The idea of a video game as a movie (not a movie adaptation of a video game) isn't a wholly new one, and there have been efforts made on both shores to properly adapt the concept without adapting a game itself. "St. John's Wort" is in that vein.
"St. John's Wort" takes what it can from games like "Fatal Frame," "Silent Hill," and "Resident Evil," but unfortunately loses its way when forced to hold up the movie end of the bargain. Picture one of the aforementioned survival horror games and remove the interactivity. Just watch someone else play it. Someone who sucks at it. That's a pretty fair description of the movie.
It's clearly going for that "videogame as a movie" concept, heavily evidenced by the visual stylistic choices made by the director. Unfortunately, these choices are uniformly unappealing to the viewer. Scenes are high contrast, and frequently exhibit a very strong hue. This is not your television set, this is just an ugly movie.
The plot doesn't fare any better. The first twenty minutes at least is just watching our main characters wander around the haunted house. That's it. I wish I were joking. It's not even suspenseful, either; no hints that the house is haunted, nothing. By the time the alleged "scares" are supposed to kick in, you don't care what happens to these two. Any stabs at an actual coherent plot in the film seem forced and contrived.
The direction and plot were clearly going for more suspense than your average survival horror film, but they fail and the movie is a dull eyesore.
If you want to see a more lively, entertaining "videogame as a movie" I strongly suggest seeking out "Biozombie." Content-wise it isn't comparable, but the match in style is there except for an important distinction: "Biozombie" is watchable and entertaining, and "St. John's Wort" is not.
"St. John's Wort" takes what it can from games like "Fatal Frame," "Silent Hill," and "Resident Evil," but unfortunately loses its way when forced to hold up the movie end of the bargain. Picture one of the aforementioned survival horror games and remove the interactivity. Just watch someone else play it. Someone who sucks at it. That's a pretty fair description of the movie.
It's clearly going for that "videogame as a movie" concept, heavily evidenced by the visual stylistic choices made by the director. Unfortunately, these choices are uniformly unappealing to the viewer. Scenes are high contrast, and frequently exhibit a very strong hue. This is not your television set, this is just an ugly movie.
The plot doesn't fare any better. The first twenty minutes at least is just watching our main characters wander around the haunted house. That's it. I wish I were joking. It's not even suspenseful, either; no hints that the house is haunted, nothing. By the time the alleged "scares" are supposed to kick in, you don't care what happens to these two. Any stabs at an actual coherent plot in the film seem forced and contrived.
The direction and plot were clearly going for more suspense than your average survival horror film, but they fail and the movie is a dull eyesore.
If you want to see a more lively, entertaining "videogame as a movie" I strongly suggest seeking out "Biozombie." Content-wise it isn't comparable, but the match in style is there except for an important distinction: "Biozombie" is watchable and entertaining, and "St. John's Wort" is not.
