Hide and Seek (2005) review

(5/10)

This one almost won me over, but the whole twist in it just doesn't seem to click with me.

PLOT:After his wife commits suicide, psychologist David Callaway (Robert De Niro) and his daughter, Emily (Dakota Fanning), decide to move to a new neighborhood to try and "start over", in the words of Emily's doctor, Katherine (Famke Janssen). There is a problem, however, with Emily. She hasn't been the same since the death of her mother, and seems to act a bit disturbed. In fact, she even ditches her favorite doll for a new, invisible friend named "Charlie", but this "Charlie" seems to be more than invisible. Strange things start to happen in the Callaway household and it all links back to Charlie. It's a good yet cheesy idea for a plot executed decently.



ACTING:The acting in here can range from great to bland. Robert De Niro always does a great job in whatever role he plays, and in here, it shows. De Niro plays emotion real well as if it were a piano. Dakota Fanning also does a great job as Emily. For a child, she knew how to act disturbed and scared. I liked her part quite a bit in here. The other shiners besides these two leads were Famke Janssen as Katherine, Amy Irving as Alison Callaway, Melissa Leo as Laura, and David Chandler as Mr. Haskins. As usual, Elisabeth Shue fails to play a convincing part. I don't get why I just don't like her that much.

SCORE:The score in here is very creepy and very well done by John Ottman. I love the main theme with the child singing along with it. It's definitely a creepy and well composed theme.

EFFECTS:These don't seem to matter much, but of what is there looks pretty creepy.



OTHER CONTENT:This movie isn't all that bad. Aside from the plot idea and the brilliant lead performances, it has a very creepy atmosphere. It's kind of impossible not to feel the least bit unnerved by the suspense in it all. Still, this movie does have some fatal flaws that keep it from being a good film. The premise is a cool idea, but it's also a bit cheesy if you think about it. I mean, an invisible friend starting all the trouble? Not to mention, the twist reveals that it's not even the problem. The big twist in the movie, in my opinion, wasn't that good. It was a bit illogical, executed poorly plotwise, and just didn't seem to click. The director could have at least made the reveal of the big twist more epic-looking instead of bland. Lastly, I believe the ORIGINAL ending (I say this because there were four alternates) ruined the rest of the movie. It was a slight bit predictable, but turned out cheesy and ruining. I would watch it again, but I wouldn't call it good.

OVERALL,a neutral suspense/horror with a decently executed plot, great lead roles, haunting and creepy score, creepy effects, and a really creepy atmosphere, but it's a bit cheesy, the main twist is illogical and poorly executed, and the original ending ruined the movie.