Now, given the title of this blog post, one would hope that if you haven't seen Cabin in the Woods yet and do not wish to know anything about it, you have closed this window or moved on to another website. Just in case you are really dense, I'm going to put a nice gap in here with lots of asterisks just to emphasise that below this line lies a discussion in which plot, cinematography, acting and various other features of several films will be revealed.
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There. Now the grown ups can talk. If I'm sounding somewhat antagonising, that's because I feel antagonised and want to take it out on all of you. Because I'm nice like that. Cabin in the Woods, after a tumultuous stay on two studios' shelves, finally saw release last month. I'm fortunate to have a friend who saw it months before its general release. He warned me that I would want to avoid any information regarding the film for reasons left vague. So, do you know what I did? Aside from the poster and the trailer that I had seen prior to his warning, I did just that. I didn't watch any promotional materials, interviews, set photos and I sure as hell avoided all reviews. Even on Twitter, it wasn't difficult to avoid reading anything that had the words, "Cabin in the Woods" featured. Many people had a similar idea. However, some of these folk took it upon themselves to lambaste anyone whom they felt gave too much information away in their respective tweets, reviews or conversations.
Spoilers have often been a contentious subject. I remember vividly the anger I felt for my brother when he carelessly revealed the conclusion to Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind. Did that annoy me? Yes. Did impair my ability to enjoy the film? Not especially. It made one of the final sequences seem quite drawn out, but the film more than makes up for it with incredible acting, outstanding effects and the sheer fact that it painstakingly details intense heartbreak and succeeds in bring such raw emotion to the screen visually. Sure, I was angry at my brother, but that was because he offered up the information without any prompting. I didn't ask him how it ended, so I didn't expect him to divulge that detail when I asked him if he would recommend the movie. Now, imagine that it wasn't my brother "spoiling" the film, but a reviewer. Would I be angry at the review? No, I would be angry at myself.
This is where I seem to differ in opinion to those ardent protectors the Cabin and its secrets. I don't think anything should be off limits within a review. If I want to know a reviewer's opinion about a film, I don't think it is right to limit the scope of the review if it is contributing something to one's interpretation or approach to a picture. If Roger Ebert wants to discuss how he feels the final shot of Cabin in the Woods relates to how lacking in finality and consequence horror films have become, I think he has every damn right to. If I don't want to know Roger Ebert's opinion on the final shot of the film, I shouldn't read his review. Now, I think there are some exceptions. If, for example you write for a newspaper along the lines of the Metro or you are the film review for GMTV, you should probably avoid any sort of insightful comments on a film, its proposed message and how the structure, plot and other filmic techniques allow the movie to present this. This is not a proper forum for any detailed discussion on film. No, this is where one presents a glorified recommendation akin to "it will scare the skin off your face" or "loads of laughs, go see it".
What makes this even more baffling to me is that, if one has seen the poster for the film, or any glimpse of Bradley Whitford, Richard Jenkins or their place of occupation, one has seen everything that could constitute a spoiler for the film. Cabin in the Woods doesn't spin the traditional horror movie formula of the last 40 years, but adds another layer. What if all this slaughter that we have witnessed being performed by the likes of Freddy, Pinhead, the Mummy or any number of Stephen King creations was being orchestrated by higher powers for a higher purpose. This is all touched on in the first 10 minutes of the film. Literally everything else in the plot is irrelevant to this discussion. Does it matter that the creatures that plague the teenagers in the Cabin are real or robotic? No, what matters is that they are purposefully being put in to this position by other people. In fact, all this furore about the film's plot hindered my enjoyment of the film. Instead of just enjoying the journey that co-writers Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard were trying to take me on, I was wondering if there were any further spins or layers to be revealed. There weren't. Furthermore, the people orchestrating this odd spoiler witch hunt seemed to have already made up their mind to see the film, so what purpose was reading the review going to serve?
Plot occupies an odd position within film and reviews. It takes far more than good story to make a film great, yet you wouldn't hear people complain that reviewers are spoiling films if they discussed the lush black and white vistas of Manhattan or the incredible audio work on Mulholland Drive. It could be argued that having the plot be a mystery better serves the film going experience. I've seen Shutter Island several times now. Does knowing the ending spoil my experience of that film on repeat views? No, it enhances it and ultimately I think this is what hinders Cabin in the Woods. It's a roller-coaster ride. It's fun, it makes you jump, it provides greats laughs and great performances, but when I watch it again, will I be as heavily invested? Probably not. What makes this such a tight rope for distributors is that, unless you're a huge film geek who cares about specific acting turns or more technical aspects of a film, the plot is what is going to slam your bum on a seat. Consider, as a comparsion, Midnight in Paris. That trailer gave away nothing of the film's plot and as a result, looked tepid and dull. Prior to the film's release, however, everyone was talking about the fantastical time travelling aspect to the film and I'm sure that, along with a popular critical reception, is what drove the success of the film. It was interesting, it sounded different. Cabin, on the other hand, has had an opposite development. The trailer gave away more than many thought it should and then suddenly the self designated protectors of all the Cabin's secrets did the trailer's job for them. They told their friends to avoid the trailers, that this was a great horror film with a twist and that they'd enjoy it very much. Unlike Midnight in Paris, the plot of Cabin was made incredibly tantalising, but was it for the better?
Now, obviously this is just my opinion, I understand that is my own and not one shared by many people. Personally, I rarely read reviews until I've seen a film. I know enough people who care about film to get a rough idea of whether a film is worth watching or not without finding out much about it beyond the director, the actors and a very rough outline of the story. If I'm looking for a recommendation, I turn to them. If I'm looking for an in-depth discussion that may border on plot details, I go to a review.
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Other musings
Yes, the blog is back after my exam hiatus. They were quite nice this time round, so fingers crossed.
Since last we spoke, I've embarked on a Woody Allen marathon. I realised I was watching more of his films a year than any other director's, so I thought I'd get them over with. Recent viewings have included Love and Death, Broadway Danny Rose and Deconstructing Harry. I've also caught up with Avengers Assemble, Tiny Furniture and Once Upon a Time in Anatolia.
The NHL Playoffs have started. Being a cynical New Jersey fan, I severely doubted our ability to survive the first round. We barely did that. Now, our second round match up pits us agains the Philadelphia Flyers. I have doubted our ability to even win a game in this series and, while we haven't done that, we were only narrowly beaten in overtime in the first game. I'm still picking Philly to win.
I found out first hand how dodgy the dodgy fast food chicken place down my road is. Nom.
My good friend Jonathan Hatfull and I maintained our perfect record of coming second in the New Empress film quiz. All him this time round. The theme was action movies which my knowledge of is awfully basic.
