P2 (2007)
Review by Noel
Last November P2 opened wide in theaters across this great nation…and no one cared. Barely anyone noticed. Horror fans wanting their moneys worth went to see The After Dark Horrorfest Film Festival which happened to open the same weekend.
Hindsight being 20/20 and all, it was a mistake, since most of the After Dark Films were putrid…and those of us (me included) who made plans to see P2 the following weekend couldn’t…since it disappeared in most theaters after only a week in wide release.
Such is the beauty of renting/buying the movies we love, because this bears mentioning at the beginning: Had I seen P2 in 2007…it would have made my Top 10 list (somewhere in the 7-10 range). Despite its few weaknesses, I can’t think of a moment I wasn’t entertained
And don’t worry, you need not have seen the original P1, to enjoy P2.
Workaholic Angela (star-in-the-making Rachel Nichols) is closing up shop in the waning moments of Christmas Eve, before she goes to visit her family (working on Christmas Eve is NEVER a good sign). I’m not sure what she does, but it involves a phone, a lot of Post-Its, a computer and deadlines that must be met.
Angela goes to her car, in a parking garage named…P2.
She tries to start it.
And it doesn’t (always a bad omen, kids).
She goes to the security office and an overly helpful guard named Tom (Wes Bentley) tries to help her start her car to no avail (“I was just trying to help!!!”).
Angela calls a cab, but due to a door that won’t open inexplicably, she misses it…and goes to the security office again.
This is NOT turning out to be a good Christmas for Angie.
You the viewer don’t know the half of it. I won’t tell you about the part where she wakes after being knocked the fuck out to find herself in a new dress, tied to a table, good old Tom oh-so-eager to share Christmas dinner with her…
I won’t tell you about that, because you owe it to yourself to watch it.
What works about P2:
1.) Budget Smudget- before I even saw the movie, I had to give kudos to writer/director Franck Khalfoun along with writers Alexander Aja and Gregory Levasseur, for writing a movie that takes place in a PARKING GARAGE!! Because…how expensive could that have been to shoot?
2.) Wes Bentley- He broke out in ’99 appearing in American Beauty…then spent the last 8 years appearing in crap we’d never see or hate ourselves for actually watching (The Four Feathers- yawn, Ghost Rider- that’s just embarrassing all around). In P2, he does play the ostensible bad guy…but he says every line with an aw-shucks innocence that’s almost amusing…if he weren’t such a genuine psychopath (“You fell…and your clothes got dirty”) It’s a performance that’s funny and unsettling…and he only missteps when he “acts” angry.
3.) Fun with Flashlights (“Way to ruin Christmas asshole!”).
4.) A great written scene involving the “Post-Online.”
5.) Those pictures at the end- Just plain weird.
6.) Rachel Nichols- As I wrote earlier, a star in the making, as her transition from kidnapped to badass is never less than plausible. If you think about it, if she didn’t give such a good performance, you’d pay more attention to her cleavage than her acting
7.) Bumper cars- exploding entrails make nice hood ornaments for the holiday season.
8.) A real reason to get upset over a broken nail.
9.) Angela Vs. Rocky- squishy…very squishy…
What doesn’t work:
1.) The plausibility, or IMplausibility with a scene involving water…and an elevator. Yeah…right.
2.) Really bad background music, especially in the beginning that tries to make you jump with every fake scare. Less is more.
3.) The convenience of an unavailable 911 call…
4.) A sing-along to an Elvis song that tries to be creepy but comes across as forced…
You missed P2 in theaters…so rent it. Rent it now. Actually…buy it. Put down that DVD of that horrible Day of the Dead remake…and buy P2 now. You’ll thank me later when I come over to your house for dinner later on tonight.
Watch the P2 Trailer:
Popularity: 22% [?]
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