The Horror Show
Chernobyl Diaries
by Bradley Parker
After the success of the Paranormal Activity Series, movie people were eager to attach the brand onto anything that they could. Because of this I will always connect Chernobyl Diaries with the other series because that is how it was advertised. The fact that Paranormal Activity director Oren Peli was a producer on the film was heavily referenced and even the trailer tried to manipulate things to make it look like a similar concept. Chernobyl Diaries, however, ends up being its own film.
For those of you who don't get Ukraine Digest, Chernobyl is famous for one reason. And that is the nuclear power plant explosion that is still the worst nuclear power plant accident of all time in terms of money and casualties. This film focuses on a group of tourists who go on an “Extreme Tourism” tour to the notorious site. The group breaks down to two brothers who are joined by one of their fiancées and another friend. The rest of the tour group is simply a back-packing couple with no other connection to the rest of them. Their guide Uri (Dimitri Diatchenko) is first denied entrance due to “maintenance” but finds another way in to give his customers their money’s worth.
The van that they are all traveling in, of course, breaks down and the nighttime soon gives birth to a whole assortment of dangerous elements. Chernobyl Diaries essentially follows these young people trying to maneuver through the foreign atmosphere with the intention of getting out alive.
Overall, it's a fairly mediocre movie, but has a few worthwhile elements that don't seem to be credited to the project by anyone else. For one thing, I don't find the film stupid at all. You can make the argument that it's cliché at times or that it's not scary enough, but the elements seem relatively genuine and minimalistic. There isn't much CGI craziness to laugh at, it keeps things very simple and relies more strongly on camera movement and small incidents to grow its horror elements.
The characters are also not nearly as irritating as groups of young people tend to be. And, when things go down, the emotions and acting feel fairly authentic. In fact, the relationship between one of the brothers and his fiancé is actually one of the weakest ones. It probably wasn't intended to be weak, but it's refreshing to me. So many movies rest their faith on the stereotypical romantic connection to draw emotion despite the fact that those are amongst the flimsiest relationships there are. I liked to see a film focus on other connections between people. When the brothers become separated, you really feel the torment that fearing for a loved one can emit. And all the terror comes across as pretty realistic.
The biggest criticism I have for Chernobyl Diaries is simply that it doesn't leave a huge impression. It feels like one of those movies that is definitely suited for the big screen and watching it at home doesn't really translate. It's well-filmed and easy to follow, but it goes from nothing to a total free-for-all so there isn't really much growing tension. The beginning is fun, seeing the effects of the disaster and abandonment of the area. Little touches like a mutated fish and an abandoned Ferris wheel, not to mention all the desolate buildings, really set the scene and tone well.
In a lot of ways Chernobyl Diaries feels like a survival horror video game. There are no concrete “bad guys” for the most part. The characters mainly navigate their way through various problems such as unknown creatures, mysterious waters, and dangerous radiation levels. I do wish they had gone more in this direction, exploring the crazy and wild results of the tragedy that befell the area. It moves along at a quick pace, however, and I was a lot less bored than I am with a lot of similar films.
Perhaps because of the advertising or maybe the knowledge that Oren Peli was an attached name, I assumed the film was of the “Found Footage” variety. It isn't. I'm actually relieved by this revaluation, however. I love Found Footage but it's very difficult to do well. Movies within the subgenre tend to be either mind-blowingly awesome or completely boring and worthless. I have a sneaking suspicion that if this film had gone that direction it would have been one of the forgettable ones. But instead, it's pretty sufficient as a regular styled film. I know that's not a high endorsement, but its heads and tails above the abuse that some are giving the movie.
The title is not completely accurate as the concept of a diary or documentation isn't really a theme or major element. Similarly, the film itself primarily just uses Chernobyl as a backdrop for a film that could really exist anywhere. I'm not criticizing the concept of using Chernobyl one bit. I simply wish they had used it a little more as the idea could have given way to a much more epic project.
While I can't directly disagree with anyone who wants to hold this up as an example of the mediocre sludge we are given in mainstream theaters when it comes to horror, it was still better than I expected. That doesn't mean I particularly loved it or anything, but it was at least a competent effort. And I certainly didn't find myself hating the last hour and a half of my life when the closing credits appeared.
All-in-all, my assessment of Chernobyl Diaries is simple. If you're looking for a badass horror film that really goes for it, you better look elsewhere. But if you're looking for a relatively fun jump-scare film to throw on with a few friends, this one is not a bad decision. You could do way better, but you could also do much worse.
P.J. Griffin, HMS
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