Director:
Marcus Dunstan
Cast: Josh Stewart, Christopher McDonald, Navi Rawat, Johanna Brady, Lee Tergesen, Daniel Sharmen, Emma Fitzpatrick, Randall Archer
MPAA Rating: Rated
R for strong bloody violence, grisly images, language and brief nudity
Arkin escapes with his life from the vicious grips of "The Collector" during an
entrapment party where he adds beautiful Elena to his "Collection." Instead of
recovering from the trauma, Arkin is suddenly abducted from the hospital by
mercenaries hired by Elena's wealthy father. Arkin is blackmailed to team up
with the mercenaries and track down The Collector's booby trapped warehouse and
save Elena
I In 2009 one movie surprised in a way horror films never had and that was with "The Collector" which is the brain child of Marcus Dunstan (Saw IV-Saw VII). The film was originally suppose to be a prequel to the saw series but it never got off the ground and they decided to use all those left around ideas to create a new film series and potentially a new face of horror in "The Collector." The one thing that I liked about the original film was that The Collector was human. Unlike many faces of horror in Jason, Freddy, and Michael Myers who are virutally invincible to the point where it basically has become a cliched, The Collector is as human as the people he's after which makes the films that more intense. Both the first film and "The Collection" are put into a real world setting. The writers of this film have found a way to due something they were unable to do with the last saw films showing all the news reports about The Collector's killings throughout the town setting up a very tense opening montage.
The one thing I wished they would have focused on in this film was more on the events of the previous film. After spending the first film getting attached to the characters their it felt a little off for them aside Arkin (Joshua Stewart) to set the film apart from that. I guess the reason they had to do that was because it has been three years since the last film and most people probably don't remember The Collection. I didn't have a problem with the story, it reminded me a lot of Saw II being set in a abandond house full of traps. Following these characters throughout The Collector's warehouse was really good and just very intense learning more about this character that was pretty much a mystery in the first film. Most critics have complained about the expansion on the collector's backstory but I for one felt it made the character a lot more relatable. Like I stated earlier most horror film character's have became such a cliched to see actual work put into why a character like this is the way he is was a really nice touch to see. I also liked the introduction of the new main character in Elena (Emma Fitzpatrick) who is the latest hostage of the collector. Having her take the leading role of the film alongside Arkin allowed for Arkin's story arc to continue while still allowing the film to stand fresh enough for new fans to join in on the mayhem.
The traps in this film were also enjoyable to watch. Right off the bat if you don't like gore than you will probably have a problem watching this film. There are many scenes of gore that can be unsettling for moviegoers to watch but as a avid fan of films like "Saw" (JUST I-III) and "Hostel" I've pretty much became numb to the violence and don't have a problem with it. Outside of just being gorey film the film also actually added some really nice scenes of actual suspense. One of main problems with the Saw series was as much as I liked the first three they were really not that scary but really just more gorey and realied to heavily on the gore to carry the film. Most of the characters in the film outside Arkin, Elena, and The Collector the characters in this film were pretty one dimensional. The characters still had nice touches but I would have liked to see more of the cast involved outside the backup role. I feel when they were put into real danger it would have made their scenes more tense. If the audience doesn't care about a character then they aren't going to be to involved when the characters are put into peril danger.
The writing of this film was kind of a mixed bag for me. One I loved the entire story and felt like the writers really took their time to make this film. The last third of this movie is one of the most entertaining resolutions I have seen in a film this year especially a horror film that usually ends in the worst way possible. The problem in the writing comes with the dialouge. One thing that plauged the saw series, (I keep comparing them because they are written by the same people) was how bad the writing was. No matter how good your cast is if you have bad writing then it really disconnects you from the film. Joshua Stewart and Emma Fitzpatrick did a really good job especially Stewart who in my opinion after his turn in "The Dark Knight Rises" is one of the most underrated actors out on the scene today.
In an error where most horror films these days especially Rated R ones are sat down to cliches of every other horro film made, I am glad to say The Collection adds all the suspense, gore, and great story that was previously built upon in "The Collector" creating one of the most intense horror villains to grace the screen today. The film was a little clunky in the writing department but the film was good enough that it didn't take the audience away from what had happened in the film especially the final act that was just plain incredible and how a "Torutre-Porn" horror film can actually be entertaining. The film is already doing back in the box-office so I believe if you are a horror fan who can handle gore than I really believe you should watch this movie before it goes away.
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Final Grade: B+
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