Vanishing on 7th Street Movie Review
Vanishing on 7th Street Movie Review
Vanishing on 7th Street Movie Review by Staci Layne Wilson. Directed by Brad Anderson, starring Hayden Christensen, John Leguizamo, and Thandie Newton.
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"I exist!" is the clarion call of the characters in Vanishing on 7th Street, just before they're vanquished into a deadly netherworld of shadows. After you've seen this tedious thriller from director Brad Anderson (Session 9, Master of Horror "Sounds Like" episode) you may wish the film didn't exist at all.
Starring the always-overacting Hayden Christensen (though I do give him kudos for his performance in Shattered Glass) as Luke, a not very savvy news reporter who wakes up and gets halfway to work before he notices that the population has been reduced to crumples of clothing, the story is one of the post-apocalyptic kind.
The desolate Detroit city backdrop and minimal skeleton cast all fit in perfectly with the indie, low-budget feel of Vanishing on 7th Street, which centers on a small group of dissimilar survivors who can't understand why they're been spared when everyone else on the planet has virtually disappeared in place, leaving behind only a few ashes, their clothes and other inorganic material (dentures, and the like). Not much time is spent on the suspense of the mystery, though the "darkness monsters" are kind of cool (if a basic knockoff of the "death phantoms" in 1990's Ghost), and there is some supposition on one of history's mysteries (the Roanoke Colony's disappearance from Virginia in the 1500s), but that's about all you get in the way of fulfillment.
Hero Hayden is supported by one of the few more-histrionic actors around, John Leguizamo (still inherently likeable, in spite of sappy dialogue and the usual injured/incapacitated character limitations), Thandie Newton (who's good, but again: saddled by drab depiction), and youngster Jacon Latimore as James, a terrified boy with a shotgun and bad aim.
As the small group of survivors searches for others and tries to keep clear of the ever-encroaching inky gloom, we hopscotch between bouts of expository dialogue and rote action sequences. Fortunately, Anderson is not inexperienced in the ways of suspense (he also directed The Machinist, and Transsiberian) — yet, even he can barely keep screenwriter Anthony Jaswinski's paper-thin script above a dull roar. On a visual and visceral level, Vanishing on 7th Street is a modest success. The cinematography (always tricky when working with darkness) is good, the music score and soundscaping works well, and there's a properly "dreadful" and tense ambiance that's maintained throughout.
Vanishing on 7th Street probably isn't worth your box-office bucks, but if you've enjoyed Anderson's previous efforts and you're into the post-apocalyptic horror vibe, then check out the DVD.
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Reviewed by Staci Layne Wilson