Absolute Horror Film Forum

Oh dear.

Those two simple words sum up this movie more than a million can. If you're a writer in the paranormal or supernatural genre's then I suggest you watch this to see how not to do it.

So what's wrong with the movie, you ask?

I liked the idea - I mean, take the meaning of the word Premonition and you have endless opportunities, and I was glad the writer and directer kept it small, as the story concerns a normal two parent family (on the verge of a big change in their life - though they don't know it). and their two daughters. Now it starts with Sandra Bullock waking up to a mediocre day which, at the end of it, turns out to be the day her husband dies. Her mother comes over to look after the kids and Sandra falls asleep on the sofa.

When she wakes up in bed (supposedly the next day) she finds her husband alive; and soon finds out she's traveled back in time (now this is my first quibble - this isn't a premonition, it's soddin' time travel - was good ol' Nostradamus really the Dr. Who of his time?).

Anyway, every time she falls asleep she awakens, out of time, either one or two days in the future or past. As she goes through this process she learns some discouraging truths about her husband, and her daughter runs through a glass patio door - after having lived in the house ALL of her some odd teen years - Then Bullock is belittled for not putting up stickers - I recommend "HEY STUPID - DOOR". But if she hasn't figured it's there by now a sign won't help her.

The acting is wooden and painful to watch, at times. We only stayed with it to see how it all would end.

Finally, the day of the husbands death has arrived (so, does this mean ALL the time travel aspects were premonitions - bloody hell if they were, you can keep them, as she went through all the boring, day-in day-out stuff as well - they had to be because the universe didn't implode due to a paradox being formed)

Now this is the worst of it all - so look away, if you're gonna watch the flick, as I'm gonna spoil it for you.

Thanks to the previous time traveling / premonitions she knows her husbands whereabouts and the actual site of his death (she'd even visited it before since it wasn't too far away).

So when she wakes up and finds hubby has left, what does she do?

Not what you and I would do - race the devil to the site of his death so you can stop him before he gets there. No, she goes to the school and slowly drives by, seeing that her husband has already dropped of the kids. He's already at the insurance firm changing his will (in the fastest time I've ever known, because he still gets out of the building, back into the car, and away before she can catch up - Now I don't know about you, but when I go to change anything with insurance it takes at least half a day with waffle and red tape).

It begs the question "does she really love him like she thinks" - for if I could stop a loved ones death, I'd have a thousand wailing cop cars on my speeding ass.

Anyway she's ambling along in her car trying to reach him on the mobile (none have hands free by the way - now there's an accident waiting to happen), and he's busy phoning his nearly mistress to tell her he's not coming as he loves his wife (ah, ain't that nice). Then he phones home to let her know he loves her, and ends up leaving the message you heard at the beginning of the movie. Finally, she gets through, and they have a chat - his life is on the line and they chat - DOH

She matter-of-factly, tells him she's behind him and then realises they're on the road where he dies (maybe she should've realised earlier as it's a bloody long road, and the point where he kicks the bucket, is near the top of the biggest hill on the run (in fact, when she was here earlier and looked back it seemed the road went on for miles and miles, into the sunset)) Anyway she tells him to pull over at the exact spot of his death - at this point I wanted to strangle the writer and the director - and they even have her pull over at the same time (though she's still about a quarter of a mile away). Where they talk a little longer before she tells him to turn his car around. Being a dutiful husband he does as he's told and nearly runs into a car coming the other direction. Then he spends a good few seconds stalled in the middle of a long two lane hardtop, while he tries to fish out his cell phone from the passenger side foot-well where he dropped it in the near miss.

Now, Sandra has jumped out of her car and is running up the hill ('cause that's faster than the 4-by-4 - at least she's helping the environment) screaming for her hubby to get out of the car. Ah, hubby is a material boy and tries to start the car, as the BIG Semi cruises over the hill and hits his horn (as all good film truck drivers do), still he tries the ignition, while holing onto the phone. A second warning blares out from the truck. Finally, hubby tries the seat belt (guess what?) and it wont open (oh, no), so back to the ignition.

At this point, the truck driver, instead of very slightly veering to the right and missing the car entirely, stomps hard on the brakes and jackknifes (as all good film truck drivers do - these guy's ain't good under a little pressure are they?) making sure he totals the car and beheads the hubby in the process.

So, at the end of the film everything is the same as at the beginning - Wife alive & husband dead - what was the point? There isn't one, no moral, no nothing - oh, almost forgot the cop out ending - Dah-DA Sandra's Pregnant - great now she's a single mother that has to look after three kids on her own - hop she gets welfare (if you thought she looked old in this film - give her a couple of years with three kids).

If I spoiled your viewing of this film I'm sorry - If you enjoyed it I'd like to know why? I've seen some BAD movies in my time - but this one takes my WORST MOVIE EVER MADE trophy.

0/10

Come join me - We ALL float down here.
PENNYWISE.