I don't know what made us watch this film in the first place but definitely it was not to watch Richard Guttierez grimace his way the entire film and call it acting. Perhaps it was the hope of seeing updated versions of local legends and because it was made by Yam Laranas, whose previous horror films were terrifying. This one isn't, and guys bringing their dates in the hopes getting an interesting amount of body contact will be disappointed. The dates won't even take a long time watching the main star on the screen. Sure this is supposed to be scary film but he's starting to look like his twin brother. Good thing he's not a good host or else Raymond would lose his job. But it's not just him, it's the entire movie. It's one of those flicks that were conceptualized with good intentions but ends up falling flat. If there are better films playing in the cinema you are in, don't bother giving this one a try. If you are still interested just make sure you set your standards not that high. Actually make it low.
The movie starts with a sequence that it my opinion could have been removed altogether. It shows Christine Reyes and a young Richard running towards their home only to find his family massacred by Christine's associates. Unfortunately this takes out a lot of mystery to the characters of the two leads. They were already using flashbacks anyway so why not interweave them so the audience can at least use their heads to figure out their relationships. Maybe Yam thought that the slow unraveling used in "Sigaw" and "The Echo" won't work here. Besides any questions a moviegoer would ask would get answered in the first 30 minutes of the film. Afterwards the movie turns into a monster fest, killing every human in sight.
Who is Patient X? The trailer already told you that. How does the updated Aswangs fare to classical representations? They get humanized a bit, not too much fake prosthetics in their faces though the actors are still required to act like they are a pack of hungry wolves. One also wonders how strong they are; while it needs half a dozen people to stop one from opening a door, Richard was able to push one away. After decades of being onscreen, they haven't become smarter too. Case in point: the Big Daddy aswang sees the sick child Richard conveniently leaves on the passenger seat of his Ford pickup. Big Daddy runs up to the child and since the window is half open, he uses his hand to grab her. If he's a strong aswang why didn't he just break the windows? The Big Daddy aswang even allowed Richard to get back to the pickup, open the driver side door and grab his bolo for the final fight. So much for their quick reflexes. Remember the town of Aswangs where Manilyn Reynes gatecrashed in Shake, Rattle, and Roll? Rez Cortez may have the ugliest dentures, but he sure did break Anjo Yllana's body in two WWE style.
The humans aren't that smart either. There is a scene that looked like the Abu Ghraib prisons, where TJ Trinidad electricutes and burns Patient X, and then exclaims his frustrations for being unable to find a way to kill the aswang. Shooting won't work but it didnt take me a long time to figure out simply decapitating them. Maybe it is harder because they are aswangs, or maybe because Christine is just too beautiful to be beheaded. The fact that they placed Patient X in the basement of a hospital makes me wonder what their intentions are. They were forced to drive away hundreds of patients in the process, why not in the police station surrounded by even more police? What, she needs medical attention? Don't you see she can regenerate!?
The atmosphere seen in Laranas's films is still there, but it did not evoke the same emotions.Being backed by a huge outfit, it looked cleaner on most parts. The shaky cam, dark surrounds, and rain only confused the scenes and made it a pain to watch. The only good thing that came out from the style is the audience thinking that there is more to the action when in reality there wasn't. It's a pity that the most beautiful shot is the final frame.
So much for so called rescue though the storm. So much for the attempted romance. So much for all the hype. I should have scoured for Paranormal Activity instead. Php 260 down the drain. It will take hours for the image of Richard screaming, "Nandito na silaaaa.." to be erased in my head now.
