Plot: What’s it about?
Danielle St. Clair (Cerina Vincent) is buried under a massive weight of guilt, as her friend just died in a tragic car accident. The guilt is somewhat justified, as she did have a hand in what happened, even if it was an incidental one. So her mind is clouded and she battles the darkness inside herself, seeking to be alone and far from the outside world. Her position in a Forest Ranger outpost allows her that escape, as her station is remote and has little outside interaction. At work she can be alone and explore her inner demons, as well as try to drown them in alcohol whenever possible. Her boyfriend Justin (Dominic Zamprogna) stops by to ease her mind and try to help her work through her issues, but Danielle is still deeply troubled. But those inner demons are soon to be joined by a monstrous force not captive within her emotions. As those around her begin to turn up dead, Cerina learns that an evil force has been unleashed in the woods. Inside the outpost she is safe for a while, but when the creature arrives, can she ever hope to survive?
I was drawn to It Waits not by the rather lame title, but the involvement of hottie actress Cerina Vincent and director Steven R. Monroe. I had just seen House of 9, one Monroe’s previous efforts and found it to be more than enjoyable, so I wanted to give this one a spin. It Waits falls into the same drawer as House of 9, a movie that turns out to be better than expected. I suppose I am a fan of creature features, but even so, It Waits is better than most of the creature flicks of late, especially the ones from The Sci/Fi Channel. There is ample room for improvements of course, but for what it is, this is a solid creature feature. Cerina Vincent is hot, as always and just her presence lends some entertainment value. But this is a movie about a creature and this beast is quite cool, not the most original one I’ve seen, but still solid. The gore is more than acceptable, not soaked in the red stuff, but some good kill scenes. Of course, some will bemoan the gaps in logic, but that is to be expected here and if you want logic, why choose a creature feature? In the end, while not a genre classic, It Waits provides good entertainment and as such, warrants a recommendation.
Video: How does it look?
It Waits is presented in 1.77:1 anamorphic widescreen. This is a new movie and it looks as such, a fine overall presentation. The print is clean, with little debris or marks to mentioned, so the visuals have a smooth, unfettered appearance. The image isn’t razor sharp, but features strong detail and adequate subtle touches, so more than solid. The colors are bold and bright when needed, then bathed in darker tones, to enforce the eerie atmosphere. The darker scenes look terrific too, thanks to accurate contrast levels that provide sleek, smooth black levels throughout. This is not the kind of elite level presentation you’ll show off your home theater with, but the movie still looks quite good here.
Audio: How does it sound?
The Dolby Digital 5.1 option provided is more than acceptable, but never seems to rise above solid, which is a slight let down. In the more tension packed sequences, the surrounds don’t pounce as much as they could, so the atmosphere suffers a little. There is still some punch to be heard, but some creative use of the channels to supplement the tension even more would have done wonders. As it stands, the surround use is rather basic, at least in most instances. The music sounds good and dialogue is clear as can be, so while not that impressive, this still stacks up as an acceptable effort. This disc also includes a 2.0 surround option, in case you’re not equipped to take on the full surround soundtrack.
Supplements: What are the extras?
The audio commentary track features star Cerina Vincent and director Steven R. Monroe, who take us inside the production with their memories. I was never bored with this session, mostly due to Vincent’s presence, but this is hardly an overly informative track. This disc also includes a behind the scenes featurette, as well as the film’s trailer.
