Well, I'm glad some people on the blog go for these, because meh from me. As you know.
Good review, JPX. I also love your love of these, and you write about it well. And yes, unless you've got a specific location in mind, heading further into the desert for a model shoot is stupid.
Aspiring model Atheria and her boyfriend Tyson head to the remote section of a desert so Tyson can take some stellar shots of Atheria to jumpstart her career. Along for the ride are Bryon and his crabby girlfriend Noelle. Unbeknownst to everyone, medical student Noelle is pregnant and would just assume remain back at the hotel. Byron just thinks that she’s a killjoy out to ruin all the fun. After many hours in the oppressive heat Tyson suggests going even further out into the barren region. Swerving to avoid a wolf Tyson crashes his SUV into a deep ditch effectively destroying the car and dooming the quartet to an early grave. With limited water and resources survival appears unlikely. Adding to the stress Atheria appears to have a concussion from the accident and she is behaving peculiarly.
Ah the predicament movie! I watched Frozen earlier a few weeks prior to this so it seems fitting that I would stumble upon Thirst, which is the exact opposite predicament. Like other predicament films you must buy into the set of circumstances/coincidences necessary for the victims to get into their predicament in the first place. In Thirst we are first shown the characters drinking tons of alcohol the night before, which would make them thirstier, of course. On the day of their trip they hang “Do not disturb” signs on their hotel room doors so the maids won’t rob them. This makes their disappearance even less detectable. Oh, their cell phones don’t receive signals, of course. You might also find yourself asking, “Why would they need to drive off the beaten path in the desert to take photographs, doesn’t it all look pretty much the same?” If you’re able to overlook all this silliness than you’re in for a marginal treat.
Sure it’s all ludicrous and derivative; you might want to watch it with a checklist so you can mark off the inevitable cliché’s; (1) campfire confessionals, check! (2) The blame game, check! (3) Long montages of our characters making it through yet another day, check! (4) Dehydrated hallucinations check! (5) Gross ‘solutions’ check! You get the idea. Despite its many shortcomings I enjoyed Thirst. I readily acknowledge that I have a heavy bias towards this sub-genre of horror and thus I tend to oversell these movies, but like a major car accident I just can’t look away.
"Thirst"
4 Comments -
I really enjoy our different points of view on these films. It forces me to look at the film from another perspective. Nice review.
November 17, 2010 11:10 AM
I love your love of predicament movies. It makes me want to see how you'd handle such a predicament.
November 17, 2010 12:00 PM
Burning Bright is awesome by the way.
November 17, 2010 12:00 PM
Well, I'm glad some people on the blog go for these, because meh from me. As you know.
Good review, JPX. I also love your love of these, and you write about it well. And yes, unless you've got a specific location in mind, heading further into the desert for a model shoot is stupid.
November 17, 2010 4:22 PM