Full Movie Reviews
Rating of
1.5/4
"Martyrs" by Yojimbo
Yojimbo - wrote on 05/24/2013
A young woman tormented by the psychological damage inflicted upon her by sadistic kidnappers seeks revenge with the aid of a childhood friend. Martyrs begins with quite an interesting premise; Mylene Jampanoi's damaged abuse victim is by far the most interesting character in the film and the first half of the story which centres around her state of mind and her friend's uncertainty as to her sanity is very intriguing. But being a "horror" movie, cue the half-baked twist and it degenerates into yet another repulsive torture-thon, the piss weak Outer Limits excuse for which is feeble even by the standards of the genre. Quite why anybody - women in particular - would find entertainment in watching a young girl being mutilated and brutalized I have no idea, but this so-called horror is just …
Rating of
3/4
Whoa Nelly!!
The Scripted - wrote on 08/27/2009
Even though I did not watch this movie in its entirety, I agree that it is very good. Just when you think you have a handle on what is going on, BAM! You are wrong. It is as if there are three stories in one but they are relate to one another. The graphic violence and gore is a lot to take in if you are not accustomed to or enjoy watching such things, but if you are, you should enjoy it and appreciate it as well as the message hidden within. I have been told that the last thirty minutes are akin to the last few minutes of Audition, violence wise, and as I settled in to complete the movie, I felt so creepy and dirty inside that I had to turn it off. It just felt so wrong to be watching these things happen to this girl that I felt unsettled inside. The movie was st up in such a way that …
Rating of
3.5/4
Don't Cry, Don't Raise Your Eye...
Chris Kavan - wrote on 06/12/2009
I think Martyrs is the first horror film in a long while (probably since Audition) that has affected me on so many levels. The movie switches up so many times, that even though you think you know what's coming, it takes you in an entirely new direction. What's more, the emotional journey has just as much impact as the hard-to-watch violence does.
I don't know what it is, but the French seem to have figured out a good balance - High Tension, Inside and now Martyrs have proven that you can have plenty of gore but still craft a good story. While I can enjoy Hostel on a visceral level, Martyrs is whole different level - something deeper. It's one of those films that will stick with you for days or longer. The ending is left open to interpretation, but one thing is for certain - it's not a …
Rating of
3/4
Uncomfortable But Compelling
cockney0_1 - wrote on 06/08/2009
There is a tagline in the trailers for the original 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre' that says 'This movie is relentless in it's attempt to drive you out of your mind', and although that movie did scare audiences, it was a good scare; a throw-your-popcorn-in-the-air scare, with a tongue placed firmly in cheek with regards to the terrors it presented. Instead, that tagline should be applied to 'Martyrs', as it's fairly doubtful as to whether there has been a movie that makes it's audience feel so uneasy yet, at the same time, is so very compelling.
'Martyrs' begins with a news flashback to 1971, where a young girl called Lucie has escaped from captivity and notified police. Lucie has been deprived of proper food and severely beaten, but there are no signs of any sexual traumas, and she …
