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301 reviews in total

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88 out of 131 people found the following review useful:
Decent film with expected editing problems, 27 February 2005

Author: Brandt Sponseller from New York City

Ellie (Christina Ricci) and her brother Jimmy (Jesse Eisenberg) are on their way home when they get into a car accident. While trying to help the other driver out of an overturned vehicle, the other driver is attacked by what Jimmy swears was a "huge man-like wolf". Both Jimmy and Ellie end up scratched and possibly bitten by the creature. When they begin noticing strange physical effects and behavior--including both of them suddenly becoming more assertive socially--they begin to wonder if a werewolf has bitten them. If so, will they turn into werewolves, too?

Cursed had a notoriously difficult time making it to the screen. It began production in 2002, then went through four major shoots with 90% of the material being tossed out at one point. Major characters, played by major actors--including Freddie Prinze, Jr. and Skeet Ulrich--were in and out of the film. Director Wes Craven even ended up abandoning the film altogether when Dimension Films chairman Bob Weinstein demanded a PG-13 cut rather than Craven's initial R. Someone else did the final PG-13 cut. As should be expected, these events appear to have harmed the film.

As the theatrical release stands, chunks of the film appear to be missing. For example, we see Jimmy and Ellie both pretty convinced that they're werewolves shortly after Jimmy first begins researching the symptoms and Ellie thinks he's being ridiculous. The transition is not convincing; there seems to be exposition missing. There are a number of such choppy, non sequitur moments. The film doesn't flow very well.

The most obvious material to be cut--during and after "attack" scenes--surely hurt the film, as well, although part of the problem with these scenes may have been Craven's fault. Like too many recent films, attack scenes are shot blurry, cut way too fast, and they're often too dark. Part of the idea might have been to make the CGI less obvious, but I'd rather have obvious CGI than incoherent scenes.

One final flaw was that the werewolf material in the film wasn't handled very clearly. Whether this was yet another editing problem or a script problem from screenwriter Kevin Williamson is difficult to say, but the film's werewolf "rules" are never well explained. For example, it's never quite clear why the werewolf would want to attack people again and why they wouldn't just be full-fledged lycanthropes the first time. Although this makes a bit more sense later in the film, werewolf "rules" are still implied that are never explained but needed to be.

But there are a number of positive aspects to the film. Craven shows that he hasn't lost his love of postmodernist reference and theatrical "wall breaking", the performances are good, occasionally the film is suspenseful (the car crash near the beginning is especially well done), and Williamson's story overall is intriguing in that Cursed is really a somewhat traditional thriller in which characters just happen to be werewolves.

Craven opens the film at a carnival, which is obviously theatrical, and quickly presents a psychic "performer" who happens to be a "real psychic", taking her job seriously rather than just providing entertainment. The parallel is to Craven as a horror filmmaker, which may often be seen as just an entertainer instead of a "real illusionist" approaching the job with serious intentions. Then he quickly takes us to a club, Tinsel, that's a veritable Madame Tussauds with a Hollywood theme, complete with full, detailed sets. There are numerous horror references in the club, including to Craven's own work, such as A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984). This emphasizes the artificiality of cinema in a way similar to the "real film in a film" conceit of Craven's New Nightmare (1994). To push this theatrical wall breaking further, many sets, such as the interior of Jimmy and Ellie's house, are lit and shot so as to emphasize their artificiality--almost as if the film were being made on the displays at the Tinsel club. Craven also has a number of characters working in the entertainment industry, and like New Nightmare, has celebrities playing themselves. As a humorous jab at filmic self-reference and comments about his use of the same in previous films, especially Scream (1996), a pivotal scene near Cursed's false climax is shot in a very artificial-looking hall of mirrors (and this is also literally reminiscent of a number of other horror films, including The Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977), Dr. Giggles (1992) and The Haunting (1999)).

