There are other nods to previous Paranormal Activity films. Following the shtick of the series, in which people use their videocameras, iPhones and laptops to capture hauntings, The Marked Ones purports to have been shot entirely by Hector on a sporty little camcoder he got as a high-school graduation gift. In addition to that nasty bite mark - a tip of the hat to the first two Paranormal Activity films - many of the core elements of the earlier movies are retained here, including the increasingly annoying found-footage gimmick. Adolescence can be so hard, especially when you’re possessed. The drawback is that he also finds grotesque, foot-long black hairs growing where they shouldn’t, like in his eye socket. One day he wakes up, and he can levitate, do amazing tricks on his skateboard and hurl bullies through the air like he’s Thor from the Avengers. Unlike the first four films, in which normal people are terrorized by a paranormal force, the new film shows Jesse - who’s been “marked” with what looks like an animal bite - suddenly developing supernatural powers, like the kids in Chronicle (2012). Targeted at a Latino audience, The Marked Ones centers on two teenage friends, Jesse (Andrew Jacobs) and Hector (Jorge Diaz), who stumble upon a world of dark, invisible forces when they break into the apartment of a creepy neighbor (Gloria Sandoval) after she is inexplicably murdered by their seemingly straight-arrow classmate (Carlos Pratts). This sharp left turn takes the films’ mythology in strange and not entirely satisfying new directions, including a crazy time-travel element. As the subtitle of the new, unnumbered film indicates, the fifth chapter in the series isn’t so much a sequel as a spinoff. Paranormal Activity fans hoping for a continuation of - or perhaps a bit of closure to - the supernatural saga that has stretched out over four films since the 2007 original insinuated itself into their nightmares may be disappointed by Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |