It’s been interesting in checking out so many found footage films in recent years because I have started to see trends develop. One of these trends is the frequency good old Bigfoot has become the focus for these films.
I get it, you can film in the forest and have a built in set, you have ready made atmosphere, and you can play on the primal fear of those wooded places. With Bigfoot you have a creature that is both myth and monster, a thing that some people believe still lurks the dark places of the world. It makes too much sense to focus on these things when making a found footage film.
And so it is that we come to the curious case of TAHOE JOE, a found footage film seeking to find the cryptid Bigfoot.
TAHOE JOE begins with a missing person. A man has headed into the deep woods to search for a beast known as Tahoe Joe. The man films himself as he heads out for his search, hoping to capture evidence of the beast The man believes he may have filmed something as he was taking video of himself and so, satisfied he may have proof of the creature he beds down in his tent, only to be taken by the thing and disappearing on that same camera. The man’s son turns to two filmmakers, one who knew the father, to see if they can help find the truth of what happened. On seeing the man’s footage they decide that they need to investigate, and to see if Tahoe Joe is real. What they find is beyond what they could have imagined, and opens a mystery they never could have dreamed.
This is a frustrating film.
The first half of it is really well done, is engagaing, and the acting is really solid.
They lay out the mystery, it’s all ‘believable’, and the quest for answers makes sense.
They use a really neat technique in that they give it a sort of documentary feel and it really sets a tone and feeling. As the movie moves to the search it starts to get a little wobbly as the two leads team up with a dodgy guide that claims he can find where Tahoe Joe is. Then we suddenly have outside music to set a mood but which kills the whole ‘found footage’ vibe.
Now, SAYING THAT, they can portend that that was added to the film as a way to add tension to things in post-production…as if this film is a REAL film that they have put out.
OK.
Fine.
Not that we’re given a heads up that that is a thing, but, sure.
The problem is that suddenly all the build up goes from 4 to 10 and they rush into the action and climax. I will give them credit in that the climax is exciting, it goes places I hadn’t expected, and I was surprised by the ending. Unfortunately they raise more questions than they are willing to answer it this feels like yet another film more focused on setting up sequels and a franchise than it is in making a self contained film.
Sigh.
It isn’t bad.
It’s interesting as heck and, like their previous film, THE FLOCK, there’s some cool ideas here. They just don’t necessarily know how to end a film well.
And I give them this, the creature is well filmed and is creepy, what we see. They have the sense not to show more than they need so you don’t have a whole lot of time to pick the creature and the suit apart.
I dunno, man.
It’s OK.
It’s not bad, it’s not great.
It’s OK.
Bigfoot fans may be interested in it and hardcore found footage geeks.
Otherwise…meh.
3 out of 5
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt21329580/
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