Stillwater (2018) Reviews

• Stillwater: Passable thriller

  Platypuschow2018-03-20

  I didn't know what to expect going into Stillwater, it was yet another pick & mix film and I assumed it would be a horror. I can assure it isn't. Playing out like a thriller/mystery it tells the story of the reuniting of a group of friends for a camping trip but it all goes horribly wrong when one is later found dead. This causes the friends to turn on one another as the fear & paranoia sets in. Stillwater is very dull in places, very lifeless which is a shame because it does have a lot going for it. The cast are 50/50, the cinematography is passable and overall though not the most original film it manages to remain fresh. I don't know why I felt it was so underwhelming, something just didn't sit right with me and I was left feeling that Stillwater should have been better. There are worse ways of killing 90 minutes and for what it is it's a passable affair regardless of my criticism. The Good: Decent twist Well enough made The Bad: Very drab in places Weak delivery of a good enough story Things I Learnt From This Movie: We never did find out how you can kill a person with foot cream!

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• A good ending saves an otherwise messy film

  jtindahouse2018-03-13

  The synopsis for 'Stillwater' reads: 'A weekend camping trip among six old friends in Northern Minnesota's "Boundary Waters" turns tragic after one dies under mysterious circumstances, triggering further turmoil as they attempt to unmask the killer within their own group.' Not often these days I'll watch a film with no actors or film makers behind the scenes that I know, but that plot was just too tempting for me to turn down. I quickly checked out the first 15 seconds of the trailer and decided it was made with enough quality to be watchable even if it wasn't as good as I had hoped. So was it everything I wished for? Not quite. The film has a lot of flaws. Some of the writing is shotty to say the least. A lot of moments of dialogue are just bizarre and completely out of place. Also the characters were not unique enough. It was tough to keep them separated in your mind, which isn't ideal in a whodunnit type film. Then there were the emo characters. Whoever had the idea to include them in the film needs to take a good hard look in the mirror. It was a bizarre choice. A film set in the middle of the woods, with three emos seemingly being the most comfortable ones out there? Not in this lifetime. The film also gets off to a very slow start and frankly the pacing throughout was less than desirable. The film really feels like it's dragging up until about the final ten minutes. There's also a scene that was put there almost entirely so that one of the actors had a reason to take his clothes off and show off his body. The 'test' done in this scene also made zero sense and held almost no logic when you think about it for the briefest second. So why after all this did I give the film a '6' you ask? Fair question. The answer is that I'm a sucker for a good ending. I can honestly say first of all that I did not pick it. It hid itself very well. Secondly, it's almost the most logical part of the film in a way. That's not to say it entirely makes reasonable sense, but I can at least sort of see it happening. 'Stillwater' is a tough watch that is made partially bearable by a decent ending. If that sounds like something you'd like to buy into then this one is for you. If you're more about the journey than the destination then probably give this one a miss.

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• An original twist on a common story

  thrillerlover472018-03-19

  I went into this thinking I was going to get the usual "whodunnit" film but set in the woods. I will say that, coming out, it was a lot more than I expected. Pros: The ending takes it. I can usually call these types but I couldn't in this one. The cast does a great job overall. The lead actor nails it, and overall everyone was believable. The setting of northwoods Minnesota in the fall is beautiful, and that contrasts the downward spiral that the characters take. And for a thriller, the movie touches on some heavy issues with some of it's dialogue. Cons: Some of the dialogue felt stiff, especially in the opening. There were slow moments, again mostly in the beginning. The one scene with the dummy doesn't really add anything, and could have been left out. Overall: I despise unoriginality--the constant churn of Hollywood sequel after sequel--and I thought this was an interesting and original concept on a familiar tale. For that reason I gave it a 9.

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• Great Movie

  rightsttime2018-07-30

  I'm so glad I watched this movie before reading IMDb reviews. Now I see what people mean when they suspect that a lot of reviews on this site are made by trolls just being trolls. Just one example of many: One reviewer described a bunch of "deadbeats" going camping. First of all, one is.a podiatrist, one is a children's book author, one owns his own business with a wife and children.... So many reviews of every movie on this site are not only misleading, but many are out and out lies regarding the facts of storylines, pace of movie, and acting ability. This film had great acting, did not move slowly, and did not give me any urge whatsoever to fast forward. I truly have no idea why IMDb has the credibility that it (apparently) has, much less any credibility at all. I pay no mind to the review numbers quoted from this site, especially mediocre numbers, and have yet to been proven wrong in that decision.

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• Didn't see it coming!!!

  lipp-680742018-03-15

  This thriller is more than your average who-done-it!! The scenario rings true and the film was shot beautifully. I appreciated the character development and consider it very well written. Though it moved a bit slow at times, I enjoyed the pockets of hilarity and the action packed thrill ride more than made up for it. The ending was the highlight of the film. Just when I thought I figured it out, I was thrown right back into the chaos. I can usually figure out a surprise ending, but this one had me thinking long after the credits ran. Bravo Stillwater, endings like this are hard to come by!

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