I wanted to but couldn't!

It's complicated... I really like the directing, acting and writing but, there are issues with the way it's shot that I just can't deny. As much as I love the storytelling and the fantastic performance but, there are also certain scenes that didn't need to exist.

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Director Christopher Denham's sophomore effort, Preservation, is a classic survival thriller. While it shows a decent amount of strength and promise with its decently solid cast, cinematography, and even music, it falls behind with a painfully stereotypical script and a message that, while relevant, is a bit too plainspoken.The story follows busy finance manager Mike (Aaron Staton) and his anesthesiologist wife Wit (Wrenn Schmidt) as they head into the woods with Mike's brother, Sean (Pablo Schreiber), on a camping trip that Mike hopes will help Sean through his transition back into normal life after being mysteriously discharged from the military. After they wake up the next morning with all of their camping supplies and weapons missing they must decide if they will fracture apart out of jealousy and paranoia or band together to fight the unseen hunters...** SPOILERS! **The movie opens right up with cliche after cliche and they never really stop. The camera slowly follows the gang's truck as it winds its way deeper into the wilderness... two brothers bonding over stories of their reckless youth in the front seat - pausing only to clink their beer bottles together in cheers - as the one brother's wife expresses her desire to go antiquing from the back... ignoring a "closed" sign on a state park and charging on undeterred... you get the idea (and this is only maybe the first 10 minutes).We also find out on the way in how much of a workaholic Mike is and how much it frustrates Wit who, naturally, is pregnant but unsure how to tell him. Sean is your stereotypical grizzled veteran and we never do find out why he was discharged from the military, but he makes no secret of how many tips he picked up from his life of combat or how much he prefers to be off the grid, relying only on his own instincts (and his German shepherd). He also doesn't hide his obvious attraction to Wit. He makes countless deep, foreboding comments about the art of hunting - "just because you don't see 'em doesn't mean they're not there - we're not watching them, they're watching us", or his musing on the fact that humans are the only species who kill because it's fun, for example - and you really do get a feeling initially that he might be the one behind the missing gear, whether it be intentionally or through him acting out against imagined forces brought on by his PTSD. I think it would have made the film a bit more interesting (and unique) if that had been the case.The whole "cat and mouse" aspect of the movie was fun, honestly, as well as terrifying. The idea that there are people hiding amongst the trees, able to see you even if you can't see them, is bone-chilling. The reveal of who the hunters really were - essentially just bored, media-desensitized kids - was even more so. That point was driven home a little bit too hard at times - the teenagers alternating between playing violent first person shooter games on their phones and texting each other while they're two feet away - but I think the casualness of them out making other humans their prey before they head home for dinner with their parents made them an even more frightening killer than a more experienced, calculated one. The final killer stepping away from tying Wit up with jumper cables to have a cheerful chat with his mom, apologizing for making her worry, was a clever addition, I thought.Most horror movies - especially ones where people are being chased by killers - give in to the typical cliches at least once or twice. This one took a bit more liberty with that, having ALL THREE of the protagonists make the same fatal mistake: turning their back on an assailant that is incorrectly assumed to be down for the count. I can understand Wit or Mike doing this - they are presumed to have no real experience in this type of scenario - but the combat veteran who spends most of his dialogue mentioning his hunting skills being the first one to make it? How does that work? Mike spends no time wondering why their water is hung in an odd cluster from a tree and steps on an animal trap before later deciding a plastic Port-a-Potty (that he is loudly shaking while trying to obtain a weapon) would be the absolute best place to hide. Even the killers themselves don't seem to stand up to logic - letting themselves be lured into the exact same traps they've been setting, not hearing Mike rip the top off the Port-a-Potty mere feet above their heads.I always love a strong female character, especially when she's the lone survivor of an assault. Wit manages to live out the Artemis and Callisto mythology that Sean had earlier told them about - the little girl defeating the bear by becoming one herself. I do wish the director hadn't felt the need to not only make her a vegan (earlier proclaiming how she's not the hunting type because she couldn't bring herself to kill) but newly pregnant in order to power her along on this survivor's journey. When her and Mike separate we even get that cheesy moment of her exclaiming "I can't do this alone!" and Mike responding "you aren't" as he tenderly places a hand on her belly. Why?? Why do we have to give a woman more reasons to survive than just simply survival itself? Does she really need to be fighting for her unborn child to find unknown strength inside herself?It DID have some truly scary moments, though - ones that make us really able to feel the isolation, the hopelessness, that someone might feel in a scenario like this. Wit finally reaching Mike on the radio only for him to tell her, "They're going to find you and they're going to kill you unless you kill them first. Kill. Them. All." gave me a chill, especially when she looks out over the hills and sees the masked kids biking towards her. The hunters recording the deaths on their cell phones hit a little close to home. Even Wit's complete 180 - almost calling 911 after she successfully fights off the second kid but apparently deciding she would rather hunt down her final prey instead - is a disturbing reminder of what humans can be capable of. I mean, jesus, she removes the kid's mask so she can look into his face while he dies next to her.I thought the ending was pretty great, too. Slowly, painfully riding her way into town and sharing that moment with the kid in the shopping cart - them both pulling their imaginary triggers at each other - was good. It was moments like that one and a few other clever bits that make it so Christopher Denham is still on my watch list, because I think he's got some even better projects up his sleeves.Ultimately, a fun survival flick with promise. Worth a watch!

