Mr. Jones (2013)

I believe the reason a lot of people dislike this movie is because it really isn't a conventional horror. It's nothing like Slenderman or the Blair Witch Project. But it's got themes that I find very enjoyable. It's disturbing more than it is scary, and it's so aesthetically pleasing that I found myself wanting to move into the woods too - at first. The fact that the main characters were nature photographers really sets up the movie to have some wonderful scenery. Penny and Scott were a beautiful couple, and I loved the portions of the movie where they were peaceful and happy together. You expect the movie to start out happy and then fly off the deep end, like most horror movies do, but this one doesn't do that. Rather, it's set on a gradual increase, from peaceful to stressed to scary to insane. That might bother some people, but I found it very pleasing, simply because it wasn't quite like most horror movies. I absolutely love the way the conflict was carried out. For the first half of the movie, you genuinely expect Mr. Jones to be the main antagonist. But as time goes on, and you see the way he interacts with the main characters, it doesn't feel that way anymore. In fact, at some point, we find that the real antagonist is more of a concept than a physical being. The way that was developed was completely unexpected for the viewer. Again, that might bother people - they want a real antagonist, like an alien or a ghost or Mr. Jones himself. But in this movie, the closest thing we have to a physical antagonist is actually the protagonists. It's a complex idea, and I find it to be beautiful. I usually don't like found-footage films. They seem to always have the same concept. However, this one really resonated well with me. The aesthetics are beautiful, the concept is complex, the characters are well-executed, and the scary aspect is psychologically disturbing. If I had to name what kind of movie this even is, I'd call it an Aesthetic Thriller.

I'm really not entirely sure why this film has gotten such awful reviews. I personally thought this was beautifully captured and written. It's definitely one of those films that you really have to pay attention to understand it. Because there wasn't much dialogue aside from the dialogue between Penny and Scott, it leaves a lot of the film up to the imagination. The ending of the film ties up everything perfectly and pulls all the information gathered from the rest of the film and makes complete sense. Every single question that you would have about Mr.Jones has already been answered. Where did Mr.Jones come from? From the last "Mr.Jones". What was Mr.Jones doing? Warding off the dream world from the real word. Why didn't Mr.Jones want to talk to Penny/why didn't he talk to her? Because he's literally battling his own reality where the real world and the dream world are colliding and he has probably learnt to ignore anything that talks to him. Everything makes perfect sense, you just have to piece it all together in your head.In terms of the cinematography, it was shot wonderfully. In the beginning, there is a featured "shot montage" just like the series of shots featured in Scott's colliding world's. The way this movie was filmed ties perfectly well with what is happening. It's quite obvious that the choppy and confusing shots were put in there for a reason - because the character's in the film were confused about what was going on and also trying to put everything together. The shots mimic the plot and it is wonderful in all honesty. If you're in search of a film that is terrifying, seemingly realistic and extremely suspenseful, this is the film for you.

(Warning: some spoilers in second half. Read the first half for a quick look). I feel like this movie is very underrated. I read the many bad (and some good) reviews, became unsure, but gave this movie a shot and I do not regret my decision. You can't look at this movie realistically. I looked at this movie as a myth/urban legend put together as a film and ended up loving it. I will admit it got confusing at times and it had it's moments of "Why would you do that?" but if you pay attention everything makes sense. Truly. In short, this movie is about nightmares and what we do to keep them at bay. It takes a look at the consequences that happen to those who mess with nightmares. Look at the movie like that and you will enjoy it a lot more.More in depth: Mr. Jones is just the nickname given to an unknown man who protects the real world from the dream world. He does so by using these scarecrows, something used often to scare away spirits. It has been used in many cultures throughout history. It's really not hard to understand that. You mess with these wards and you pay the price. That's exactly what happens to the protagonists Penny and Scott. It does get trippy and confusing a little past halfway through but the way I saw it is that as a result of their meddling both of them started to live in their own nightmare, being constantly deceived and tricked by these monsters. They don't know what's real and what's not. That's what a nightmare is like. That's what the two main characters fight through.

Mr. Jones is now streaming on Netflix, and when I came upon it I think I was taken in by the striking cover art (it's not the one listed here on IMDb). It's of one of the "statues" in the movie, silhouetted against a plain background, with some relatively cheery looking writing underneath it. It's a hell of a poster, and a great advertisement for the film.It's a pity I can't say as many good things about the film, because I really wanted to. Something about the film doesn't quite click, and it's hard to pinpoint exactly what it is. The action is good, the villain is creepy, and there's a good story. All ingredients that a horror movie needs to nail. Even the acting is good, much better than it needs to be.As I said though, it just doesn't... click. The format chosen for this film was a really, really bad choice. It's completely overdone, and it doesn't suit many films at all(I can think of 2 films where this choice worked). All it really does here is serve to rip us straight out of the action on screen, made even worse by those obligatory moments where the camera dramatically cuts out and random, documentary-style interviews littered throughout the middle sections.The closing sections of the film are also strewn with bad choices. It slips into a slinky, Lynchian nightmare for the last half hour, which is good on a purely visceral level (it's well made) but it feels practically unrelated to the rest of the film and offers us no progression on what we've already seen. It's all style and no substance, which is a shame when the film actually sets itself up so well.This is a film that may be enjoyed by some, but not by most. Some films don't need an ending, and do well by leaving out a definitive one. This is not one of them.