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84 out of 125 people found the following comment useful :- Disturbingly brilliant, 8 November 2008 Author: xmeganx from England
This film could easily have just been some chavs bullying people, but it is much more then that. I have watched many horror/thriller films and they have rarely effected me the way this film did. From the beginning the mood is set of this extremely happy couple living in their bliss and as most of you will know before watching this the film is not about their happy relationship. The first thirty minutes of the film are more easy going then the rest, but still captivating. As the film continues it shocks you beyond belief, I expected gore but I didn't expect how the tone of the film would make me feel.If you have an uneasy stomach or sometimes get emotional, prepare yourself for this film. It is gruesome but some scenes are a little too realistic which is what makes the film different. A lot of horror films similar to this lack realism so the audience cannot connect with the protagonist as easily, but Eden Lake has been made with a great deal of empathy for the couple and hate for the young kids. Seeing as there is a strong connection between audience and the characters there is a great deal of emotion involved which is unexpected, but this shows that the film has been made very well and that the actors do their job perfectly.The young actors who play the chavs are fantastic, and i'm not going to say fantastic 'for their age' because they are truly talented actors regardless of age. Jack O'Connell plays the ring leader of the group Brett, and he really shines. Playing a merciless hateful character is not the easiest thing to do, but if you didn't know better you would think that is how he is in real life because he is just that good. I have been a big fan of Thomas Turgoose since he was in This is England because he is also a very talented and realistic actor and he doesn't disappoint in this film either, but he isn't in it as much as I would like. The other actors in the group are equally as talented. As for the couple they were perfectly cast and they have great chemistry, I have been a fan of Michael Fassbender (who plays boyfriend Steve) for a while but I had never really noticed Kelly Reilly before (who plays girlfriend Jenny) but she plays the character very well and hits the right emotions at the perfect time.All in all the film draws you in, keeps you captivated, shocks you with the gore and blows you away with emotion. The best thing about it and what makes the movie special and better then most other similar films is just how real it is. You almost feel like this is happening to you, and their reactions are also real human reactions too. The film is truly great and one of the best of its genre, very impressive all around.
49 out of 74 people found the following comment useful :- Hoodie horror!, 27 November 2008 Author: BA_Harrison from Hampshire, England
I watched Eden Lake last night and now I'm angry.Not because the film was bad (on the contrary, it was very good); not because the nastiest character was called Brett (when surely it's common knowledge that all blokes named Brett are extremely nice); not because I had to watch the film on my portable DVD player while the wife watched 'I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Outta Here!' on the telly; and not because a rather silly ending spoils what might have been an otherwise perfect piece of entertainment.No.... I'm angry because, with Eden Lake, I've been shown the terrifying truth about one of the biggest evils currently plaguing the UK (I'll give you a clue: it likes to wear Burberry and has lousy taste in music!).That's right: I'm talking about Chavs!If, like me, you find that yob culture makes your blood boil, then you too will be absolutely seething by the end of this excellent film, which cleverly taps into the viewer's fury, fear and frustration with loutish teenagers who are free to terrorise the innocent because the law lacks the power to punish them.In Eden Lake, Director James Watkins presents a harrowing fictional account of one such incident in which a couple are subjected to unbelievable pain and humiliation by a gang of nasty young thugs. The sickening atrocities perpetrated by Watkins' lawless delinquents are terrifyingly real (reports on similar real-life events can all-too-often be found in today's tabloids) and serve only too well to highlight just how far our society has sunk in recent years.A taut, well constructed script packed with believable characters and credible dialogue is brilliantly brought to gut-churning life by its novice director, and a superb cast make this film completely compelling, despite the harrowing subject matter. The film's victims, Jenny and Steve, are well played by the gorgeous Kelly Reilly (wow, where has she been hiding?) and Michael Fassbender, but it is the younger cast members who play the Chavs who really impress: they all give thoroughly chilling performances, with Jack O'Connell, as Brett, delivering one of the most memorable and vicious villains ever! If this guy doesn't go on to greater things, then I'll eat his Burberry cap!As I've already mentioned, the film isn't perfect, with a few contrived plot developments and an unfortunate finalé that takes a little too much swallowing, but on the whole, this is one of the most exhilarating, frightening and infuriating (in a good way) horror films to come out of the UK in years.In fact, I enjoyed this one so much, I'll turn a blind eye to the last five minutes when rating it: 8.5 out of 10, rounded up to 9 for IMDb.
