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Overall Rating : 6/10
Directed By : Dario Piana
Mike Vogel (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003) )
Jaime Murray (Dexter (TV) )
Christina Cole
Michael Feast
Supplied By : Lionsgate Films
Film Reviewed By : Rick L. Blalock
Date Reviewed : March. 27, 2008
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| PLOT On an otherwise ordinary night, the young Ian Stone encounters a mysterious creature and is forced into the path of an oncoming train. Rather than facing certain death, Ian finds himself reborn into a new life that feels strangely familiar. After his second death, it becomes apparent that Ian is being hunted by an evil presence and will be forced to die every day until he can solve the mystery of his own life. |
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| THE REVIEW Imagine dying a horrible death, only to wake up the next day to a completely new life, with important people in your life being slightly different than they were before - and imagine this happening everyday. Well this is exactly what happens to the title character in THE DEATHS OF IAN STONE. Ian Stone, a talented collegiate Hockey player, seems to have the worst day of his life when he blows the big game for his team - but what's worse is what happens to him after the game. After dropping his girlfriend, at her house, Ian is distracted by a shadowy creature, who attacks him, ultimately throwing him into the way of a moving train. But the strange thing is that Ian doesn't actually "die", as after the accident, he awakens in a new life, in which he now has a desk job, and in this life he finds that Jenny is not his girlfriend, but his co-worker. he now has a new girlfriend in this life named Medea, but Ian finds it odd that she doesn't know much about his past(like his playing Hockey in college), what's even more strange is that there is actually no record for the things he remembers from the previous life he had. As predicted, Ian soon dies....and dies again, with each time getting more out of the ordinary. As he tries to unravel the mystery that is his life, he encounters a few individuals whom have a strange fascination with him and actually what he remembers, it is soon revealed to Ian that these otherworldly persons are responsible for his deaths, but the question in the end is why? Before seeing this film, yes I was aware of the mixed reaction it has received, but as always, went in with an open mind. First off, the film's premise is what caught my eye - it's like a mix of GROUNDHOG DAY meets FINAL DESTINATION and BOOGEYMAN (2003) or something similar. Since Stan Winston Studios was attached to this film, I knew one thing, about THE DEATHS OF IAN STONE already, and that is that the deaths in question would be kind of gory, since the award winning Winston helmed films such as THE TERMINATOR and WRONG TURN, and surely his studio wouldn't produce any less. Some reviews have noted that the plot of the film, they feel, takes a backseat to the said effects - and that the film later turns into just a reason to display them, but on this, I just have to say that I only partly agree. sure I do agree that the full potential of this film was not met, and a bit overshadowed by the effects, and at times it has uneven direction by Piana, whom seems to be more comfortable in some areas more than others, but I have to admit that it somehow managed to entertain me, from start to finish. The look of the film as well as the effects are all top notch and it begs the question if THE DEATHS OF IAN STONE could've had a theatrical run, on it's own, without the AFTER DARK HORRORFEST. In my opinion I think it could have - after all the studios put through films that are far worse and more uneven like THE RETURN and THE REAPING. The film's acting revolves around another strong showing by lead star Mike Vogel as the title character. Vogel continues to impress me with each and every role he does, and definitely begins to show the talents of someone who could eventually become a leading man, in many genres. I also enjoyed the performance of Christina Cole as Jenny, who obviously isn't as prominent as Vogel's character here but offers good support as the girlfriend caught up in a strange and supernatural mystery. THE DEATHS OF IAN STONE is far from perfect and it's plot barely manages to get past being no more than just an idea, but again I admit, I still was really entertained by it. |
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| GORE
METER 3.5/10 A bloody impalement, a slit throat, and a bloody car crash is all I seem to remember. There was more focus on visual effects than gore alone. |
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| MUSICAL
SCORE 3/10 Very standard suspense stuff and often very low key. |
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| OVERALL
IMPRESSION OF THE FILM In closing, not every one will like THE DEATHS OF IAN STONE, and it's apparent that not everyone does. I guess I am part of the few that actually did enjoy it, as to me, it has all things that "guilty pleasure" films are made of, and that's what i'd consider this film to be - a guilty pleasure that is neither bad or a really great film, but it does have "something". |
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