A movie this bad does not deserve a long review so I will keep it
short and to the point...something that makers of The Skulls should have done.
In short, The Skulls in one of the worse films of the year,
combining an atrocious script with some woeful acting and moulding them together into a
complete and utter mess of a film.
Why people in Hollywood continue to try to make Joshua Jackson a
star is unknown. He is totally unbelievable in the role Luke McNamara, a ordinary
working class student who gets recruited in a high-powered secret society that promises to
make all of his dreams a reality.
Of course, the society turns out to have a dark side and soon
McNamara is fighting for his life. It is all so ludicrous that the guy who pitched
the plot to the executives should get a special mention for actually getting this film
made. It was quite an effort.
Unfortunately, Jackson's laboured performance is not the worse one
produced in the movie, not by a long way.
Paul Walker effort as Caleb Mandrake is laughable. Every time
he appears on screen you will find yourself cringing. I hope that it is his natural
accent that he is using in the film because if it is his attempt at a high-society, snobby
accent, than this kid definitely has NO talent at all.
Still, it is hard to be too critical on the actors when they have to
perform a script that goes from one ludicrous scenario to another.
From the time this film donates a far amount of time to showing us a
rowing match (gee, you can never see enough of those) complete with the customary "it
looks like they can't win it from here" calls from the commentator, you know that you
are in for a pretty ordinary film.
But the film outdoes itself with its final scene that sees McNamara
and Mandrake attempt to solve their differences by engaging in a duel, complete with
antique guns. Of course. What an interesting and well thought out way of
ending a movie. There should be more of it.
It is the perfectly inept way to end a movie that you will
definitely be wishing that you did not see. Those of us who have are all dumber for
the experience.
- Adam Matthews
