The Gathering (2002)
Picture:
B- Sound: B- Extras: D Film: C
Is
Christina Ricci the Carolyn Jones of our time?
No actress has thrived and survived on more Horror and Fantasy genre
work (and she can act) than any since P.J. Soles or Jamie Lee Curtis. That is actually to her favor as she tries
other works, since she can survive doing projects like Brian Gilbert’s The Gathering (2002) with her more
risk-taking endeavors. Lucky woman.
Unfortunately,
this wacky concoction of a car wreck, amnesia, images of the crucifixion, being
haunted by other strange images and the haunting dead never amounts to what it
might have. Fantastic Four fans will be curious to see it just because of
co-star Ioan Gruffudd, but the film via Anthony Horowitz’s screenplay amounts
to everything we have seen in the genre before and never adds up. Nice try, though.
The
anamorphically enhanced 2.35 X 1 image is not bad in color, even when
definition is an issue, which is something since it looks like it is shot in
digital High Definition or has a pronounced digital internegative. Cinematographer Martin Fuhrer has done some
interesting work for British TV, so that should be no surprise. The Dolby Digital 5.1 mix is not bad, but too
standard for the genre to be anything special, but it will do. There are no extras.
- Nicholas Sheffo
