Ignore the bad reviewer its very entertaining movie if you looking for family horror movie

THE MESSENGERS is one of those ten-a-penny, kid friendly horror films we're seeing more and more of these days as the genre becomes more and more successful at the box office. This one is produced by Sam Raimi and Rob Tapert, under their Ghost House pictures banner, and also has Lou Arkoff acting as producer, so at least it has some heavyweight clout behind the scenes. Not that you'd really know it, though, as this is very much a predictable Hollywood horror film, utilising staples we've seen time and again in this genre.I admit I wasn't too impressed once we got into the story of a family moving into a rural farmhouse that turns out to be haunted by some CGI spirits. Yadda yadda yadda, seen it all before, etc. etc. One thing kept me watching: the direction. It's a cut above the norm for this genre, and that's because Thai directing brothers Danny and Oxide Pang (they of THE EYE) have been imported in to give the film some extra style. It's a bold step and one that pays off dividends. This is a stylish, visually sumptuous film, with the Pang brothers reaffirming themselves as a couple of guys who know exactly what they're doing behind the camera. This alone makes THE MESSENGERS stand out from similar competition.That's lucky, because the story ploughs very familiar territory. There are killer birds straight out of the Hitchcock classic, and creepy, ceiling-mounted ghosts not too dissimilar from stuff in THE EXORCIST 3 and THE GRUDGE. As this is PG-13 rated horror, there's little in the way of bloodshed or gruesomeness, but lots of jumpy scare sequences, some effective, some not. Although his presence is a cliché in itself, the use of a little toddler who can see the ghosts is one I liked a lot. The cast is nothing to write home about. Lead Kristen Stewart is a big thing nowadays thanks to appearing in TWILIGHT, and she does acquit herself well as a tough, sympathetic heroine type. Dylan McDermott isn't bad as the father, but his role is a lesser one and he seemingly disappears for long stretches. Worse of all is Penelope Ann Miller, who's just as unsympathetic as she's ever been in a film. I'm definitely not a fan of this actress.The last reel twist is predictable in the extreme, and there are some unintentional laughs when somebody gets impaled on a pitchfork and seemingly suffers no ill effect from the severe wounding. At other times, genuine moments of atmosphere are built up, and there's nothing I disliked too strongly: THE MESSENGERS is what it is, and you're welcome to take it or leave it.

I vaguely remember watching this movie when it first came out, but decided to give it another go today. Maybe it's because I'm older now or maybe I'm just spoiled on good movies, but quite honestly, I wasn't even able to finish this movie. It was that terrible.To put it bluntly, it was incredibly generic. The acting is hardly believable and seems very dulled down. The plot was nothing original; just your basic, mediocre ghost story that we've all seen a couple hundred times. The only positive points that I can see are the setting and the general atmosphere, due to the setting, not the acting.I wouldn't waste your time on this movie unless you're new to horror or are scared very easily. The well-traveled horror movie fan will be sorely disappointed and bored by this movie.

'The Messengers' is a stale and uninspired ghost story, if one could even dare to call it that. The film comes off more like an extended episode of 'Goosebumps' or 'Are You Afraid Of The Dark?' more than it does as a genuine PG-13 rated horror film. There have been legitimately scary movies that were PG-13 rated: 'What Lies Beneath', 'The Ring', most recently I was very pleased and creeped out by 'Insidious', but 'The Messengers' just moves along, changing things around at random, doing things whenever it wants, however and for no reason whatsoever half the time, just for the convenience of keeping the script moving along to get us through to the ending. Seriously, by the one hour mark, I was begging for this to end.Kristen Stewart is really probably the best actor here, although it pains me to say so when we have far more experienced actors working here: Dylan McDermott, and John Corbett of 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding Fame' who undergoes an extreme change of character at the ending "climax" of the film for, again, no reason whatsoever. He gets pecked unconscious by a bunch of crows and then wakes up and is what? Possessed or something? Makes no sense. Penelope Ann Miller is definitely just wasted talent. Even Kristen Stewart just looks bored to tears the entire time, and you can easily tell that her and McDermott both cannot wait for production on this one to end. The only actor here who isn't completely bored to death is the child actor, for obvious reasons. And one doesn't have to imagine too hard to think of Stewart flat out boldly refusing to make out with the kid with the gap.There are absolutely no real scares here at all, unless you spook terribly easily. The "scariest" looking thing you will get out of this one is a jittery ghost of a girl or something that basically looks like that thing from 'The Ring' or 'The Grudge' or whatever. So maybe that's what it was. Don't waste your time with this one unless you have run out of better, decent ghost stories to watch. Now I've got to see the sequel though, to see if it was just as bad, or worse.THE MESSENGERS -----5/10.