The Trailer:
Cast: Perdita Weeks, Ben Feldman, Edwin Hodge, François Civil, Marion Lambert, & Ali Marhyar
Synopsis: Continuing her father's lifelong search for the Philosopher's Stone, Scarlett (Perdita Weeks) enlists the help of fellow archaeologist George (Ben Feldman) and french locals to scour the Paris catacombs hoping to find it, all while being filmed by documenterer, Benji (Edwin Hodge).
Let me first start off by mentioning that this film is a found-footage film, which, as you may or may not know, are not my favorite. But I made an exception for this movie because it looked so tempting. And I am so glad I did. Unlike most found-footage films, the camera isn't too shaky throughout, so that is a huge plus. Also, the story is quite interesting if not original and creative. There is something already disturbing about the catacombs beneath Paris, what with all the skeletal remains one can only imagine the type of residual energy that is there. So that existing dismay and apprehensiveness one might feel about the catacombs is used quite well in the film. Add to that the claustrophobic atmosphere that the catacombs possess creates a truly unsettling tone throughout. It is apparent that the group entered hell during their walk through the catacombs, and what I loved most about this is that they didn't use any typical hell imagery. Each person created their own hell with whatever has been haunting them throughout their lives. And while the memory/tragedy seen in this hell is of their own manifestation, it can still cause physical harm and/or death if the person allows it to. Each individual has the power to overcome their guilt and to get out alive. This idea of hell is executed so simplistically and impeccably, that I can only give praise and applaud the director and writers for this approach. In addition to the impressive story and atmosphere of this film, the actors did amazing jobs. The dialogue, especially the arguments, between characters are realistic and not forced, which for some reason is rarely present in found-footage. This film impressed me as a horror fan, however there are some mishaps. I know for a fact that an archaeologist would ever be so destructive in a quest for something, yet here we have Scarlett breaking stone slabs with ancient texts all over them and not keeping any written documentation of these findings. Also, why not go to the European Association of Archaeologists and tell them of the suspicion that there may be an important stone within the catacombs so that the group wouldn't have to go in there illegally? As an anthropology major, this irked me a bit in the movie but I could overlook it. To answer my own question and concerns I came up with an answer: Scarlett had become so obsessed with her quest to find the Philosopher's stone that she didn't want to deal with the red-tape of trying to get permission from the Parisian government to go through uncharted, cordoned-off areas of the catacombs. I'm okay with that explanation. Another thing that bothered me is how they always figured out the clue correctly. This is a trope that bothers me in anything I watch, whether it's a movie or tv show. It's uncanny the way Scarlett and George come to all the conclusions that they do. I mean, they're smart, but not that smart. And some of their inferences are incorrect in real life, but magically make sense in the logic of the movie. I am also left with some questions about certain occurrences, but I won't bore you with those because there are a lot, and honestly if answered wouldn't change much of the movie. The ending is also a wonder. It can either be taken at face value or it can be ambiguous. Either way, I thought it was a good close to a good movie.
Overall I absolutely enjoyed this movie. It was interesting and without obnoxious horror elements. It's simple in its storytelling and relies mostly on the setting and fears that are already familiar to us viewers to create terror. For it being a Hollywood movie and produced by Universal Pictures and Legendary Pictures, I was pleasantly surprised at the lack of over-the-top scare tactics. Would I watch As Above, So Below again? You betcha!
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