Triangle (2009) Reviews

• One of the best movies of all time

  blackjackel2014-05-16

  SPOILERS AHEAD, SPOILERS AHEAD! SPOILERS AHEAD! Many people posted bad reviews for the movie because they think it is full of plot holes, If you are one of these people please send me a private message with your plot holes and I will do my best to explain them to you. Some say the main actress acted irrationally without going into detail as to WHY or HOW, again please message me and I will explain. I will attempt to explain some of the major "plot holes" that people think this movie has. I copied and pasted some questions word-for-word from a review that I already read which were common amongst other reviews. Here's a brief transcript in the movie, it is relevant to my explanation: Come check this out. This is the same ship. This thing's old. Jess. Oome on. Oome on. Here's where we boarded. Oh, yeah. Aeolus. Aeolus was the Greek god of the winds and the father of Sisyphus, the man condemned by the gods to the task of pushing a rock up a mountain and let it see roll back down again. That's a shitty punishment. What did he do? He cheated Death. No, he made a promise to Death that he didn't keep. I studied it but I can't remember. 1) What happen at the end when they got into the car crash, and she's perfectly fine? She was wearing a seat belt, while her child was in the back seat without a seat belt and therefore died. If you're wondering why she didn't put a seat belt on her child, see explanation of question 3. Sometimes a seat belt is the difference between dying and walking away without a scratch. 2) Why is it that nobody sees her except for the taxi driver? The taxi driver is death, and he is the reason the loop is happening, if you look at my transcript you'll see that "He cheated death, no, he made a promise to death that he didn't keep". By killing herself and staying alive, she cheated death... Also as she is leaving the taxi, he asks if she'll be black, she says "Yes, I promise", she knows that she can't really be back (as in from the harbor, which is what the taxi driver REALLY asked her), so she made a promise to death that she couldn't keep. If you go re watch the scene where the taxi driver walks up to her for the first time, you will see the colors dim, the movie gets dark, and the music becomes ominous. The taxi driver is death, and this is why he was the only one that can see her. 3) If she remembers everything. She knows exactly why she's going on the sail boat (apparently to go back in time to save her kid), then why is she doing the same thing over and over again? The loop does not happen the EXACT SAME WAY every time, you can see this by the scene where she discovers the bodies of one of her victims, they are strewn all over the place, indicating that the loop happens differently every time. Perhaps the last time the loop happened, her child died in a different way, which is why she isn't EVER able to stop her child dying. For example, when she goes to pick up the dead seagull after hitting it, maybe her child opens the door and runs across the freeway, and dies... maybe in other loops its a heart attack... etc. The only thing wrong with the movie is that she should have been much more paranoid about her child in the end, because she should know that he can die in various ways. Maybe some part of her knows, that, as the taxi driver said "There's nothing anyone can do that's gonna bring him back.", but chooses to continue the loop by going to the harbor because she doesn't care, she would rather live with the faint glimmer that maybe at some point she can save him.

• Haunting

  Cujo1082010-05-12

  Jess (Melissa George) is a single mother struggling to raise her autistic son. While working her job at a diner, she become friends with one of the customers, a playboy type named Greg who invites her on a yachting trip with he and his friends. Desperate for a break from her son, she takes him up on his offer. The day of the trip, she's late getting to the boat and arrives flustered. She says that her son is at school, but it's a Saturday. Despite her questionable frame of mind, Greg introduces her to the group (including uptight sister, Sally, and his first mate, Victor, both of whom are vocal in their reservations about her) and off they go. It's smooth sailing at first, but an out of nowhere storm leaves the boat capsized and the remaining passengers stranded. They think they're in luck when an ocean liner passes by, though boarding the ship is just the beginning of things going from bad to worse. This is the third film I've seen from director Christopher Smith. Creep left me unimpressed, but I liked Severance well enough, shoddy ending aside. This, however, is easily the most rewarding of the three. What looked like it would be your typical slasher set on a ship turns out to be something far more intriguing. What we get instead is a mind-bending little trip with an obtuse mood and a curving story. I can see some people thinking of the film as being too repetitive, but I was caught up in the mystery right off the bat. This is a well put together film with some interesting questions at it's core. While it's not completely fresh (there are some definite similarities to Timecrimes), it still kept it's hooks in me for the duration. Smith put a lot of time into the script, reportedly a few years, and I feel that it paid off. Triangle also wraps up with it's own unique explanation, one that's Sisyphean in theme. Another of the film's top qualities would be the strength of some of it's visuals, the most notable example being Sally crawling amidst something that I will leave unspoiled. A wicked sight and a sure shock when it pops up. This film deserved to play in theaters. Aside from the fact that it's far superior to a lot of the horror that gets theater play these days, it's just a damn fine film that would benefit from being seen on the big screen. The Blu-ray is beautiful! Regardless, Christopher Smith has given us a haunting treat that will continue to fester in your mind long after that initial viewing. A must-see!