The fact that Williamson has really constructed a thriller, and it just appears to be a werewolf film, is a kind of late-film twist that provides another level of "wall breaking". It's a clever idea that has some similarities to Williamson's I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997) script, which continually flirted with the gray area between thrillers and slasher flicks. Williamson also spends time exploring the dramatic consequences of Ellie and Jimmy's newfound power.

However, given the final result, at least with the cut I watched, these more intellectual touches from Craven and Williamson may have ended up being too hip for the film, which Dimension apparently wanted to sell as a more by-the-numbers horror flick geared to pull in younger teens (and a surprising amount of pre-teens in the showing I attended). I'm not usually one to complain about the existence of PG-13 (or even tamer) horror, as I do not think that gore, language, etc. are necessary for a good film. It's not that I dislike gore, but I love the first three Universal Frankenstein films, say, as much as I love the Evil Dead series, Romero's zombie films, or any of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre films (and certainly more than I like, say, Andreas Schnaas' work, which has the gore but not much else). But when the result of studios pushing for PG-13 results in such an apparent botch-job, I have to add my voice to the protesters.

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64 out of 96 people found the following review useful:
Wes Craven gets "Cursed", 25 February 2005

Author: dibot1 from United States

I went into "Cursed" with high expectations, I'll admit. But how could I resist the re-teaming of the "Scream" team, director Wes Craven and screenwriter Kevin Williamson? I should have known after re-shoots and delay upon delay of the film's release (It should have come out last November), that this would not be another masterpiece in the works. Though I tried to keep my hopes up, the results of this recombination are mixed at best.

Christina Ricci ("Monster") and Jessie Eisenberg ("Roger Dodger") star as siblings who are attacked by a mysterious animal in the Hollywood hills while trying to pull a woman from a wrecked car. Both are wounded by this animal and as the days go by, they begin to change. Eisenberg is most convincing as the younger brother who researches the animal that attacked them. He believes they were infected by a werewolf. The rest of the film chronicles their changes and quest to find the beast who infected them.

Aside from Ricci and Eisenberg the cast mainly consists of a smorgasbord of television actors, mostly from the WB. And I'm not sure that I'd call what they were doing acting. It seemed they mostly showed up and had a good time. Which can work, as long as the audience is enjoying it, too. However, I found myself groaning at much of the dialogue and wincing during emotional moments.

The film is slow to take off but does pick up the pace in the middle before falling off again towards the end. The computer graphics already look dated, and the werewolf makeup is most definitely sub par. A word to filmmakers everywhere, if you can't make a werewolf transformation look convincing, then don't show it at all. There's a lot to be said for implication.

Though there are several scenes where something pops up in the frame to make you jump in your seat, nothing haunts you as you leave the theater. There's no fear of bad dreams here.

Overall, the geniuses behind one of the classic fright films of the 90s (and possibly of all time) did not bring their best work into this decade. I hate to say it, but Wes Craven seems to be suffering from his own curse - the loss of fright.

For a smarter, more imaginative take on the werewolf theme, check out "Ginger Snaps" or "Dog Soldiers."

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51 out of 82 people found the following review useful:
Seen Better, Seen Worse, 25 February 2005

Author: Gafke from United States

Ellie and kid brother Jimmy are driving home late one night through the Hollywood Hills when something huge and monstrous crosses their path. One nasty road accident later, the annoyingly whiny female passenger of the car they just hit is dragged off into the woods by a mostly unseen creature which rips the woman to shreds - and good riddance. Ellie and Jimmy do not escape unscathed themselves. The creature has mildly injured them both and soon, brother and sister are experiencing heightened senses and suffering the Mark of the Beast on the palm of their hands. For Jimmy, it's a blessing in disguise as he returns to high school and battles the school bully. For Ellie, it's the first step on the path towards discovering who the real monster is, and the suspects are numerous. Will she and her brother discover the identity of the beast in time to save themselves from the curse? Or will they too become full fledged werewolves at the next full moon?

