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The Cabin in the Woods (Goddard, 2012) — The Reviews Thread (Spoilers)

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The Cabin in the Woods (Goddard, 2012) — The Reviews Thread (Spoilers)

Old 04-12-12, 10:13 PM
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The Cabin in the Woods (Goddard, 2012) — The Reviews Thread (Spoilers)

BEWARE: This is a film that one wants to go in with little-to-no knowledge of. I'm sure we're going to have a plethora of spoilers as this thread continues, so be cautious before reading (or posting) in this thread.

Please continue pre-release discussion here.

Movie:
"The Cabin in the Woods" (Starring: Kristen Connolly, Chris Hemsworth, Anna Hutchison, Fran Kranz, Jesse Williams, Richard Jenkins and Bradley Whitford.)

Release Date:
04/13/2012

Rating:
R (for being in the fucking awesome department with strong bloody horror violence and gore, language, drug use and nudity. Are you not entertained?)

Running Time:
95 minutes (1h. 35m.)

Budget:
$30 million (estimated)

IMDb Synopsis:
Spoiler:
Five friends go for a break at a remote cabin in the woods, where they get more than they bargained for. Together, they must discover the truth behind the cabin in the woods.


IMDb Info and Rating:
7.6 (1,209 votes as of 04/12/12)

Rotten Tomatoes:
Fresh:89 Rotten:7 (92% as of 04/12/12)

Metacritic:
73 metascore ('Generally favorable reviews' as of 04/12/12)

Trailer:
<object width="640" height="360"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/NsIilFNNmkY?version=3&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/NsIilFNNmkY?version=3&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="640" height="360" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object>

Poster Art:
Old 04-13-12, 12:11 AM
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Re: The Cabin in the Woods (Goddard, 2012) — The Reviews Thread (Spoilers)

Just got back from a members only screening and it was PHENOMENAL!

I was hoping we'd see Cthuluhu, because they kept alluding to the "Ancient Ones."

This is the SPOILER thread right?
Old 04-13-12, 12:13 PM
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Re: The Cabin in the Woods (Goddard, 2012) — The Reviews Thread (Spoilers)

My wife described the film as the following:

"It's as if Joss Whedon saw a horror film and splooged all over it."

She hated every, single minute of the film other than the unicorn's appearance and the cameo of a famous actress during the finale.

I, on the other hand, thought it was a blast from beginning to end. A near-perfect genre blend of horror, science-fiction and comedy.

I can't wait for the Blu-ray because there will be some moments I wanted to freeze frame while I was in the theater, like the white board for example.
Old 04-13-12, 12:50 PM
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Re: The Cabin in the Woods (Goddard, 2012) — The Reviews Thread (Spoilers)

Originally Posted by Matthew Chmiel
I can't wait for the Blu-ray because there will be some moments I wanted to freeze frame while I was in the theater, like the white board for example.
Yeah, me too. Especially when the camera pulled back and revealed all of the nightmare creatures in their cages. I know Joss only wrote, and didn't direct, but I really was looking for a cameo by a big bad from Buffy. The perfect thing to use would have been the Gentlemen.

I really liked the allusion to Pinhead, but did they riff on any other modern classic baddies? I saw a clown, which could be a take on Pennywise, but no Jason, Freddy, or Chucky stand-ins that I could see.

So the movie. I liked it. I didn't love it, but as a horror fan I was really into seeing this take on the familiar tropes of horror. The actors were fine, but I didn't really care about any of them. I found the blonde girl to be pretty effective, but the fool was so cartooney that he almost took me out of the movie. Also, the cutesy moments in the movie definitely didn't help with the tension. That might not be a fair criticism because I'm not sure this movie was trying to be truly scary, but if it was it failed in that regard entirely for me. What it succeeded in was being a neat meta take on the horror genre. I'm always open for that. I think I would have been more into the tense stuff at the cabin if I didn't already know about the facility underground pulling the strings. I don't know how they could have held that reveal back, but if I didn't know about that element of the movie until Fool found the secret elevator, I might have felt more tense at the Friday the 13th style kills at the cabin.

What did you all think about the decision that was made at the end of the movie?
Old 04-13-12, 02:04 PM
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Re: The Cabin in the Woods (Goddard, 2012) — The Reviews Thread (Spoilers)

defintely different. good for the most part, but we had a little group in back that talked throughout and the print i think was too dark in the theater.

fun though and a good twist on the genre.

could someone spoilerize all the homages?
Old 04-13-12, 02:12 PM
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Re: The Cabin in the Woods (Goddard, 2012) — The Reviews Thread (Spoilers)

Originally Posted by scott1598
defintely different. good for the most part, but we had a little group in back that talked throughout and the print i think was too dark in the theater.
It might not have just been your theater. The scenes in the forest were really dark at my screening too. Might just be how it was shot?
Old 04-14-12, 12:07 AM
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Re: The Cabin in the Woods (Goddard, 2012) — The Reviews Thread (Spoilers)

Saw this tonight. Pretty fucking awesome!!
Old 04-14-12, 12:29 AM
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Re: The Cabin in the Woods (Goddard, 2012) — The Reviews Thread (Spoilers)

Thought it was outstanding. Though I knew some of what was going to happen (from the trailers), the movie continued to surprise me throughout. They did a great job of ratcheting it up to a pretty big finish for such a "small" beginning. And it actually held up to its own mythology, with some pretty decent answers to why they were doing what they were doing.

