So . . . Rare Exports. Just got back. For those who aren't familiar with the film, the trailer can be watched here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9RQlikX4vvw
Rare Exports is a Finnish horror film about an archaeological dig (As typical for these films, it's financed by someone who knows what's actually going on but for some reason neglects to spell it out for everyone else) that turns up Santa Claus. Turns out Santa isn't what popular culture has portrayed. The real Santa is a (demonic?) entity that kidnaps children (All of them, as far as I can tell, no naughty/nice differentiation) and flays them for their crimes to the point where "there aren't any bones left." It consumes reindeer, uses sacks to transport the stolen children, and doesn't speak any known language. It was excavated to be exhibited (Alive and well, incidentally) somewhere in the world, and things go wrong. The locals have to deal with the fallout, and events ensue.
Bottom line: It's OK.
The concept is great, the scripting/execution is iffy. Acting is great. The trailer doesn't hint at it much, but the main actor is a kid. All of the action/plot is driven by Pietari (Played by Onni Tommila). The kid does a decent job with an entire film resting on his shoulders. What's unique about this character is that he's written as an adult. It's like someone wrote all of his dialogue for a grown man and then changed the character description. He plays the typical character that people (or technically, person) initially don't believe, knows what's going down, and how to fix it. This brings a couple of stand-out occasions where the kid gets a full-blown Schwarzenegger moment.
There are a couple of twists/punches pulled from the trailers, which I was thankful for. The thing is, the trailer bills it as horror with a touch of comedy or horror/action. There's a bit of comedy if you go in knowing the premise, but the flick plays everything totally straight. I'm fine with that. The thing is, it's not really horror. It tries to overwhelm with atmosphere and suspense, but it isn't successful. Maybe it's best to go into this film cold, with no ideas/expectations. It doesn't help that 3/4 of the film uses the same two musical tracks. I don't mean musical themes, which can evolve and be used to varying degrees, I mean they use the same two exact orchestral tracks (One main theme for the film, one combo action/suspense track) throughout. As is, the flick's decent enough that if you have the chance to financially support it, you should. I'm just saying it's a bit of a disappointment.
