The horror film with elements of the thriller directed by Simon Verhoeven âRequest to friendsâ is reviewed by most reviewers as a film project addressed to the next generation.
Genre of tape
The picture fits into the framework of the horror genre as a whole and completely. Of course, what is happening on the screen will not force a seasoned amateur of this movie genre to run out in a panic from the cinema, but it will easily scare a more impressionable layman. The plot, of course, is secondary and in some moments is very predictable, but the tape looks decent - it is competently set and shot, perfectly played out. The main thing is that the âRequest to Friendsâ tape (audience reviews confirm this) does not try to position itself as something more significant than an uncomplicated horror movie. Together with a couple of twists closer to the climax and the richness of âbuâ moments, horror is a strong representative of its genre, quite worthy of being recommended for viewing to viewers who have reached 16 years of age. Horror âFriend Requestâ has an IMDb rating of 5.70.
Creators
Simon Verhoeven has little experience as a director; until 2001, he tried himself as an actor. Ferkhoeven's debut as a director was a carbon monoxide comedy with the appropriate title "In the gap!". But the real success came to Simon after the release of his copyrighted projects - two parts of âA Man in a Big Cityâ. âRequest to Friendsâ is the first horror in the filmography of the director, plus to everything, he appeared in the film as a co-author of the script.
Movie dramatists Matthew Ballen and Philip Koch, who worked in a creative tandem with Verhoeven, are also little known to the movie community. The number of films to which they wrote the scripts does not reach 10. Perhaps that is why the script of the picture was subjected to a decent amount of attacks from film critics.
Honoring the traditions of the genre
The German director Simon Verhoeven honors the traditions of the genre, this fact is unanimously confirmed by all reviewers who have left feedback on the movie "Request to Friends". He treats them as reverently and attentively as the character of the film Marina Mills for magical ancient spells. According to even skeptical critics, the creators of the project complied with all the requirements of the cult recipe for the production of "horror". The painting contains a warning creak of doors and floorboards, a frightening twilight, and blood flows like water. The film also does not skimp on the supernatural composition, in an impressive amount in the movie there are witches, ghosts, the living dead. And yet, the director focuses on the horrors of the technogenic plan: furious printers, rebellious PCs, disobedience of accounts. Indeed, what could be worse for the next generation?
Compared to Remove from Friends
The film âFriend Requestâ in innovation is significantly inferior to the creative âRemove from Friendsâ, the plot of which is developed in the laptop of the central character, it was created quite traditionally. In it, like in Levan Gabriadzeâs project, there are mysterious failures of the social network (you cannot delete a suicidal friend from friends, you canât delete your profile, instead of the page code, the screen displays runic devilry), the characters are clearly separated by archetypes, deaths that looked like suicides, but in general, the work of Simon Verhoeven is much closer to the classic horror. Film critics, posting reviews on âRequest to Friendsâ, often pointed to the presence of characteristic features like heroes - future victims are first noted by an application as a friend on Facebook (almost âCallâ), and then they are exquisitely killed, immersed in the abyss of paranoia and a nightmare ( reference to "Nightmares on Elm Street").
Story wilds
The film "Request to Friends" once again exaggerates the obsession of the modern average man ridiculed by American comedians in accumulating friends in the social Facebook network. The main character Laura (Alicia Debnam Carey) - a popular personality, a cheerful and sociable student, a lover of Facebook - once receives a friend request from a strange classmate of Marina (Lislt Alers). Laura, without hesitation, accepts it, but Marina is unsociable only in real life, in social. sheâs too annoying to the network. The main character for some time supports communication out of politeness, but after the gloomy habits of classmates and excessive affection annoy the ebullient beauty. Laura, without thinking about the consequences, âsewsâ a new girlfriend, and she turns out to be such an unbalanced personality that she makes a successful attempt at suicide. The horrors of âRequest to Friendsâ do not end their story.
Punishment for carelessness
Marina, a 21st century witch, commits suicide according to an ancient magic ritual and records the process on video. Before committing suicide by hanging, she makes a fire, burns a photo of Laura opposite the laptop screen. The girl repeats the rite used in the Middle Ages by magicians of the highest category who decided to change their essence. The young witch modifies the rite by adding a photograph of the offender and replacing the black mirror with a laptop screen. The girl successfully practiced black magic classes and now does not leave alone the careless Laura and her friends even after her death. By the way, due to inexplicable reasons, the Facebook social network in the adapted version of the Request to Friends ribbon in Russian was transformed into VKontakte.
Categorical opinion
Not all critics favorably welcomed the appearance of Verhoevenâs new project. By posting their reviews and reviews, they noted serious shortcomings in the script of the film, thought about the degree of adequacy of the characters, especially the police, who began to suspect the main character inexplicably, when, due to the influence of magic spells, she could not remove her page in the social. network. Also skeptical film experts pointed to a sagging in the plot action, according to them, waiting for the next dose of screamers, with which the director tries to scare the inexperienced viewer, is quite boring. Particularly ardent opponents, who took what was called the âRequest to Friendsâ hostility, suggested changing the slogan of the picture from âthink whom you are addingâ to âthink what you are spending money and time onâ. However, as you know, there are no buddies on the taste and color, so you should look at the horror, and only then draw independent conclusions.
Acting Ensemble
From the casting of the film âRequest to Friends,â Alicia Debnem Carey, the leading woman, stands out unambiguously. The actress began her creative career at an early age - 8 years old, starring in television series and independent short films. In 2012, the girl became the finalist of the megapopular show "Next Stop - Hollywood", which tells about the six Australian-born actors trying to conquer the Dream Factory. A wide audience is known for his work in The Devilâs Hand, Towards the Storm, the spin-off of The Walking Dead, and now also for the Request for Friends horror. Alicia Debnem Carey in 2016 starred in the movie "Like", so her fans will soon have a surprise.
Quite convincingly, the unsociable loner Marina, fond of black magic, was reincarnated by actress Lizle Ahlers. The filmography of which includes only two films: Challenger and Request for Friends. The roles of the actress go to film projects of such genres: horror, thriller, drama.
The remaining performers of the supporting roles did not manage to outshine the two actresses, although they played in good faith, to the best of their abilities.