SYNOPSIS:
From
the producers of White Noise and in the horrifying tradition
of The Omen comes an unnerving tale of bone-chilling terror!
Confident the ransom will be easy money, ex-con Max (Josh Holloway,
Lost) kidnaps an 8-year-old boy and escapes to an eerie, deserted
cabin in the woods with his fiancée (Sarah Wayne Callies,
Prison Break) and two shady associates. But Max soon realizes
that this is no ordinary kidnapping…and this is no ordinary
child. Using haunting supernatural abilities to manipulate minds
of his captors, the boy maliciously turns them against each
other in a cruel deadly game that will have you on the edge
of your seat until the very end!
MOVIE REVIEW:
Whisper subverts the typical kidnapping drama by
switching the roles of hostage and captor. At first sight,
the 10-year boy of a wealthy socialite appears to be shy,
reserved and frightened of his situation.
But David is really a descendant of a 'special' line of children
in the tradition of The Omen’s demonic Damien. Proving
that children can be as much demons as they are angels, David
manipulates the minds of his captors and offs them in decidedly
bloodletting fashion.
It is a clever premise: the kidnappers now the hostages of
a young and, for the lack of a better word, evil child, victims
of their own doing as they isolate themselves in a deserted
cabin in the woods. And, I would argue, this is probably the
best thing that Whisper has going for it.
Because for the most part, the movie turns out to be a effective
but all too predictable thriller every step of the way, perfect
for some excitement and scares while it lasts but ultimately
forgettable afterwards.
A huge reason of why Whisper still works lies in its spot
on casting of Blake Woodruff as David. At first innocent and
bewildered at his predicament, Woodruff’s portrayal
of David’s transformation to a sinister and altogether
evil presence is always captivating to watch. Indeed, there
is something always fascinating yet scary about a young boy
possessing the kind of power that David has.
Whisper also makes great use of its wintry, snow-draped landscapes,
filmed on location in Canada. As the snow falls incessantly
outside, and daylight is but a brief few hours, the sense
of dread and helplessness that the captors face always feels
palpable and real.
Nonetheless, the movie is ultimately let down by Christopher
Borelli’s pedestrian story. There is a by the numbers
feel to the movie as events unfold. In fact, you can almost
predict in which order the characters will meet their inevitable
doom. To his credit though, director Stewart Hendler does
keep the movie going at a fairly engaging manner.
Whisper is one of those direct to DVD movies that were fortunate
(or unfortunate, depending on your perspective) to have a
brief short lived cinematic release in Singapore. Were this
on the big screen, expectations would be of course higher.
But on home video, this is many pedigrees above the many Stage
6 Films-produced direct to DVD (and I would argue, direct
to the trash can) films that Sony Pictures Entertainment have
a habit of trotting out. So if you’re just willing to
sink into your couch and enjoy the ride, Whisper will not
disappoint.
SPECIAL FEATURES :
None.
AUDIO/VISUAL:
There isn’t much to crow about this DVD’s audio
options, because frankly there is none. This may be especially
disappointing for fans of the horror genre who are looking
for a good Dolby 5.1 channel surround sound scare. Video quality
is good enough, especially for the many dimly lit scenes in
the movie.
MOVIE RATING:
DVD
RATING :
Review
by Gabriel Chong
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