Blue Jay (2016) Reviews

• I loved this movie!

  craigmad2016-12-06

  You see, this is the problem with reading reviews on here sometimes; no appreciation of a well made independent film. I loved this thriller. I think a lot of people like to come on here and trash movies. This movie was well written, well acted, and had my wife and I on the edge of our seats. The angrier my wife gets when I talk through movies, the more I know she loves it. This film was beautifully shot for not being a large budget film, with multiple intense scenes that were extremely intense. Sara Lindsey was especially convincing. I thought the acting was very strong, from the waitress in the beginning, who clearly had the authenticity of a mid-west girl to the antagonist, who was well chosen and did a great job. I would definitely recommend seeing this movie.

• Wasted time

  raphael_erfe2016-12-05

  What a disappointment! The concept of the film was interesting and had potential, but the plot and the way it was executed had me yawning in my seat in 15 minutes. The film squanders all that potential, delivering a lackluster and boring product. It felt like watching a documentary! The trailer looked promising and was mildly suspenseful, but unfortunately, that 2 minutes of action is all you're gonna get in this 83 minute film. The best things about it are the gorgeous establishing shots and the location, which I admire the crew for filming in such a harsh environment. But everything else is dreary and fails to capture the audiences' attention. The writing wasn't given much thought, and the characters were one-dimensional. The lack of character development and their uninspiring portrayal prevented me from feeling invested to care much about what happens to them, which defeats the whole purpose of the film. The villain initially seemed like an interesting character, but as the movie dragged on, you realize that this man made no sense - much like the entire film. The limp plot twist at the end was predictable and anti-climactic. The credits roll and you feel like you've wasted your time. I wouldn't recommend watching this film unless you truly have nothing else to watch.

• Slowly Descends into Mindless Horror

  sjk09-919-2045212016-12-05

  Blue Jay begins as an intriguing if less than masterfully acted mountain adventure, lead by a socially awkward new boyfriend who is oddly motivated to push the main character up the side of the snow-covered mountain in the winter against her better judgment for reasons that are never entirely clear. Along the way they are stalked by a group of men dressed in summer clothing who seem to appear periodically along the trail as if they'd been beamed there from the transporter room of the Enterprise. No explanation is ever given for their motives or their ability to magically ascend up the side of the snow-covered mountain with no climbing or snow gear. The leader of the group talks as if he is part of some kind of environmental or religious cult but much of what he says makes no sense and his companions all appear to be slow, dull, and clumsy, as if they'd just stumbled out of a saloon, which leaves the viewer to wonder what they are doing there in the first place. The movie eventually degenerates into a thoroughly disappointing and depraved horror movie with undertones of sexual violence.

• Unexpctedly good!

  benareameya2016-12-04

  I saw this film thinking its other Blue Jay 2016. I don't know much about another movie too other than it has Mark Duplass so kinda waited for him throughout the film. But before I realized it the other movie I was hooked. It's a nice little movie made with heart. Totally good if you want good Sunday afternoon thriller. Nothing great but not bad at all. Thriller for trekkers and hikers. The climax is not very impact full but its descent. Anyways in thrillers, good climax add additional start in the review. In this case it is just descent. Watch it if you like slow thrillers. acting is good too. Just don't go with your potential girlfriend /boyfriend ;)

• Realistic, Beautiful, Scary

  liliofthethorns2018-07-03

  I thought this movie was extremely well done! It had a very realistic feel through out the movie (until the end - I'll get to that later). While I was watching this movie I felt like I was actually just watching two people hiking a mountain (in a good way). There were no crazy or cheesy and effects, just absolutely stunning scenery! The acting was realistic too which added to the realness of the film. The villains of the film were creepy - exactly what real bad guys are like (which makes it an even scarier scenario). I would have EASILY given this movie 10 stars, had it not been for the ending... SPOILER ALERT BELOW This movie ended with one of my absolute biggest pet peeves in movies... After the character goes the whole movie fighting the bad guys, watching them murder two people (one being her new boyfriend), she essentially "wins," and gets to the town. The twist of the movie is a female character seen earlier in the movie actually knows the bad men and is in on their stalking "game." The heroine of course runs into this woman after her escape and seeks help from her. The woman isolates our heroine and then the 2 surviving bad men show up. AND HERE'S THE ANNOYING PART THAT COST THE MOVIE A STAR - at a snap of a finger the woman suddenly just changes and is going to join their gang! WHAT!?!? The movie should have simply ended with a few people running to her when she collapses in town, the police showing up and interviewing her (you know, have her wrapped in a blanket sitting in the back of an ambulance), and her going home or something! Not her joining the group she just killed half of the members because they tried to rape her and killed her boyfriend.