"Cursed" doesn't take itself very seriously as a horror film, or as a comedy. It seems to be trying to decide which it wanted to be, and hadn't made up its mind in time for the closing credits. There are a few genuine laughs to be found throughout, and some nifty references to the bygone days of Universal Creature Features, but for the most part this is a silly, airbrushed effort, filled with Beautiful People acting stupidly. I should have considered myself warned when I saw Scott Baio's name in the opening credits. The werewolf itself has a few good scenes, but I was kind of disappointed to see the legendary Rick Baker's name in the credits, and then find myself face to face with a CGI beast later on. And what was Christina Ricci doing in this? Did she lose a bet with Wes Craven or something?

This film might have fared better in the 80s, but it seems somewhat lifeless and unimaginative these days. I'm just glad I had a free pass, otherwise I would be feeling profoundly ripped off right about now.

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27 out of 38 people found the following review useful:
Predictable Collection of Clichés, 14 January 2006

Author: Claudio Carvalho from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

After five years without directing a film, I bought this DVD expecting a good return of Wes Craven to the genre horror teen movie. I like his last works in this genre ("Scream 1, 2 & 3") and also the drama "Music of the Heart", and Christina Ricci is very cool. Unfortunately, "Cursed" is a forgettable and predictable collection of clichés. It is amazing how the viewer can predict the next scene! Further, it is amazing how easy is to replace a fancy car in Hollywood: Ellie wrecks her car in the middle of the night, and on the next day she has a brandy new car. Jake breaks the window of the driver of the new car, and on the next sequence we see Ellie driving in a rainy night in high speed without disheveling her hair. Ellie's brother Jimmy unsuccessfully tries to be funny. If you want to see a great werewolf movie, there are many excellent options, but you can forget "Cursed", which is only recommended for killing time. My vote is five.

Title (Brazil): "Amaldiçoado" ("Cursed")

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62 out of 108 people found the following review useful:
I liked this movie!, 26 February 2005

Author: OXRandyyXO from United States

I'm sad that so many people have not liked this movie! It was a total parody of every werewolf movie you have ever seen. I thought it was hilarious and I think that's what Kevin Williamson wanted (but who am I to speculate?). I thought of the movie in the same way I thought of Scream... a lot of people saw Scream as just a cheesy horror movie, but those that are huge horror fans and have a sense of humor, got the joke.

Lighten up.

My advice to those who haven't seen the movie: Don't take it so seriously! It's supposed to be fun. The obvious jokes aren't the only ones you are supposed to laugh at ;)

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33 out of 52 people found the following review useful:
Pretty Cool Little Werewolf Movie., 23 March 2005

Author: BraveHawk from United States

Every once in a while, Wes Craven comes out with something new that I enjoy. Scream was the last noteworthy movie I can recall (and that I have seen) that was good. While Cursed was no Scream, it was a pretty good little werewolf movie, despite what Wes, himself, thinks of it. I think it would have been better if it was left uncut, but I still thought pretty highly of it, even if most do not agree.

Cursed is about a brother and sister named Ellie and Jimmy (Christina Ricci & Jesse Eisenberg) who get into a car accident and end up getting bit by something while helping the other motorist. Neither knows what it was, but Jimmy saw the creature directly and describes it as a wolf-like creature. Slowly, they begin to feel the changes one makes when turning into a werewolf and they have to solve the mystery of how to stop it.

I do have to say that Christina Ricci was absolutely stunning. I love the way she looks with her hair down. Also, Kristina Anapau as Brooke was also quite a knock-out.

The plot does take a few turns, some of them not so good but overall, not too bad. The good far outweighed the bad with me. The werewolf itself was awesome, with the exception of the one time you get to watch the transformation. It was OK but could have used a little flair or a bit of violence in the change- maybe something along the lines of Van Helsing's vampire change would have suited me better. Also, the little gay sub-plot thrown in for no apparent reason could have been left out. I realize this sounds weird to say about a horror film, but coming out of the closet in the way shown in this movie was completely unrealistic. Even more so than the fact they were running from werewolves.