My wife and I were huge Buffy/Angel fans and there were definitely glimmers of those ideas (The Initiative is the most obvious) but they had the rated-R setting to really do it up right.

One of the most entertaining nights at the theater in a LONG time.
Old 04-14-12, 12:47 AM
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Re: The Cabin in the Woods (Goddard, 2012) — The Reviews Thread (Spoilers)

Originally Posted by boredsilly
It might not have just been your theater. The scenes in the forest were really dark at my screening too. Might just be how it was shot?
I've seen it twice and never thought it was overly dark or hard to see what was happening. Will definitely buy the blu and want to freeze frame vault stuff. Someone spotted the witch from Left 4 Dead, which Goddard told us was originally planned as a tie in with some dlc originally. Also a molesting tree can be seen as well. Love this movie so much.
Old 04-14-12, 12:51 AM
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Re: The Cabin in the Woods (Goddard, 2012) — The Reviews Thread (Spoilers)

Did enjoy the little Japanese children defeating the demon. It was disgustingly cute and got some of the biggest laughs in the movie.

Also enjoyed the opening credits, how they freeze frame in the bunker with CABIN IN THE WOODS in red letters - it's not even consistent, but did get some major laughs, as well.
Old 04-14-12, 12:56 AM
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Re: The Cabin in the Woods (Goddard, 2012) — The Reviews Thread (Spoilers)

Originally Posted by Why So Blu?
Also enjoyed the opening credits, how they freeze frame in the bunker with CABIN IN THE WOODS in red letters - it's not even consistent, but did get some major laughs, as well.
i loved the opening title card as well. i don't get what needs to be spoiled though. i must have missed a lot, but didn't the trailers pretty much tell you what was going on and that this was not typical horror movie fare and more of a controlled atmosphere of horror? what should the spoilers be?
Old 04-14-12, 01:25 AM
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Re: The Cabin in the Woods (Goddard, 2012) — The Reviews Thread (Spoilers)

Originally Posted by scott1598
i loved the opening title card as well. i don't get what needs to be spoiled though. i must have missed a lot, but didn't the trailers pretty much tell you what was going on and that this was not typical horror movie fare and more of a controlled atmosphere of horror? what should the spoilers be?


I know some people that were hellbent on not reading or watching anything related to the film. They knew the least amount of info concerning the film. Personally, I only watched one trailer, but I had already heard that the closest thing this came to was the Cube films minus the comedy and horror element. Cabin was a mash-up of Sci-Fi/Horror/Comedy. Cube was just survival Science Fiction.
Old 04-14-12, 06:42 AM
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Re: The Cabin in the Woods (Goddard, 2012) — The Reviews Thread (Spoilers)

I think I liked the idea of what it was trying to do more than the actual results. There were some genuinely great moments, but the ending was stupid and the guy doing the Shaggy from Scooby Doo impersonation nearly killed the whole movie for me. I can't decide if I like the fact that they revealed the control room/puppet master element right from the start or not. It took the suspense out of watching the characters struggle to survive (at least up until they discover the elevator), a problem since the focus remains mostly on them. I also really wish they had withheld the answer to what exactly the puppet masters end game was until the very end. But they mentioned ritual sacrifice to appease the evil gods of old late in the first act, if I remember correctly.
Old 04-14-12, 08:27 AM
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Re: The Cabin in the Woods (Goddard, 2012) — The Reviews Thread (Spoilers)

Originally Posted by bcd
Pretty fucking awesome!!
Originally Posted by Draven
Thought it was outstanding.
One of the most entertaining nights at the theater in a LONG time.


Loved it! Loved it! Loved it!

I can't wait for the Blu-Ray so I can freeze-frame to
Spoiler:
read the creatures on the betting board and also take a closer look at them during the elevator reveal of all the chambers.

Last edited by Pointyskull; 04-14-12 at 09:08 AM.
Old 04-14-12, 08:58 AM
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Re: The Cabin in the Woods (Goddard, 2012) — The Reviews Thread (Spoilers)

Guess I'll just paste what I did in the other thread since this is where the reviews are now located.

Saw it. Fucking loved it. Won't go into much detail as just about anything would be a spoiler. This was definitely more Whedon's baby than anything else, and it shows. Do what everyone else says, avoid reading anything about it before going into the theater. A clean slate works best. However, I have come to the conclusion that Amy Acker must be made my girlfriend. Any tips on how to land her without going to L.A. or any real effort on my part would be appreciated!

