P2 (2007) Review

"Way to ruin Christmas."
-Thomas Barclay



When her car won't start, Angela Bridges (Rachel Nichols) finds herself trapped in a parking garage on Christmas Eve.  Unfortunately, she is not alone.  A insane security guard, who is obsessed with Angela, is inside the garage with her and doesn't want her to leave.


What Works:

I love the premise of this movie.  My favorite types of movies are where a group of characters are trapped in one location and have to survive.  P2 fits the bill.  It's a great idea on paper and solid enough in its execution.

I used to work as a security guard and frequently had to work in parking garages just like the one in the movie.  The psychotic guard, Thomas (Wes Bentley), uses the tools of his trade to kill his victims, which I got a kick out of.  He uses both a giant flashlight and a Taser.  I think anyone who has worked a security position like Thomas' will appreciate this movie a little more than most.

The elevator sequence is a bit ridiculous, but kinda fun.  That's this movie as a whole.  It's on the ridiculous side, but if you let that go, you'll have a fun time.

Finally, the gore in this movie really caught me off guard.  There aren't many kills, but all but one of them are really gory.  One of them included an eyeball stabbing, which is a surefire way to get me to shout at the TV in disgust.


What Sucks:

There are a few moments throughout the film that don't make a ton of sense.  Some of Angela's character decisions are very questionable and it was occasionally frustrating.

Some of the dialogue heavy scenes between Thomas and Angela went on for too long, especially early in the film.  The Christmas dinner scene and the drive down to see Jim (Simon Reynolds) are the two biggest offenders.  We get it.  Thomas is a creep.  We can move on now.

Finally, I don't think Wes Bentley was right for the role of the killer security guard.  It doesn't have anything to do with his performance, but the look of his character.  He's simply too good looking.  Yes, creeps can be good looking, Ted Bundy and Patrick Bateman are excellent examples, but the type of creep Thomas is doesn't really work when he is an attractive man.  They either should have made him look creepier with makeup or cast a different actor.  I just didn't buy it.


Verdict:

P2 is a fun little movie with some entertaining moments, excellent gore, and a solid premise.  There are some terrible decisions made by the protagonist, some of the scenes go on for too long, and the villain should have been played by a different actor, but I still think this P2 is worth a watch.

 7/10: Good     

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Argylle (2024) Review

Image
 "The human skull is shockingly brittle." -Aidan Elly Conway (Bryce Dallas Howard) is a very successful spy novelist.  She draws attention from the espionage community when plot points in her books come true.  When Elly is attacked on a train by a group of spies, she is rescued by another spy, Aidan (Sam Rockwell), who needs her help with his mission and to do that, she needs to write another chapter of her latest book. Spoilers Below.  Go ahead and read on because I don't recommend this movie, but either way, you've been warned. What Works: Argylle has a really fun premise that really works in the first half of the movie.  It's a fish-out-of-water, buddy-cop, spy movie, and it's a blast.  Watching Ellie predict where to go based on what the characters in her books would do is a lot of fun.  It's what the whole movie should have been. The opening sequence follows Agent Argylle (Henry Cavill) on another dangerous mission as he pursues the villainous LaGrang
Read more

Top 10 Movies of 2023

Image
2023 is finally over and it's time for me to put my Top 10 list together.  2023 was definitely a weaker year for movies.  There were definitely some great movies, but there were also plenty of disappointing and bad movies as well.  I still managed to put together a great Top 10 with a couple of worthy contenders that just missed the cut.  Let's take a look! #10. They Cloned Tyrone They Cloned Tyrone is a wild and fun sci-fi tale that takes place in the hood.  A drug dealer, a pimp, and a prostitute discover a cloning conspiracy and the results are intelligent and hilarious.  This is a really smart and funny movie with some amazing performances across the board.  This was a movie that kept me guessing the whole way through.  What an absolute blast. #9. Renfield I'm guessing Renfield will be the most controversial entry on my list as I feel like I'm the only person who liked this movie.  I love the old Universal monster movies and the fact that we get a direct sequel, whi
Read more

Madame Web (2024) Review

Image
 "When you take on the responsibility, great power will come." -Santiago Cassie Webb (Dakota Johnson), a New York paramedic, hits her head in an accident, which unlocks the ability to see glimpses of the future.  When she sees Ezekiel Sims (Tahar Rahim) attempting to murder three teenage girls, Cassie intervenes to save them.  As Cassie learns to understand her power, she also discovers the connection between her, the girls, and Ezekiel. What Works: I think the core idea at the center of this movie is a good one and has the potential to be interesting.  Cassie's superpowers are kinda lame.  It's not like they're going to help in a combat situation.  Ezekiel is basically evil Spider-Man.  He has legitimate powers and is a massive threat.  That's an interesting conflict.  How does someone with lackluster superpowers take on a supervillain.  It's a fun idea that I would like to see tried again with greater success.  What Sucks: This movie was embarrassing to
Read more