I was also a bit disappointed with the ending but I was truly entertained throughout the film and can recommend it with an 8 out of 10.

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43 out of 76 people found the following review useful:
Semi-scary, enjoyable, yet somewhat disappointing movie, 22 February 2005

Author: Matt_Crussial from United States

My summary title is random but that is how I felt the movie was. I do not think it was as bad as the other reviewer posted here. The first two-thirds of the movie was great. The movie from the opening on the Santa Monica pier to the car crash until the club opening was classic Wes Craven. There were moments where I jumped out of my seat and brought back memories of the high-tension scenes in Scream. There are funny scene and one-liners as well. The last 1/3 of the movie was bad. It is obvious that they had all the problems that they did. I felt that there was no smooth flow and some scenes did not make sense. If you expect a quality movie like Scream, you will be disappointed. If you want a campy movie that is all-in-all entertaining, then definitely go. I jumped in my seat and laughed at times. I would say that it was worth the ticket price, but I won't own the DVD.

BTW, I saw the R-rated version. I don't think what they cut from the version I saw to make it PG-13 will make the movie any scarier; there are some gratuitous blood/gore shots that will probably be cut out. This will obviously make the movie more attractable when they release it on DVD as uncut.

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48 out of 87 people found the following review useful:
Remember, Werewolf movies are almost never scary..., 26 February 2005

Author: mfuson77 from Canada

I've been waiting to see Cursed for a very long time, probably more than a year, since the first time I heard about it. I expected a great movie, with Wes Craven at the helm why wouldn't it be a great film? I went to the opening day matinée showing and this is how I sum it up.

Cursed fails to capture the audience's attention for a few main reasons. First and foremost, it follows too much standardized formula and fails to think outside the box. Watching Cursed, you can almost predict exactly what will happen and when it will happen. The script could have been improved with a few minor changes which would have changed the entire direction of the film. Instead you have an A-Typical werewolf film with the protagonists fighting to save them selves from the "curse". Sorry folks, this story has been done in other horror films more times than I can count, and not just in werewolf films!

One element I didn't care for was when the brother, Jimmy, suggests being a werewolf could be cool. This is exactly where the story should have gone from that point onwards. But as quickly as he says being a werewolf could be cool, he falls back to the standard "gotta kill the head werewolf and end this curse" attitude. The movie would have been better if Jimmy had welcomed his "curse". Had that one change in plot occurred the story could have gone off in several darker and more interesting plot lines.

I can't fault the CGI effects for a change. I am strong opponent of CGI technology as the effects usually look awful.In Cursed the effects are better than normal, although they are still no where near the traditional "An American Werewolf in London" make-up and prosthetics quality.

I did enjoy the humor in the film. Cursed does offer several very funny moments and a few corny ones too. Without the humor the movie would have been an utter waste of time. The humor helps detract from the poor plot line which you can tell was attempting to be clever like Scream, but failing miserably.

I wonder if Wes Craven was even on the set when this film was made. It seemed to lack of the trademark qualities of a Craven film. Whatever the case may be it is obvious he did not do his research in what makes a great werewolf film.

Werewolf films, to be effective, must have several good transformation scenes, graphic mauling and mutilations and an innocent protagonist who is seduced by the curse. Cursed really has none of these qualities.

Overall I did enjoy the film, but I also expected the movie would fail to "wow me", which it did. It seems to me that the problems with Cursed were mostly script and plot related. Don't expect to be scared, but try to have a little fun with what it is.

Remember, werewolf movies are almost never scary...especially if they throw in a happy ending!

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14 out of 20 people found the following review useful:
Better than one might expect., 23 June 2005

Author: ZombieKilla81 from Hawaii, USA

'Cursed' has already earned a place in Hollywood history for it's infamous production problems. Massive re-shoots (rumored up to 75% of the movie), recasts, rewrites, over a year of delays, basically any and everything that could possibly go wrong. Pass this off as credit to Craven as a director and Williamson as a writer that they were still able to pull off something of a fun movie.

