MovieChat Forums > The Loved Ones (2010) Discussion > Pinpointing where it went wrong.

Pinpointing where it went wrong.

posted 11 years ago by lukejreeves
6 replies | jump to latest

I quite enjoyed parts of this, but in my opinion this is where I felt it struggled:

-The bookends were both far weaker than the middle: The second act was actually a very solid piece of pdycho-horror writing, but the opening didn't set it up correctly and the movie didn't pack the punch it should have.

- Use of characters:
The girlfriend was an underused mess throughout the film, and the side story of the girl and guy who actually did go to prom didn't go where it needed to. In my opinion that side story would have been effective if they were given multiple chances to discover what was happening in the main story but kept missing them, so we actually felt like they might contribute to the story at some point. And the cop dying was a great idea but not if every other character is also unimportant. It makes it far less surprising when you don't even expect him to matter.

That's what I boiled it down to essentially. Just a bit of narrative inexperience but there were definitely strong moments amongst it.

[–] Nirhtuc 11 years ago

My thoughts exactly. I also felt that some actors over-acted and the mother of the main character was extremely bland.

[–] TheRedDeath30 10 years ago

My feeling is that extra characters are there to pad the run time inky. It's a short movie to begin either and would have been an hour without the prom couple

[–] GuineaPig 10 years ago

My sole issue with it is an issue I have with many horror movies, the characters are too stupid and act like they were retarded. I can't stand retarded characters why can't the script writers figure out ways to put the characters in dire situations without making them look retarded?

This is not a signature!

[–] rozroz 10 years ago

yes!
pay some god damn attention to characters IQ.
it will make the movies better.
the stupid cop getting killed foolishly.
that was too weak.

[–] hywel596 10 years ago

I also want to point out the ending. It just didn't feel that satisfying when it should have. It would have been better if Lola went the the house where the girlfriend and the mother are and our hero must soldier threw extreme pain in order to save the day. Cliched and stupid yea butt... well, more satisfying.

[–] scottesumpter 8 years ago

I feel the characters were used perfectly. I like the fact that they followed the prom couple. It lends to the devastation that this girl and her family have wrought. It makes you more fearful of what will happen to the main character, and want even more for him to survive. Same with the mother being pretty much comatose, just shows more what will happen if the main guy doesn't make it. Really, it drives home the point that not only one life is at steak here.

I personally enjoy when outside characters are not used to advance the main plot, but feed it with emotion and feeling. Of course this is just my two cents, and how I viewed the use of secondary characters.

I also do agree with others that the ending wasn't the best, but I can't personally figure out a specific way I would have rathered it end without it either becoming cliche, or dragging on. Again, just my 2 cents.