67 out of 110 people found the following comment useful :- Disturbing and brutal, 4 November 2008 Author: William Holttinen from Finland
Oh my, this was one hell of a ride! It has everything I yearn from a horror movie. It's dark, bloody, depressing, somewhat realistic and oh, the ending, the ending. This is the second best British horror movie I have seen. The best was Dog Soldiers. The young actors do a good job depicting the variety of feelings from anger to horror to despair and the two lead actors are brilliant. It is a knee deep in doom all the way to the end. A few minor logic problems but you'll get over it, they don't ruin the mood at all.I have to praise the script because it works in the boundaries of the real world and does not go over the top in any scene, and I know some may disagree in this but I think you'll like it never the less.All in all, it is good and it is for you if you truly like horror. But it is also a disturbing and brutal movie so not for the faint of heart. Enjoy.
71 out of 124 people found the following comment useful :- Crackingly realistic UK 'chav' horror, 14 September 2008 Author: juboy70 from United Kingdom
From start to finish this film is a masterclass in confronting our views on revenge and on how we choose which 'side' to be on in any given situation.The two adult leads are almost immediately plunged into a nightmare where children have the upper hand and where respect for adults is thrown out of the window yet the adults still view the amoral, feral youth as children (at least initially).Eden Lake plays as virtually a documentary of Britain in 2008 and as a film gives us a stark reflection of what is happening in this country today. The only difference being that Eden Lake takes place in the countryside while the real violence in the UK takes place on our city streets.James Watkins has managed to create real tension, real suspense and some real terror in his directorial debut. So many UK horror films come with great expectations and so many fail, but with Eden Lake, Watkins has crafted a contemporary film that is instilled with the nastiness and vicious spirit of 70s/early 80s horror such as 'Last House on the Left'.Disturbing, challenging, thought provoking and downright electrifying in places, this is one of the best horror films of the past few years and one of the best British films this decade.
72 out of 127 people found the following comment useful :- Tought but good movie, 13 August 2008 Author: marc27ffm from Berlin, Germany
I just saw this movie last night at the start of the fantasy film festival in berlin. It is a tough thriller which lives without fancy film locations or many people. It has an actual topic, also it was written 2005 - before the news brought the youth gang problems to public attention.And a warning: it is not a movie to which you go on your first date. It contains scenes of torture and death, however not exploitable but necessary for the plot line and its characters, and in that way not too strong or too long.A good movie for me is one which evokes strong emotions within the film (not against it ;-) ). If it can make me really love in a comedy, or put me under total suspense for a thriller, etc. This movie made me angry and hateful, so yes, for me its a good movie.
25 out of 38 people found the following comment useful :- Sleeper hit, 5 January 2009 Author: aletoledo from United States
I must say that I was pleasantly surprised by this film. The whole premise seemed done and then done again many times, but they seem to have pulled this one off with some uniqueness. While I thought I would be able to predict the script through the entire movie, I must say that by halfway through I didn't know where this was going and by the end of the movie I was a bit disturbed like I hadn't been in awhile from watching a movie. Filming, direction and most of the acting was very well done. I might criticize some of the acting and scripting regarding the boyfriend, but it's easily overlooked since the rest of it is much better. All in all, I think anyone that enjoys a suspenseful movie will find this worthwhile.