I completely lost it when it showed
Spoiler:
the two guys in charge dancing.
Franz Kanz/Topher completely stole the show, as he should. Also loved the
Spoiler:
Sigourney Weaver cameo. I figured Whedon had always been looking for a way to get her into one of his productions (Alien:Resurrection doesn't count).
Anyone else think that at the end Dana would
Spoiler:
transform into a werewolf and save the world in a fucked up manner? Also, the evil god hand at the end looked a lot like Kronos from Wrath of the Titans.
Old 04-14-12, 09:05 AM
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Re: The Cabin in the Woods (Goddard, 2012) — The Reviews Thread (Spoilers)

I don't need to have seen Buffy or Angel to get the ah ha moments, do I?
Old 04-14-12, 09:07 AM
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Re: The Cabin in the Woods (Goddard, 2012) — The Reviews Thread (Spoilers)

Originally Posted by Tom Creo
I don't need to have seen Buffy or Angel to get the ah ha moments, do I?
Nope. Not at all.

There are few fan-friendly casting choice nods to prior Whedon projects, but nothing content-wise that requires any Buffy/Angel knowledge.


GO SEE THIS MOVIE!

And stop reading this thread: SPOILERS!
Old 04-14-12, 10:42 AM
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Re: The Cabin in the Woods (Goddard, 2012) — The Reviews Thread (Spoilers)

Could anyone make out what the Intern (Tom Lenk) had written on the notepad toward the end?
Old 04-14-12, 10:49 AM
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Re: The Cabin in the Woods (Goddard, 2012) — The Reviews Thread (Spoilers)

I thought the movie was ok. My wife definitely did not like how it ended and I was indifferent about it. The best part was the reveal of all of the cages. I really wish that they would have incorporated more of the monsters in the scenario rather than the massive unleash underground. And it was a bit too much to try and believe that they had this massive complex out in the middle of nowhere.
Old 04-14-12, 12:12 PM
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Re: The Cabin in the Woods (Goddard, 2012) — The Reviews Thread (Spoilers)

Originally Posted by dsa_shea
I thought the movie was ok. My wife definitely did not like how it ended and I was indifferent about it. The best part was the reveal of all of the cages. I really wish that they would have incorporated more of the monsters in the scenario rather than the massive unleash underground. And it was a bit too much to try and believe that they had this massive complex out in the middle of nowhere.
My only concern with the ending was the massive "Purge" button she used to unleash all those monsters. It what other scenario would a button like that be useful?
Old 04-14-12, 12:16 PM
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Re: The Cabin in the Woods (Goddard, 2012) — The Reviews Thread (Spoilers)

Originally Posted by CKMorpheus
My only concern with the ending was the massive "Purge" button she used to unleash all those monsters. It what other scenario would a button like that be useful?
I was actually thinking about that exact same thing while getting my lunch ready. Who would want a button that could bring hell down on yourself and your friends?
Old 04-14-12, 12:30 PM
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Re: The Cabin in the Woods (Goddard, 2012) — The Reviews Thread (Spoilers)

A long, long time ago I had read something when this was sitting in unreleased hell that said basically "do not read anything about this movie." So as such, I saw it this morning without reading anything or even seeing the trailer. I would always either mute it at home or turn my head away if it appeared in public somewhere. Doing this was a great decision and it's been the first time and a very very long time where I saw something I knew pretty much nothing about. This movie was a blast. Loved it all the way through and am definitely buying this first day on BR.
Old 04-14-12, 12:55 PM
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Re: The Cabin in the Woods (Goddard, 2012) — The Reviews Thread (Spoilers)

Originally Posted by CKMorpheus
My only concern with the ending was the massive "Purge" button she used to unleash all those monsters. It what other scenario would a button like that be useful?
Meh, maybe the elder gods instructed that it be there in exchange for their accepting the sacrifices.
Old 04-14-12, 02:18 PM
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Re: The Cabin in the Woods (Goddard, 2012) — The Reviews Thread (Spoilers)

Originally Posted by dsa_shea
I was actually thinking about that exact same thing while getting my lunch ready. Who would want a button that could bring hell down on yourself and your friends?
This was a problem for me too. The other problem was, it looked to me like Shaggy (as we are calling him) took a pretty hard knife-throw to the back, and yet showed up later, unharmed. Did I see that wrong, or miss some exposition how he could have survived that?

Had a great time at the movie otherwise. Whedon and Goddard are nowhere in the league of Wes Craven but they had a good idea and followed it through.

All movies should be at the minimum, this good. It's a treat to see a clever idea carried through, where you're not always sure what's coming next. You know....originality and suspense! They still exist!
Old 04-14-12, 03:14 PM
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Re: The Cabin in the Woods (Goddard, 2012) — The Reviews Thread (Spoilers)

Originally Posted by NIMH Rat
This was a problem for me too. The other problem was, it looked to me like Shaggy (as we are calling him) took a pretty hard knife-throw to the back, and yet showed up later, unharmed. Did I see that wrong, or miss some exposition how he could have survived that?

Had a great time at the movie otherwise. Whedon and Goddard are nowhere in the league of Wes Craven but they had a good idea and followed it through.
All movies should be at the minimum, this good. It's a treat to see a clever idea carried through, where you're not always sure what's coming next. You know....originality and suspense! They still exist!


Depends on what era Craven you are talking about. My Soul To Take? The Cursed? Garbage.

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