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Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Shuttle (2008)

All aboard! First stop is the airport. Second is the grocery store and the last stop is HELL!!!

"Shuttle" is a mixed bag of nuts. There are moments when it really works and moments where it doesn't work at all. Firstly, its a pretty neat take on a fairly over-saturated market. I read a review that simple called it ' "Hostel" on a bus' and for the most part this is a true statement. Torture Horror film that takes place for a most part on a Shuttle bus. Is it realistic? Probably not and there are some moments where this idea just catches in the gullet. Would a killer really have a bus that is able to be unlockable from the inside and seat belts without a safety catch? It's like the Magic School Bus of Pain. If one puts a lot of their logic aside then the plot can work fairly well (there are some interesting turns and twists that kept my attention, but for most of the film I felt a little bored honestly).

I do have to give a hand to the actor playing Mr. Bus Driver. He had a pretty solid run with acting chops for the run time and although the plot tends to drive me nuts with its false clues and unfulfilled hints to what comes next especially when it comes to the bad guy. He does a solid job (all of the actors did actually) but sometime the script makes some poor choices for them.

Perhaps my biggest issue with "Shuttle" comes from its dragged out feeling. This film could have been done with a half hour less and it wouldn't have changed a single theme or element in the film. It just drags on and on and on at times. Seriously, it was one of the longest bus rides I've had to be on. There is even some fake climaxes thrown into the mix (the part where they smash the front end of the shuttle comes to mind) that made me want to yell at the screen. If you are going to end it...then end it already! Don't put them back on the fucking bus!

There was some nice moments but overall this one just felt too long and illogical for me. Some good acting and directing choices helped to try and balance it out but the somewhat odd script and cliche times just prevented this from being anything but a rental. 


Written By Matt Reifschneider 

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