At the Theater - The Cabin In The Woods - Writer/Director Drew Goddard and co-writer Joss Whedon (The Avengers, Buffy The Vampire Slayer) have pretty much turned the Horror genre on it's ear with this ambitious, inspired bit of blood-soaked fun. It's a cool blend of Horror/Sci-Fi/Comedy/Satire that should please fans of pretty much any of the aforementioned genres. This isn't a straight-forward tale of college kids being slaughtered in the boonies- it's much, much more than that .
The film stars Chris Hemsworth (Thor) as the jock, Kristen Connelly as the good girl, Fran Kranz (Dollhouse) as the wisecracking pothead, Jesse Williams (Grey's Anatomy) as the intellectual and Anna Hutchison as the sex bomb. Hemsworth fans might be disappointed with the nature of his role here- this film was finished in 2009 so the filmmakers couldn't possibly have foreseen the Superstar status he would cement with 2011's Thor. Richard Jenkins (Let Me In) and Bradley Whitford (The West Wing) are the scene-stealers here, in roles I wouldn't wish to disclose the natures of. Amy Acker (Angel) and Brian White (Brick) round out the actors you may recognize.
The dialogue is often of the very witty variety- pay attention because many of the questions you may have about the "rules" or problems you may have with apparent plot holes will pretty much be covered in quick snippets of banter. It's decidedly well-written, which is a rarity with current Horror releases. Those expecting generous amounts of blood & gore, monsters galore and gratuitous boob shots (a little wanting in this department, for my tastes...) should all be pleasantly surprised. It covers most of the bases, so to speak.
Complaints: a few quick scenes are way too dark for my tastes and a bit of a polish on the five stereotypical participants would have been nice. The stoner acting as comedic relief has a nasal delivery to his dialogue which seems forced and unnecessary.
The film is complete with a very cool, resonating cameo near it's conclusion. Highly Recommended-
8.5 out of 10
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