The Unborn Review

Overall 3.00 of 5 view all 3 reviews

WhitechapelMaiden
Concord, GA

Killer, Unborn Twin Demon

Horror Movie Princess

Pros

Decent Horror Flick

Cons

Attracted ALOT of the 15-17 year olds

JAN

2009

David Goyer has cranked out some great scripts, namely in the superhero genre. The 'Blade' series unofficially kicked off quality films from the Marvel Universe, while his collaborative efforts with Christopher Nolan on the new 'Batman' films resulted in two of the greatest comic book movies ever made. Goyer's directorial efforts? Eh, not so great, but he seems to be learning from his mistakes and though his latest 'The Unborn' doesn't do for horror what he did for the superhero genre, it's a step in the right direction and more than a cut above today's generic splatter flick.
Goyer has set his sights on the ghost story with 'Cloverfield' star Odette Yustman as the haunted victim, plagued by a sinister supernatural force. Already haunted by the suicide of her institutionalized mother (Carla Gugino) several years earlier, Yustman begins to suffer from visions of an adolescent boy reaching out from the realm of the dead. After a spooky physical altercation with the young boy she babysits (Atticus Shaffer), Yustman discovers that not only is one of her eyes slowly changing color, but she had a twin brother that died inutero. Apparently a supernatural force that intended to piggyback on the life force of her late brother and enter the realm of the living has now set its eyes on her.
Though she has the support of best friend Megan Good and lover Cam Gigandet, this ancient evil will stop at nothing to isolate Yustman from her loved ones and ultimately possess her. A visit to an elderly woman in a retirement home (Jane Alexander) that her mother once tried to contact reveals that this specter has been stalking her family for generations and her only hope may lie with a skeptical Jewish priest (Gary Oldman).
Goyer makes the smart choice of taking the less is more approach to spooking his audience. Sure, there are a few editing and visual tricks he uses to signify Yustman's world is growing distorted, but he holds off on the gore and fright tactics for as long as he can. Tension is established early on and by the time we are presented with familiar CGI monstrosities we're already uncomfortable in our seats.
The problem lies with Goyer's cast who are fairly young and inexperienced to make us get emotionally invested in them. Yustman's a pretty face and sure looks great in a sheer pair of panties (which we get more than a handful of shots of), but its tough to really care what happens to her since she's rather bland. Whatever happened to horror movie heroines we could identify with like Jessica Harper in 'Suspiria'? Megan Good seems to be on a roll with horror films, basically playing the same character in 'Saw V' and 'One Missed Call', while Cam Gigandet might not be able to shake his over-acted performance in the recent 'Twilight'. Veterans Oldman and Idris Elba as an Episcopalian priest, add some dramatic weight, but they unfortunately look rather bored during their limited screen time.
When the scares are finally fully revealed they do work well ('cept for maybe the annoying Shaffer's continued appearances) and the picture manages not to get too generic or easy to predict. There are more than a few plot holes though. If this spirit was so eager to re-join the world of the living why doesn't it just stay in the body of one of the many victims it possesses instead of chasing Yustman? Beggars can't be chooses. Still, it looks like Goyer put some thought into the overall work as a whole and for a horror flick that can at times be subtle, the picture ain't all that bad.