A pair of siblings are bitten by a werewolf following a car crash that leaves one woman dead. Amidst their sudden development of new powers they must contend with the traumas the curse brings. Discovering that the only way to lift the curse is to kill the cause of the infection, they must now find out whom the beast is.

On the evolutionary ladder of Craven's films, this is above 'Shocker', below 'Scream', right about on par with 'People Under the Strairs'. Meaning there is some good, gory fun to be had if one doesn't take it too seriously. Those in the market for some blood and laughs ought to have a fine time.

What hurts so much about this, and is the source of much of the films bashing, is that it could have been so much better. While the talents involved worked hard to salvage as much as they could it still feels like an overall missed opportunity. The scares are OK, but not great; the jokes are OK, but not great; the pacing is OK, but not great; noticing a pattern? Technically it's a mixed bag. Great, energetic camera work with some lively stunt work adds a lot of energy, but on/off pacing slows things down again. Characters and scenarios are OK, but dialogue lacks pizazz. And while there is some good gore being tossed around, the creature itself never looks all that believable (neither in CG or costume incarnations).

In the end this is not the ultimate failure fan-boys have tried to pass it off as; time will be kind to Craven's unfortunate child and horror fans should too.

7/10 (Note: review based on R-rated version of film)

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12 out of 19 people found the following review useful:
'Cursed' is a well-made, taut horror flick that suffers from a major problem..., 9 March 2005
Author: joaniekilbride from DG, IL

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

Cursed Ellie(Ricci) is a struggling, self-conscious young woman working as a make-up person for a talkshow. She lives with her brother, Jimmy, and they live alone because their parents died a few years earlier. One night, they are driving down a dark winding road and something slams against the windshield, and Ellie swerves the car and knocks another driver off the road. That night changes their live after a giant, mythical werewolf rips the girl apart. From there on, Ellie and Jimmy learn they might be "cursed" after they suddenly have the most recognizable feature... a star on your palm.

As they learn more about the situation, they find out that, to end the curse, they must kill the original source... a twist of fate brings them to Ellie's unexpected crush's grand opening of his store. Joni, Ellie's rival/nemisis at work, shows up and chases the place empty. After killing Joni and narrowly escaping her, they return home... but all their predictions where wrong... and only they can stop the curse.

Wise-cracking writer Kevin Williamson has written creative pieces in the past. I like his style most of the time but I personally think he makes his screenplays too diabolical, particularly in the "Scream" films. Stylish-horror director Wes Craven directed the first two "Scream" films and various other horror films. As a pairing, I enjoy their ability to weave suspense, blood, and creative death scenes. 'Cursed', their most recent project, is not a film to be called bad... but it's not up to their potential as a team.

The negative points:'Cursed' begins introducing us to a bunch of characters. As the plot slowly unfolds, it becomes somewhat lackuster. We can't believe anything the supporting characters say because most of them are thrown into the film to add another body to the body count pile.

Onto the positive points, which are more then negative. 'Cursed' has good atmosphere, is well-made and taut. It has a few jolts and Christina Ricci is eye-candy to guys on-screen. The film also has a few interesting elements in it. This 'curse' showed us how much the characters really valued each other, or their own lives. The death scenes are nothing to yelp about, but they are fun to watch, particularly one with a woman in the elevator. :) There are a lot of funny moments, also which adds a lot to the film.

The main problem I said in the summary is this... it is not scary at all. A few jolts aside, the scares begin predictable, such as someone turning around and someone is standing right there. They're nothing to jump about. Kevin Williamson seemed to hold back this time, like he was trying to keep his reputation good, so he took it easy.

CURSED--- 3 from 4 PG13-

horror/terror violence, sexual content/references, language and some images of nudity.

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