11 out of 15 people found the following comment useful :- Cruel and Disturbing, 3 July 2009 Author: Claudio Carvalho from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
*** This comment may contain spoilers ***
Stephen Taylor (Michael Fassbender) invites his girlfriend, the kindergarten teacher Jenny (Kelly Reilly), to spend the weekend in Eden Lake, a paradisiacal and remote place in the woods where he used to go in his childhood and that will be flooded sooner; however, his true intention is to propose Jenny. While camping at the lakeshore, they are disturbed by a gang of loathsome boys leaded by the punk Brett (Jack O'Connell). On the next day, the couple realizes that they have been robbed by the young criminals and they are stranded in the woods without their car. While walking through the forest trying to reach the road, Steve and Jenny meet the gang and they are brutally attacked. Steve is captured by the youths while Jenny is seeks a way out of the woods with the criminals chasing her. The cruel and disturbing "Eden Lake" is impressively real, reason why I felt very uncomfortable with the wicked and sadistic story. The acting is top-notch, and the violence of the gang contrasts with the beauty of Kelly Reilly and the romantic situation that her sweet character with her boyfriend. The situations lightly recall "Deliverance" and "Red", but they are so brutal that it is impossible not feeling affected by the horror that Jenny and Steve are submitted. The pessimist conclusion is exaggerated and probably the only flaw in the story especially after the death of the great number of characters. My vote is seven.Title (Brazil): "Sem Saída" ("No Way Out")
22 out of 38 people found the following comment useful :- Fantastique, 13 November 2008 Author: DelBongo from Brighton, UK
This gruelling, invigorating, sensational tour de force is an instant classic. It takes most of its cues from the much-revered smash-mouth genre prototypes of the 1970's; its whole-hog relentlessness, its shrewd, methodical plotting; both are pure, vintage Wes Craven, and praise doesn't come much higher than that.It's a thoroughly old-school experience from beginning to end. The much-discussed topicality turns out to be nothing more than simple provocation, and the whole thing is shamelessly, rigorously manipulative, in that brilliant way that horror films used to be. When I wasn't squirming in my seat, I was trying to stop myself from yelling at the screen (a process that I like to refer to as "decision derision") which is the kind of impassioned, joyous impulse that I haven't succumbed to in a cinema in years.But make no mistake, this is ferociously, unflinchingly hardcore. It is frequently nasty in ways that go straight for the gut, and bears no relation to the f*ckwitted idiocy that Hollywood now regularly churns out disguised as something challenging or extreme. If you thought that Hostel was tough, think twice before buying a ticket.Eden Lake may not have the rich subtext or cultural significance of Craven's seminal 1970's output, but it does unmistakably have that same raw cynicism, energy and sense of purpose.This is easily the finest pure horror movie since Switchblade Romance, and is absolutely not to be missed.
23 out of 41 people found the following comment useful :- Brutal,intelligent and effective survival horror about chavs on the loose., 6 November 2008 Author: HumanoidOfFlesh from Chyby, Poland
Kelly Reilly plays Jenny,a primary teacher of small children,who goes goes off camping for the weekend with her boyfriend Steve to the shore of titular Eden Lake.They swim,sunbathe and enjoy the peace of the lake,but not too long.Their fun is spoiled by a bunch of arrogant teenagers playing their music loud and failing to control their Rottweiler.There is evil in mind of these children:they are ready to stab,torture and burn a young couple to death.The escalation of violence quickly turns into bloody fight for survival...Worryingly authentic and very unsettling survival horror with several gut-wrenching moments of total terror.Jenny and Steve behave with complete plausibility and a tragically unrequited sense of kindness and social responsibility.Some scenes of violence are hard-hitting even for true horror fans.The sight of someone bleeding to death from stab wounds is horrifying as is the ringleader's girlfriend recording acts of extreme violence impassively on her mobile phone.People everywhere are capable of barbaric cruelty and "Eden Lake" clearly shows that.The film is highly believable and the final twist is extremely bleak and truthful.I can't praise Peter Watkins stunning debut enough.10 out of 10.
35 out of 65 people found the following comment useful :- One of the saddest and scariest movies ever made, 9 November 2008 Author: thejudgeisonvinyl from Alabama
Very few movies will leave you feeling such anger and sadness after they end.Even though "Eden Lake" doesn't have a truly original plot it manages to look fresh and non-predictable. The acting is truly superb with the standout performance by Kelly Reilly as Jenny.The movie has some gore which is used brilliantly without making Eden Lake look like some cheap exploitation movie. Everything that happens in "Eden Lake" is believable and this, powered by great use of suspense, is what makes this movie so scary. There are barely any clichés or errors present. If you liked movies such as "I Spit On Your Grave" or "The Last House on the Left" you will love "Eden Lake".I can't recommend Eden Lake strongly enough.
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