(2009) ** 1/2John and Mary are two happy farmers living together growing corn. John stops going to church though, and his corn starts to fail. Then he finds a creepy scarecrow, plants it, and good things start to happen. His water pump starts to work. The banker who was going to foreclose on his house gets run over by a truck. The guy who flirted with his wife commits suicide. Oh, and the neighbor starts to randomly undress too.
So, this wasn't a good movie, but there were a few unique things that made it worth at least 2 1/2 stars. First of all, the audacity of using two subtitles for a straight-to-dvd film is worth admiring. I can't think of any other films besides the Star Wars prequel trilogy that felt the need for two subtitles. However, it's kind of funny that the subtitle contradicts the original title. "Messengers part 2, the beginning." How can part two be the beginning? They're trying way too hard to let the consumer know that this is a prequel.
This movie developed slowly, which is fine, as most films like this develop slowly in an attempt to build tension. This film did successfully build tension at times, but it would then stumble over itself as it got distracted with shots of John's hot wife, hot daughter, and hot neighbor.
Also, this is kind of funny, but I think this was a republican's horror film. The main characters, John and Mary are obvious bibilical references to begin with. Then, it is noted that John's troubles really only began when he stopped attending church. How do we know that the bad guy is so bad? He brings over a six-pack of beer? Who's the victim who we feel sorry for? A wealthy banker who was about to foreclose. But simultaneously, the movie offers so many skin shots, it's like it's trying to cater to middle-American conservatives and horny fanboys.
To sum it all up: a straight to video mix of the shining meets children of the corn minus the children.
