As I have mentioned before, it’s interesting to note the trends in found footage. To see what gets popular because it reflects where the culture is at that moment. At this moment influencers and digital content producers are the catch of the day. It makes sense because they are, well, influencing the culture and how it moves and consumes things. Influencers are our new entertainers creating the entertainment we devour, no matter how funny or stupid it is. Influencers are perfect for found footage because they are always shooting because it’s their job, they crave the attention, and they always have some manner of camera on them.
How perfect is that?
We get so caught up in the – why are they filming? Why are they still filming?
Those questions are gone with influencers and all you are left with is what drew them to whatever they are documenting in the first place. Enter…BEYOND THE NORTH WOODS.
BEYOND THE NORTH WOODS finds a paranormal content producer heading out into the deep woods of a community with his camera person to investigate several mysterious disappearances. The two of them link up with a ranger to head into the woods to talk about the disappearances. As they are out there the three lose track of time and get lost in the woods, woods which seem filled with danger.
The great equalizer with found footage is budget because big budget films can be awful and nothing budget films can be great. This is a film with clearly no budget, and that’s fine. If there’s a good story and decent acting the rest works itself out.
Unfortunately, there’s realtively little story, an awful main character, and acting that doesn’t elevate things. This is a film about walking in the woods…and talking. Lots of talking. There is no real explanations offered to anything that’s happening, just a strange occurence that leads to what happens dor the rest of the film. It’s a shallow portrayal of an influencer and with him being the heart of the film, it doesn’t pull you in at all. Characters come and go. The movie changes gears late in the game. It just doesn’t work. There are a lot of very similar films out there that are more succesful and have something to say or show. This one is a movie, that’s about it.
I won’t be mean. I won’t be nasty. I respect anyone that can make a film and release it. This isn’t a good movie though and while it’s in the found footage subgenre it adds nothing and says nothing. It just sort of is.
.5 out of 5
The Spooky World of Chris Ringler 