Review: Entity / Cert: 15 / Director: Steve Stone / Screenplay: Steve Stone / Starring: Dervla Kirwan, Charlotte Riley, Branko Tomovic, Rupert Hill / Release Date: June 24th
Entity is set up as a creepy, chilling supernatural thriller. With the action set in a Siberian forest, the hook is that 34 unidentified bodies were found in shallow graves, with the case being unsolved and brushed under the carpet by Russian authorities. In the present day, a TV crew visit the site to try and get some answers. The crew work on a show that specialises in visiting areas that were the location of unsolved horrors, with a psychic in tow as part of their group. On location and looking to solve the riddle that is in front of them, the team soon encounter more than they bargained for.
Whilst the film starts off with a great little haunting score, it’s not long before it becomes a chore to watch the ‘action’ unfold. Like the bastard hybrid of Most Haunted, Ballykissangel and a Slipknot record, the film soon falls into a ball of shock cuts, loud shouting and plenty of other things that you find yourself caring less and less about as the run-time progresses. In fairness, the Ballykissangel reference may be a little harsh, as that’s merely by association with Dervla Kirwan. If the TV show in the film channels Most Haunted, Charlotte Riley takes on the Yvette Fielding role, whilst Kirwan does her best to embody her inner Derek Acorah, just a little less camp, false or Scouse.
The performances on display are fine for what they are, with Riley and Kirwan the two standouts, but it’s the rest of the film that lets Entity down. The story seems to plod round in circles as if it were some clueless puppy trying to catch its tail. Added to that, there’s the odd twist here and there, but said twists are made irrelevant just as quickly as they are revealed. In a genre where there are so many other films out there, Entity struggles to distance itself from the pack. With a film such as Grave Encounters, you can give it some leeway for not taking itself too seriously at certain points. Entity doesn’t do this. Instead, the film plays it straight all the way through, but the story, the effects and the scares let it down. As mentioned, the score is the best part of the film, although Riley starts to shine as the film comes to a climax. By then, though, it’s too little too late.
Entity is not without its charms, mind. The setting and tone of the film are chilling and desolate, again added to by the score, but you find yourself waiting for something to happen as the film lazily trudges along to a predictable finish.
Extras: None
