suggests. She is a super-annoying young lady who seems completely absorbed by herself. The dialog between them is among the worst I can recall in a film—and they have zero depth to their relationship. They just cuss, talk about sex and she does whatever she feels like doing—exposing herself to others, shoplifting or breaking into an old abandoned hospital. And, the hospital break-in consists of most of the film.
*****
Jill and Adam decide to sneak into the place and make a sex tape. However, mostly they just rummage through the old building where it appears as if no one has been there in decades—yet, inexplicably, the lights still sometimes work and the water is also working (huh?!). Later, after one foray into this creepy place, they bring a couple equally annoying friends and they run amok in this place. There isn’t a lot of suspense, however, as when the film began, you learned about their fate.
The bottom line is that having ANYONE occupy this much footage on a found footage style film is tough because the viewer will most likely tire of their antics. But, when you make the people THIS annoying and banal, then it’s practically impossible to enjoy the film or recommend it to anyone. Overall, it’s a film lacking originality and horror, and instead is just a horror to even try and watch.
Review by Lead Entertainment Writer & Film Critic, Martin Hafer
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