Chernobyl Diaries Movie Review

Chernobyl Diaries (2012)

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Written by: Oren Peli and Carey Van Dyke & Shane Van Dyke (screenplay), Oren Peli (story)
Directed by: Bradley Parker
Starring: Jesse McCartney, Jonathan Sadowski, Olivia Taylor Dudley
Rated: R
Watch the trailer

Plot
Six tourists hire an extreme tour guide who takes them to the abandoned city Pripyat, the former home to the workers of the Chernobyl nuclear reactor. During their exploration, they soon discover they are not alone.

Verdict
It's not bad, but it isn't required watching. While the setting is perfect for a horror movie, this unfolds largely as you'd expect.  It's a great idea with a very standard story. It doesn't develop the characters well, and doesn't do much to create a sense of anticipation.
Skip it.

Review
This reminds me of As Above, So Below, a found footage horror movie with so much potential that ultimately isn't realized. The Descent does this concept better.

I like the premise. The abandoned town of Pripyat near Chernobyl is intriguing on it's own. This city where everything was just abandoned, it's a snapshot of Russian life in 1986. In this story, a group is going on a tour to the radiation zone. The tour guide tells them he has a Geiger counter so they'll be safe. I wouldn't bet on it. With a group this large you just know some of them will be cannon fodder.

As they near Pripyat we see a mutated fish, likely a preview of what's to come. The group marvels at the sights of the city, but the guide is surprised that the animals have come into the city. When they get back to the van to leave, the van doesn't work. They're stuck, and if you hadn't determined where this is going you should know at this point.

As night approaches tension increases. When two people leave the van, gunshots follows and everyone freaks out. This is when the movie kicks into gear. It's chase and survival, but the movie never slows down enough to create a frightful mood. While this has some solid scares, it's mostly just a chase. That's how many horror movies unfold, and I wish this did something more. It doesn't utilize the setting much.

While there's a lot we don't know, we can start to piece together the situation. As most horror movies go, the group gets picked off one by one. That's how it usually happens, and that's the unfortunate thing about this movie. Despite the potential with the unique setting it becomes a typical horror movie that's one long chase.