Current release: BLINDNESS

Despite the Cannes backlash and some pretty poor reviews, I'd been looking forward to seeing BLINDNESS. It was a bit of a let-down. The story has plenty of potential (people suddenly lose their sight in an apparently contagious outbreak of blindness) even if it does sound like DAY OF THE TRIFFIDS without the triffids.

Alas, it ends up being a second rate rehash of other such apocalyptic themes with more than a dash of "Lord of the Flies" about it. It's weighed down with occasional bursts of a terrible voiceover by Danny Glover, the visual tricks designed to be cleverly disorienting just end up grating and it's got a "twist" in the tail that you'd have to be asleep not to anticipate.

On top of that, it's adapted by and features Don McKellar, has a cameo by Sandra Oh, concerns the end of the world, is partially shot in Toronto and features a lot of bright white, sterile visuals - all of which made me think of McKellar's Canadian apocalypse movie LAST NIGHT. Unfortunately LAST NIGHT is a much better film.

Weirdly, BLINDNESS has the feel of a film that might actually grow on me. I'll perhaps revisit it in a year or two to see how it holds up, but for now it's a missed opportunity.