Title: The Forest
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Director: Jason Zada
Starring: Natalie Dormer, Eoin Macken, Stephanie Vogt
Runtime: 1 hr 33 mins

What It Is: When Sara’s (Dormer) twin sister goes missing in Japan’s famous Aokigahara known as both the Sea of Trees and the Suicide Forest she decides she needs to go there and find her. As horror films are want to do the forest may have something in it that is far more sinister than an eerie series of trees. Sara may or may not find the sister she is looking for. What she will find is a monstrous piece of land that does not take kindly to visitors.

What We Think: Oh boy, another PG-13 “fright fest” poor Natalie Dormer is better than this movie. It isn’t the worst thing I’ve seen in 2016, but it is just so cliched. There are jump scares where there should be jump scares and sadly none of it comes across well at all. You see almost every angle coming and the angles that stick out fall flat somewhat. Dormer is a good actress but she is wasted here really. No one else in this film seems to be doing anything worth talking about.

Our Grade: D+, Not a complete failure it is really bad. There’s so much you could do with a premise like this. They didn’t do jack with it. Zada’ direction was okay the visuals of the entire thing really are not great but the setting just works to create moments but the fear never feels real or in any way authentic. There is no tension built outside the natural creep created by the film’s setting. Heavy potential all squandered on a cheap cash-in that never felt real in the first place. I’m glad Game of Thrones is coming back so Dormer can continue showing herself off as a great actress there.