"Aswang" is a film that obviously tries to do so much more that it actually forgets to include the most important thing in a horror film - the scare factor. While we give "Aswang" a point for effort (the film actually had a meaty and well-developed story), it still does not hide the fact that it is a completely boring 2 hour romp from start to finish and to be quite blunt, sucks. Trying to do your best does not equate to a great film when you are clueless to the specific genre you are serving. A horror film it's not but a "Twilight" wannabe? Most definitely. Read on to find out our complete review of "Aswang".
A teenager (Albie Casiño) and his sister (Jillian Ward) witness the killing of their parents. Lucky for them, they escape before the hired assassins catch up with them. Both decide to go to their Uncle's house in Pampanga but gets lost. They find their way into a mysterious town where people fear the Abwak - mythical creatures who can turn into burrowing lizards or black crows and capture, eat and transform humans into one of them. They also meet Yasmin (Lovi Poe), a mysterious young lady who leaves them with a blind woman. The hired gunmen, in hot pursuit of the two children, find themselves going to the town as well. Soon, the children and the hired gunmen find out that the stuff of legends and myths are actually true.
While "Aswang" has more story than your average local horror film, the elements within it are completely out of line of what you should expect from a scary film. A monster who is compassionate to humans and a love angle? That's not horror at all! The acting was also sub-par. Props to the supporting cast most notably Marc Abaya. He was the only one who had a personality (and made things a lot more exciting). The main cast had poor performances. Of special note is Paulo Avelino who was one-sided and emotionless the whole time. Finally, the effects were average - some of them were outstanding while some were nothing special. Bottomline, we found ourselves bored to death hoping, wishing, praying that the film end already. It's surprising that they would market this as a horror film when it's so obvious that it's not. It is an obvious lie to cash in on the Halloween season. They should have been honest from the get-go and said that this was a romance film (although it wouldn't have made the film better honestly).
Rating: 1 reel
Why you should watch it:
- the movie had a pretty deep story. Too bad it's not for the right genre.
Why you shouldn't watch it:
- we would rather gouge our eyes than watch this sorry excuse of a "horror" film
- there's nothing scary about "Aswang".
A teenager (Albie Casiño) and his sister (Jillian Ward) witness the killing of their parents. Lucky for them, they escape before the hired assassins catch up with them. Both decide to go to their Uncle's house in Pampanga but gets lost. They find their way into a mysterious town where people fear the Abwak - mythical creatures who can turn into burrowing lizards or black crows and capture, eat and transform humans into one of them. They also meet Yasmin (Lovi Poe), a mysterious young lady who leaves them with a blind woman. The hired gunmen, in hot pursuit of the two children, find themselves going to the town as well. Soon, the children and the hired gunmen find out that the stuff of legends and myths are actually true.
While "Aswang" has more story than your average local horror film, the elements within it are completely out of line of what you should expect from a scary film. A monster who is compassionate to humans and a love angle? That's not horror at all! The acting was also sub-par. Props to the supporting cast most notably Marc Abaya. He was the only one who had a personality (and made things a lot more exciting). The main cast had poor performances. Of special note is Paulo Avelino who was one-sided and emotionless the whole time. Finally, the effects were average - some of them were outstanding while some were nothing special. Bottomline, we found ourselves bored to death hoping, wishing, praying that the film end already. It's surprising that they would market this as a horror film when it's so obvious that it's not. It is an obvious lie to cash in on the Halloween season. They should have been honest from the get-go and said that this was a romance film (although it wouldn't have made the film better honestly).
Rating: 1 reel
Why you should watch it:
- the movie had a pretty deep story. Too bad it's not for the right genre.
Why you shouldn't watch it:
- we would rather gouge our eyes than watch this sorry excuse of a "horror" film
- there's nothing scary about "Aswang".
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