It Waits DVD Review

Written by Peter West "Danger Seeker"

DVD released by Anchor Bay Entertainment

Directed by Steven R. Monroe

Written by Richard Matheson & Thomas E. Szollosi

2005, Region 1 (NTSC), 88 minutes, Not rated

DVD released on May 23rd, 2006

Starring:
Cerina Vincent as Danny St. Claire
Dominic Zamprogna as Justin Rawley
Greg Kean as Rick Bailey
Eric Schweig as Joseph Riverwind
Samaya Jardey as Ozeta Riverwind
Miranda Frigon as Julie Cassidy
Tinsel Korey as Lark Rainwater
Fred Henderson as Carl Nash
Chilton Crane as Evelyn Nash
Saginaw Grant as Chief Standing Bear
Austin Jordon as Wakinyah Creature

Movie:

A group of Native American graduate students open up a cave that's filled with ancient drawings on the wall and pay the price that those who are usually too inquisitive usually wind up paying. We then shift to Park Ranger Danny St. Claire (Cerina Vincent of Cabin Fever), to get her head together she's requested a solitary assignment on a watch tower in the forest monitoring a dam. Fighting her own personal demons, she hears a demon for real outside the tower. From there the story is a relentless battle for survival as Danny must save herself from the evil demon attacking her and decide for herself if she's worth saving...

Review:

It Waits is the latest film project from Stephen J. Cannell who's made more successful action TV series than anybody in Hollywood. He recently signed a film deal with IDT Entertainment the parent company of Anchor Bay to make a series of films that are distributed straight to DVD.

While It Waits is pretty predictable, it's still good fun. There's a lot of tension in the film as Danny (Cerina Vincent) and the creature engage in a battle of wits to the end. Unlike a lot of "monster" movies, the creature has some smarts to it. Cerina Vincent gives a fine performance as she is, for all intents and purposes, the main character in the film and does very well carrying the entire film on her shoulders. If I didn't know better, I would swear It Waits was a remake of It the Terror From Beyond Space set in the woods, not that it's a bad thing...

I'd recommend it waits for fun Saturday afternoon viewing when you've seen already what's playing on the Sci-Fi channel. While not rated, It Waits is pretty clean and a safe films for older teenagers. It has some good gore scenes, but nothing too graphic. There is a love scene, however there's no nudity in it. While I wasn't blown away by the film, it wasn't a chore to watch it either!

Video and Audio:

Presented in a 1.77:1 anamorphic transfer, It Waits is a great example of the high quality transfers on DVD that I expect from new material. The British Columbia setting where It Waits was filmed is absolutely stunning and the cinematographer captures the true beauty of the vast wilderness. Having a lot of close-ups of Cerina Vincent doesn't hurt either!

It Waits has a Dolby Digital 5.1 surround soundtrack along with a Dolby 2.0 stereo track. Composer Corey A. Jackson does an excellent job of blending the sound with the action to produce a lot of tension. I was disappointed with the songs though. Fortunately they were few, but they reminded me of the 70's style folk music that too many films of that era had. While the '70s throwback worked for Cabin Fever, it doesn't here. Overall I did enjoy it!

Special Features:

Anchor Bay usually delivers in this department and It Waits is no different. There's a commentary track with director Steven R. Monroe and star Cerina Vincent, also included is a nearly 20 minute featurette called "Blood On The Pines" that covers the making of the film and of course a theatrical trailer. I enjoyed the commentary more than I thought I would, and definitely check out Cerina's T-shirt that she's wearing for the featurette!

Grades:
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Video:
Audio:
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Overall:

Films that Peter West reviews are played on a Pioneer Elite DV-59AVi DVD player, viewed on a Mitsubishi WS-55413 HDTV and listened to on a THX Ultra 2 Pioneer Elite VSX-59TXi A/V Receiver through a 7.1 setup of JBL Northridge E series Speakers.

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