Below Utopia (1997)

This film wasn't horrible, but it was far from great. As long as you don't expect too much from the story, it is fairly passable, in fact. I knew who the ultimate bad guy was about 30 minutes into the film, but sat around for the remainder of the action just to see it confirmed. I actually like Ice-T as an actor, but he could have phoned this performance in. There was no real background given for the characters or the story--heck, I've seen role-playing game modules with more--but if you're looking for a semi-suspenseful way to waste a couple of mindless hours (and you enjoy this kind of film), you probably won't be too disappointed.One thing that did disappoint me was the lack of light used in shooting any of the scenes. What we could see of the set suggested that it was quite opulent and I would have liked to see more of it. With all of the flaws in this film it seems like a minor complaint, but I guess that is should be expected based on the film's plot

Insipid plot, exquisitely bad acting, and a climax that drags on long after one loses interest. The only redeeming feature of this movie is that it showcases Alyssa Milano's lovely face. In short, the 2 hours required to view this movie could easily be invested in more gainful and rewarding pursuits.

I did not find the supposed plot twist in this movie a twist at all. I figured out who the bad guys were very early on in the movie. The only thing I was uncertain about was whether the character was actually the culprit or whether the acting was just inappropriate and made him/her look like the bad guy; it turns out the acting was quite appropriate. Anyway, I found this movie very obvious and unthrilling, and Susanne's (I was very impressed to see they spelled her name the same way as mine, as it is a rare spelling- bonus points) reluctance to use violence even when her own life was on the line was kind of frustrating. Still, most of the acting was decent, especially considering some of the stupid things people had to say or do. Uncle Whoever's confession was extremely melodramatic and did not seem to have much relevance to the story, unless I missed something. Basically this movie was an unsuspenseful suspense and I do not recommend it to anyone except to the many Alyssa Milano fans out there.

Alyssa gets lots of screen time in this one as the wife to be. She and her fiance go to dinner at the country home of his much "well to do" and I might add disfunctional family only to find that someone has planned to do away with the whole bunch. Only a few of you will figure out who the bad guys really are in advance of the ending. Nice writing and acting however I thought that the direction needed a little attention due to the fact that when hiding in the basement one would think to be a little quieter.