Since the age of 11, Joanna Mills has been having strange visions but doesn't know the reason why. When her latest business trip takes her to Texas, she decides to visit her dad and also a small town called La Salle that's been in her visions. It's here she also meets Terry, a seemingly troubled individual that has been alienated by the towns residents. Joanna's visions continue, but they start to become more vivid and the more she sees, the more she starts to understand what is going on and not all secrets remain unknown.
The Return is one of those films where the ending saves it from completely bombing, reason being is because the 70 minutes preceding the end scenes are so slow they make watching cricket seem exciting. Don't get me wrong...the story itself is actually pretty good (even if it's not that original) and I don't usually mind a slower-paced film, but the execution is what let's it down for me. You actually sit there hoping the ending saves the film, and it does. Just.
It's also a pretty complex story and is one that you most definitely have to pay attention to right from the very start. If you don't then you will have no hope of understanding it. One other thing...if you're expecting some kind of creepy, scary horror then you'll need to keep looking as this most definitely isn't one of those films. There is some decent suspense to it - eventually - but overall it's hardly a gripping tale and it most definitely is NOT a horror film.
The acting is also pretty wooden throughout, and I really do think that Sarah Michelle Gellar is completely overrated, especially in this role, because she just seems to wander through it aimlessly with the odd few "scream queen" moments. I really can't understand some of the rave reviews that The Return has been given by some people as it really is just - apart from the last 10 minutes or so - a bit of a snore-fest.
It's definitely not the best and you're not missing that much if you choose not to see it.
The Return is one of those films where the ending saves it from completely bombing, reason being is because the 70 minutes preceding the end scenes are so slow they make watching cricket seem exciting. Don't get me wrong...the story itself is actually pretty good (even if it's not that original) and I don't usually mind a slower-paced film, but the execution is what let's it down for me. You actually sit there hoping the ending saves the film, and it does. Just.
It's also a pretty complex story and is one that you most definitely have to pay attention to right from the very start. If you don't then you will have no hope of understanding it. One other thing...if you're expecting some kind of creepy, scary horror then you'll need to keep looking as this most definitely isn't one of those films. There is some decent suspense to it - eventually - but overall it's hardly a gripping tale and it most definitely is NOT a horror film.
The acting is also pretty wooden throughout, and I really do think that Sarah Michelle Gellar is completely overrated, especially in this role, because she just seems to wander through it aimlessly with the odd few "scream queen" moments. I really can't understand some of the rave reviews that The Return has been given by some people as it really is just - apart from the last 10 minutes or so - a bit of a snore-fest.
It's definitely not the best and you're not missing that much if you choose not to see it.