Selling itself as the first 3D found footage horror
movie, hence the title (another one of those titles that makes no sense
if you end up, as I did, just settling down to watch the thing in 2D),
Found Footage 3D is written and directed
by Steven DeGennaro. While I am not overly familiar with Mr DeGennaro, I
can tell you two things about him right now. First of all, he has been
involved with audio work on an impressive number of shorts. Second, he
thinks he is much smarter and accomplished
than he actually is (cinematically speaking).
The premise of Found Footage 3D is very simple. A
group of filmmakers set out to make a 3D found footage horror movie and
quickly find themselves in the midst of their own spooky scenario, with a
lot (okay, ALL) of the main “real” incidents
being foreshadowed by the elements put in place during the plotting of
the film.
This is all an excuse to get very meta, and get
very meta is what it does. From the opening scenes, and then right
through to the final moments. That would all be well and good if it was
a) handled in a way that wasn’t as unsubtle as a
sledgehammer to the temple, and b) presented in a way that didn’t feel
completely patronising and derisive of the target audience. The worst thing that Found Footage 3D does is assume that lazy jump scares and a shoddy approach to the material are sins absolutely forgiven because they have been specifically acknowledged by the characters. That's not how it works. If we were enjoying a day out in a park, having a picnic or something (I don't know why, just go with it), and I made a joke about drowning a bag of cats then that wouldn't stop you from being a little bit pissed off, I would hope, if I later took a bag of cats and threw them into a river. That might seem like an extreme example, and it is, but the underlying principle is exactly the same. Making an observation or joke doesn't help to improve any direct example of that coming along in the near future. And JUST doing that isn't really being meta. It's being very lazy.
There are many specifics that I would like to get into, especially as the third act feels like the DeGennaro was going through a checklist of everything he had previously mentioned, but I won't spoil things for anyone else who may enjoy it more than I did.
2/10
Found Footage 3D is currently available on SHUDDER.
No comments:
Post a Comment