The Bay (2012) starring Nansi Aluka, Christopher Denham, Stephen Kunken, Frank Deal directed by Barry Levinson Movie Review

The Bay (2012)   2/52/52/52/52/5


Kether Donohue in The Bay (2012)

Napping on the Crock of the Bay

As the bay town of Claridge, Maryland swings in to gear for their 2009, 4th of July celebrations all hell breaks loose as people start falling ill with their body's breaking out in seeping blisters whilst strange crimes start to unfold with people losing parts of their tongues. In the years since those in charge have tried to cover up what happened that day, confiscating footage and anything else which may bring to the public awareness what happened and what may have caused this outbreak. But having been left traumatised by what happened that day journalist Donna Thomson sets about putting together what footage she can to bring the truth to the public.

I don't like found footage movies, I don't care for faux documentaries and as a rule I try to avoid them because more often than not to make them work they employ far too many cheats. But like the fool I am when someone told me "The Bay" was one of these found footage movies which actually works I thought I would give it a go and like 9 out of 10 times it doesn't work. Like so many of these found footage movies "The Bay" employs cheats which it tries to get away with by having the whole thing being kind of presented by Donna who then can explain things such as why we have footage of two scientists, they were keeping a video journal of their research if you are interested in why.

Now in fairness at times "The Bay" works, when the chaos starts to break out it is kind of interesting in a zombie infection sort of way and some of the detail we learn such as tons of chicken waste getting dropped in the bay gives us some interesting background to what may be happening. But like with all these found footage movies you really have to enjoy watching people with a camera stuck in their face doing little which is interesting to stick with it. Yes at times it gets a bit graphic with some gore and blood splatters but for the most it just doesn't get you gripped by what is going on.

What this all boils down to is that "The Bay" didn't do it for me and is another one of those fake footage movies which employs various cheats to try and deliver a shocking and thrilling story. Once in a while it gets it but more often than not it just doesn't work.


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