Afouotos
Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.
Loui Blair
It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.
Taha Avalos
The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.
Haven Kaycee
It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film
fowlerphoto-45650
The Shelter is movie that is really a movie of halves. The first half delves into the depravity of a man who has lost all hope on life..both in the world and mostly in himself. While the second half has the man confronting the demons of his past which forces him to finally atone for his sins.Thomas (Michael Paré) is a man who is basically eaten alive from the inside out due to circumstances in his past that he just can't seem to escape from. The first half of the movie builds up the story of Thomas, though somewhat vaguely, being down on his luck and a hard boiled hard ass. While appreciate the attempt of building up the backstory of Thomas, I felt the movie tried to focus a little too heavy on him being a hard ass and womanizer in certain parts rather than build his backstory in a more organic way.The second half of the movie is where I feel the movie really shines. Thomas finds his way into an empty house and this is where I feel Director John Fallon's horror background really shines. Fallon crafts an interesting, paranormal and isolated setting for the character Thomas which has him confront his past and ultimately atone for his misdeeds. There are a lot of religious under and overtones but also the story is open ended enough to let someone interpret the meanings of these religious metaphors according to how they hold their own beliefs.While I do like a bit of the open natures of the story in the second half I did feel the story could have been LITTLE tighter instead of being as vague as it was in some parts. But then again I determined my own meaning from everything which I am sure could be different for another viewer.Production wise the movie is ok. Though I felt parts of it were too BRIGHT for the mood the movie was going for. I felt a lot of the bleak and deserted street scenes were very good locations but the look on film was too colorful and bright which kind of killed the mood I thought of the scenery.Overall, I felt The Shelter was a decent watch though I think the second half of the movie is the superior part of the film whereas the first half I think tried to touch more on making Thomas look macho cool instead of a more tragic character. At least at first.I would give this a 6.5 if I was able...the .5 coming from seeing director John Fallon get his ass kicked by Thomas in a scene! Always a good day to see that!!
Richard Dominguez
Good Movie About A Guy Who Is Given A Chance To Find Redemption In His Past And Is Much Too Bitter With Self Loathing To Seek Forgiveness ... In The End Knowing What He Had To Do He Instead Choices To Continue Punishing Himself ... A Very Unique Vision In The Direction And Story Telling Of "Seeking Forgiveness" Everywhere But Within Ourselves ... 72 Minutes Long The Story Never Goes Long Without Reminding Us That While We Want, It Is Not Enough ... It Is Also A Reminder That In The End We Judge Ourselves ... The Movie Does Have A Religious Tone To It But Only A Tone ... Which Makes Understanding What Is Happening In The Story A Little Harder (I Imagine) To Grasp For Those Who Lack In A Strong Religious Understanding ... Michael (Thomas) Is Very Good In The Role Of A Suffering Soul Seeking For Understanding And Yet At The Same Time Denying That Understanding ...
Jeremy Jones
The precedent titling here may seem incongruous to what is at first billed as a horror/thriller, but there are nuances not immediately evident in both the film's direction and in Pare's performance. I can understand the back and forth in reactions conveyed in the reviews en masse as I think a very particular mindset and perhaps even a set of life experiences to correlate bring out a very different takeaway with this film. For me, I found that I began watching it as a film but reflected on it thereafter as an exploration that left me in a state of reevaluation of my life, my attitude. Thomas is not an inherently likable guy, but you can tell (spoilers, maybe?) he knows that and, given the chance, would take measures to amend that. Ultimately though, such opportunities will never truly come, as you'll see herein, and that may be the most horrifying lesson to learn.
Glinda
The Shelter is a unique psychological/supernatural thriller that will take you into the deepest depths of a broken man's soul as he struggles to come to terms with the guilt he feels and seek redemption for his past misdeeds.A history of debauchery resulting in the death of a loved one has left Thomas a mentally tortured, guilt ridden, homeless alcoholic. When he stumbles upon an empty house that seemingly welcomes him to enter, he finds himself literally trapped inside with his memories eating him alive - or are there real supernatural powers at work punishing him? This is a question you must figure out for yourself, which is the beauty of this haunting story. Beautifully shot, atmospheric and haunting, with a fantastic score, I highly recommend The Shelter. Finally something new and original in the horror genre! Check it out!I have left (almost) this same review on Amazon under the ID pmd64.