PROS: One thing I can say about this film that I liked 100% of the time was the intensity. The director really knew what a horror movie needed when it came to build up of tension. From opening scene to closing there was this aura that the film had about it that made me feel paranoid. With a slasher, like this movie, it is vital to keep that sort of vibe to the movie the whole time in order for the movie to not fall into the "basic" trap.CONS: Something that bothered me to no ends\ was how stupid some of the characters were. Like I don't understand how hard it is to hide into the woods, or to whisper your line instead of shout it if the killers right next to you. To add on, there were some things the film didn't answer or even acknowledge. It's OK if a film ignores small pieces or insignificant ones, but if the entire movie hinges on one idea being plausible they better be damn well sure they discuss that idea. This film not only ignored it, but they also depicted the characters who made that idea happen as being people who couldn't pull off the stunt. That disconnect from plot to character development was too large to overlook, and it even took me out of the movie. The final thing is the ending. Wow! how terrible is this ending? Let me tell you, it is worthless and stupid. I'll give you a hint. A brutalized person goes into town, and no one even looks at them twice, even though they are covered in mud, bleeding, and disgruntled looking.www.chorror.com

Preservation is in my opinion, this generation's version of The Most Dangerous Game.When the film starts it introduces us to the three main characters: Sean (Pablo Schreiber) a war veteran with dark past, his brother Mike (Aaron Staton) and his RN wife Wit (Wrenn Schmidt) who has a secret of her own. The start up is a nice setup for the weekend, a hunting trip (in an abandoned state park). When Wit finds out that a so-called couples weekend with her husband turns itself on its head as Mike joins the party, tensions begin to arise. Mike and Wit are having martial problems and its apparent more so when Sean enters the picture.The two brothers seem to have a kind of love/hate relationship. As the day continues, tensions seem to rise as Mike continues to ignore his wife and stay focused on Sean and his work phone. Wit and Sean, as the night goes on seem to develop somewhat tense friendship which unbeknowst to them Mike is witnessing. By this time, night has fallen and personas and characterization has developed amongst our leads. The night ends with the three going to bed by the light of the campfire. This is where the story takes a turn....*On a personal note, I was NOT expecting this turn of events - my initial idea of this script was way off base as I went into this blind regarding the premise*A major turn of events happens during the night which isn't unveiled until morning, when our leads wake up and all of their personal belongings have been taken! I am talking about everything (including the tent they were sleeping in). This alone in my opinion is a good set-up for psychological horror as the direction is bizarre yet occasionally eerie. This chain of events turns everyone on everyone as they are yet unaware of the actual horror that will befall them. The actions that take place after I will admit some are typical clichés that are seen from most "stupid people" in "most horror films", but that doesn't take away from the tension that picks up. The three realize that unknown and unseen assailants are hunting them with their own weapons as well as using the "need to survive" against them as they begin to run out of time. The first half of the film is a somewhat character study as well as a philosophy of the appreciation of nature. The climax of the film and the unveiling of the assailants (especially how they are acclimated to the violence) is shocking and almost realistic in realtime.This film has been referred to as a sorta "You're Next" kinda film, but I don't see how. Granted the film may have several plot holes and some scenes may have been executed (pun intended) with something more in mind, but dammit this was a damn fun film and had several moments of tension. I'd recommend watching this film and I myself will be adding this to my collection.

The first plot hole I noted was the female lead stated she was vegan but was happily holding a gun to try and shoot a deer. Hmm vegan that hunts.The second thing was that the characters had their tent stolen while they were sleeping and didn't even notice. Hmm, these bad guys must be ninjas.Then the ex military character finds the guy shooting at him, bashes his head in.. yet their is no evidence of this later. Then turns his back on the killer and is stabbed and killed.The next stupid scene was when the other main character male lead was being shot at and then hid in a toilet, where the killer was putting a knife through the toilet trying to kill him. He like his brother over powers the bad guy, takes the gun and then walks away.. Hmmm, he was trying to kill you? And you just walk off? In the end, the female character steps up and I like how she takes the lead and does kill the killers in the end.The ending was a good but could have been done better.I know some have made reference to the killers texting each other when they were sitting next to each other and I'd say this is common when you don't want to risk people over hearing you. So that scene didn't bug me too much