DVD reviews Chernobyl Diaries
May 24, 2012
Rated R
86 minutes
Bradley Parker
Arcon Entertainment
Horror/Suspense
Jesse McCartney, Jonathan Sodowski, Olivia Dudley
2.5 out of 5, Entertaining over all, but like most new horror movies it will disappoint horror purist
A group of unassuming twenty somethings are backpacking through the treacherous urbanscape of eastern Europe. When they meet up with a tour guide who is equal parts shady and loveable teddy bear, which guarantees safe passage through the famed Chernobyl which until recently was deemed safe for travel. For those who aren’t familiar with Chernobyl , it was ground zero of a nuclear disaster back in the foul year of our lord 1986, which left the city highly radiated and unable to hold its citizens.  The citizens had little to no time to pack so they just left the city in a moments notice. Apparently leaving all kinds of spooky stuff behind.
The movie had it scary moments to the people watching the movie with me. I found the scares to be more surprising than actually scary, at times the audience seemed to be taking cues from the soundtrack on where the scares actually were. Having said this, the rest of the movie was entertaining and overall watchable. It had an interesting enough story but the acting left me not caring for characters. To the actors defense, the writing left little room to actually develop a character’s persona. The story was a bit contrived , having the unlikely protagonist “saving” the day and getting the girl he is after. Also the backdrop of eastern Europe and the boogie man that is traveling abroad is a little overdone for my taste.
To beat a dead horse, this movie was nothing new, the characters were hollow and the writing captivated me very little and went nowhere. I might suggest this movie for a date, because it allows room for an occasional lapse in your attention.