• One of the best mysteries lately

  bobby_mak2009-11-25

  This movie is really amazing. I recommend it a 100%. It plays with your mind from the very beginning until the very end. It just makes you think all the time and even when the credits roll you are left thinking and considering, and I mean that in the good way. Some movies leave you thinking "Why did that happen? It made no sense whatsoever.". Not this. However, in order to understand everything you must really pay attention to all the details, some lines, some specific shots and then I promise, it will all make sense. Of course, if you have someone to discuss it with after it is over, will make things a lot more interesting and engaging. I just want to say that this movie is not a horror and doesn't have any "jump" moments. It is a pure mystery and I am sure that any mystery fan would truly enjoy the experience. I am not going to give away anything concerning the plot, because this will just spoil the pleasure from all the twists and turns this movie takes you through. This is my advice: Do not read anything about this movie or watch any trailers, before you actually see it. Believe me, it is going to be a lot more fun like this. The story is extremely engaging and the end is very satisfying. New elements are constantly added when you least expect them and the movie actually answers all the questions it asks, or at least provides you with enough clues to solve the puzzles yourself. Melissa George gives probably her best performance up to date. She really helps a lot in making the movie what it is. She has a great potential in her as an actress and I hope this opens even more doors for her. All I can say is, see this movie! You will not be disappointed and it will keep you guessing and guessing and then surely make you talk a lot about it. Don't you just love when that happens?

• "You Will Come Back....Won't You?"

  Mr_Saxon2009-11-24

  How to talk about "Triangle" without giving anything away? It's a puzzle equal to that which the movie presents its audience, because this isn't your standard horror movie. It has more in common with plot-twisting movies such as "Momento" and "The Machinist" than the gory likes of "Halloween" or "Ghost Ship". Perhaps a good start is offer some praise to the director Christopher Smith whose work i've been a fan of since "Creep". I also greatly enjoyed his follow-up "Severence", but "Triangle" is easily his most mature effort so far; and the entire movie has an almost dream-like atmosphere to it. It certainly looks beautiful and the haunting music adds to this ambiance. Melissa George, who plays the central role here, is quietly impressive; she's never really been an actress who has stood out to me in her previous roles, and so it was a pleasant surprise to see her rising to the occasion of taking center stage. It's only a shame that her character is so haunted and inaccessible. This isn't George's fault; the role is written in a way which keeps her detached not only from the other characters but also from the moviegoers. She's constantly aloof and distracted which can be initially annoying; it's hard to care for a character which you can't warm to. I would certainly applaud the makers for attempting something different to the standard horror story (although, I do admit that it is very similar in theme to one other recent movie that you'll probably see mentioned a few times in the forum for "Triangle") and I certainly enjoyed the experience. I'd recommend staying away from learning too much about the plot beforehand (the trailer, in particular, gives far too much away) if at all possible. "Triangle" is very much like a movie-length version of a "Twilight Zone" episode but its also a very flawed piece. There's an intelligence at work in the script; the way in which the pieces of the puzzle are presented to the audience is done in a skilled manner but it also suffers from thinking it's far cleverer than it actually is. There are plot holes to be found by those who dwell on the story, and the ending isn't quite as neat as the movie believes it to be. Still, this is an impressive effort and well worth checking out (especially if you're a fan of the two superior movies mentioned earlier - "Momento" and "The Machinist"). In a world in which cinematic horror tends to involve torture and cheap shocks, it's nice to find a more psychological effort that looks for other ways to creep under your skin.

• Very good and intriguing

  Lord_Frog2009-08-27

  I just came back from the world premiere at FrightFest in London, it was the festival opener as well so expectations were high and it didn't disappoint! Much better than Creep and Severance, this is Christopher Smith's most ambitious film. A mind-bending story that is as puzzling as it is original, Triangle is more a mystery than a horror movie in my opinion. Gorehounds will be sorely disappointed. This is more about a situation which becomes more and more surreal, almost dream-like, I thought during the film that I've had similar nightmares as a kid... nightmares going around in circles and getting more and more frightening because I knew when or how the monster would inevitably come back... The plot (no spoilers): after their yacht is overturned during a freak storm, a group of friends are desperate for help. A cruise ship suddenly appears and they see a figure looking down at them from the bridge for a few seconds. They climb on board but there is no crew, no passengers, nothing. Saying anything more would be ruining the movie, so I'll stop here. After the movie ended in a round of applause, Christopher Smith said that it took him 2 years to write the script, and in the end it's not surprising as this is a very complex plot and to make all the pieces fall into place must have been a daunting task! Good acting by Melissa George and the rest of the cast, but her haunting performance takes center stage very quickly as the movie goes on a WTF / Twilight Zone-ish mode. All in all I recommend it, I really enjoyed it and it kept me guessing the whole time so if you like unconventional, mind-f*** movies, this is one for you!