Movie Review: Don't Blink (2014)

The movie stars Brian Austin Green, Mena Suvari, Zack Ward, Joanne Kelly and Fiona Gubelmann.

I picked this movie mostly on a whim. I had never heard of it before and, at least from the description, it really didn’t look like anything special. However, my wife and I are big Doctor Who fans and since the title reminded us of the Weeping Angels from that series, I decided to give the movie a try. As it turns out, it was actually really good.

When we first started watching this, I figured it would end up being another slasher flick with some sort of lunatic hunting them down. That wasn’t the case. Instead, the characters mysteriously just disappeared. One moment they were there, the next they were gone without any sort of trace.

In addition, there were other mysteries surrounding the resort, including the fact there were no animals (including bugs) and the temperature had unusual fluctuations. It was one big mystery and the fact the various characters would disappear without warning managed to keep the suspense building throughout the film, especially as the various characters started to panic and violent conflicts arose as a result.

One thing I really liked about this movie is, unlike many other films, it didn’t have to rely on the characters being overly stupid for the plot to work. There were times when I did question some of their decisions (I, personally, would have made more of an effort to find the key to the gas pumps) but, for the most part, there was some sound logic to their choices. For example, trying to simply drive away from the resort without enough gas to get back to civilization carried just as much, if not more, risk as trying to wait things out inside the resort.

I did have some mixed emotions about how this movie ended. Given the circumstances, I can’t really argue against the writers’ decision not to fully explain everything that happened at the resort. But, at the same time, this is a movie that really could have used at least a bit more closure. This includes an explanation about why the resort was still taking reservations when, at least from the way it looked at the end, this is something that had been happening for a while.

I also wasn’t a huge fan of the gratuitous sex scene between Green and Gubelman. This is mostly because, as a guy, I’m somewhat insulted by the fact he would choose to have sex with his ex-girlfriend only hours after his pregnant would-be fiancee mysteriously vanished. In fact, it was such a bizarre situation; I began to wonder if maybe Gubelman’s character was somehow behind the disappearances as an elaborate plan to get him back.

I think the way the movie ends will make a few people upset (I know I personally wish it would have answered more questions). However, this was a great movie overall and one I definitely would recommend taking the time to watch if you’re in the mood for an unpredictable thriller.

My Grade: A