By Alan Samuel
Being left alone can be traumatic. When a girl goes missing it turns into a family obsession in The Forest. Somehow Universal Studios got snookered into making this minor horror vehicle, now tapping into fears at Cineplex Odeon cites across B.C.
Lack of big name actors may make The Forest hard to overcome. Scenic Japan becomes ground zero when an American goes missing. Out to find her twin sister Jess is strong willed Sara Price. Unfortunately the price does not seem to be right despite the best intentions of all concerned. Hot off her work on Game of Thrones thinly veiled Natalie Dormer shows pretty much one dimension in the dual role of sisters trapped inside a treed region of noble Japan.
Tradition has those down on their luck locals going into the forbidden forest in Hopes of taking their own lives. Some pretty lame flashbacks reveal that these two now grown women once had their own traumatic experiences. Now deep inside those cavernous woods more danger awaits.
Except for a few minor scares The Forest just doesn’t seem that horrific. Quite simply there aren’t too many jarring moments where you will leap out of your seats. Despite some spectacular photography of the foreboding region The Forest even feels a touch long at 95 minutes. Come to think of it, why didn’t the writers throw in some wild animals to up the ante in this rather tepid tale.
