The Bay (2012)

User Review

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  TheMovieDiorama

  5 / 10

  The Bay takes a preachy environmental message and executes it intriguingly. To say this film is divisive is an understatement. Critics were positive, audiences not so much. Frustratingly, I sit precariously in the middle whilst tentatively teetering to either side. A seaside town is enjoying the festivities of Independence Day, where toxicity levels of the nearby water are staggeringly increasing. This results in a deadly plague being unleashed where humans become hosts to a flesh eating parasitical isopod. Think of this as a found footage horror film in the style of a faux documentary which conveys one important message: water pollution is bad. Its documentarian aesthetic appeal is what creates the realism and genuine scares, it's incredibly lifelike. The atmospheric nature and intelligent execution will appeal to older audiences, however for those genre enthusiasts looking for plenty of chills...look elsewhere. A disinterested cast, a wave of generic sound effects and a plethora of cheesy acting results in what I can only describe as mediocre. The message is there! Levinson's direction was perfectly suited to this genre albeit a weird shift from his usual films. The narrative was consistently fresh as it switches between news reporters, members of the public, oceanographers and the CDCP. Such a shame that basic acting and a overly preachy story prevents this from being good. Kether Donohue looks like she should be in the 70s with the attire she was wearing (tightest trousers ever...). Surprisingly a big issue I had was with the picture quality of some of the found footage. Watching it on a 4K television enhances the blur and pixelation to a point where it's difficult to see what is actually happening. Never had that happen before with a bluray transfer. Also everyone who gets infected seems to immediately mutter "kill me now, just end it!". That's all well and good if we had emotionally involving characters, but we don't...so I feel nothing. Is this the worst found footage flick? No. Could it be better? Ummm definitely.

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