Thirst (2010) Reviews

• Worth Seeing

  qualityguyftl2010-11-09

  This is a well done independent film that has it's weak spots but overall is very good. The cinematography is beautiful in this film and the acting is well done by the four principles. I do wish that the Tyson and Jennifer characters had been flushed out more, their back-story was just not there and it made it harder for me to care about them, the married couple was played out very well and the ending was very heart wrenching. There are of course the "how could these people be so stupid" moments, but they are few and the film really does its job in showing how dangerous it is to be in any isolated area with out adequate supplies and ALWAYS let people know where you are. But I remember doing stupid things when I was young so you just have to get past those some points and take in the movie as a whole. Good weekend afternoon flick.

• Terrible Survival Film in Every Way

  TheExpatriate7002012-01-16

  Thirst is a truly embarrassing film, a genuine waste of footage that falls short in virtually every way. It has bad acting, bad characterization, and even bad camera work. It is a debacle. The film follows four people who get stranded in the desert after a minor accident. Four of the most annoying people you will ever see on a film screen. Only the Lacey Chabert character is even vaguely intelligent. Her husband is too stupid to pick up on the fact she is pregnant after she starts having morning sickness and avoiding alcoholic drinks. The model played by Mercedes McNab is so stereotypical and stupid you practically root for a coyote to come eat her. These characters fail to use even common sense desert survival techniques such as traveling at night. Similarly, the best way to deal with an angry rattlesnake is not to stand still within striking distance. I've never even been to a desert and I know this. Furthermore, the camera work borders on the disgraceful. Although there are a few nice shots of sunsets, the scenes filmed at night seem murky, as if they left on the lens made for bright light. Many of the day scenes seem bleached out, although that could be a result of the geography. Avoid this film at all costs.

• Lacey's biggest misstep

  Junker-22011-09-18

  Oh, my. Where to begin? Lacey Chabert is not only the star of this movie but is listed as one of the executive producers as well. That leads me to surmise that this film was intended, at least in part, to showcase Lacey's talents and get Hollywood to view her as a serious actress. If so, the effort backfires. In order for this premise (stuck in the middle of a desert with very few provisions) to work at all the characters have to make some pretty stupid mistakes. And our characters do. Driving 80 miles into the desert without any sort of backup plan in case of car trouble is, in fact, beyond stupid. As the movie and the stupid decisions continue it becomes increasingly hard to either believe the story or feel any sympathy for the characters. Thank God for Noelle (the lovely Lacey)! She is cast as a Captain Kirk here, keeping her cool while the others around her are losing theirs. But her hero status is all too clearly a plot device, again, to showcase her "talents." At one point Lacey performs emergency brain surgery using s screwdriver and a rock. I kid you not! She can do this, but she isn't smart enough to realize they should travel at night and stick to the road! As a person who rarely laughs out loud even at things that are supposed to be funny, I actually found myself laughing out loud at some of the plot twists. (Did someone mention breast implants?) Of course, the movie also has to show us several "gross out" scenes for seemingly no other purpose than to get some junior high viewers to say "Oh! Gross!" Not only do we get to watch characters drink their own urine, we have to watch them take in every last drop. "Ewwww! Gross!" Need I say more? This is a really bad movie with only one redeeming feature: The lovely Lacey Chabert who I have always liked in the past. "Thirst", however, is probably the biggest misstep in Lacey's career.

• This film is diagnosed with Horriblathermia.

  bogartcagney192010-07-03

  Despite relying on atmosphere rather than blood and gore, this film does not quench my thirst for a good horror/suspense movie. There may be fine acting, but the film's prone to horriblathermia: Stage 1 - poor characterization; Stage 2 - bland chemistry; Stage 3 - its inability to scare or create feelings of unease; Stage 4 - complete boredom (this is also known as the stage in where there's no hope for this movie now); Stage 5 - predictable ending. The music failed to make it any better. Instead of trying to find a plot (or watch this movie), actually hike through the desert, but bring a lot more water than the idiots in this film did (They only brought 2 bottles, which wasn't very smart).

• Good, though flawed.

  afangirlsdream2010-06-23

  I found "Thirst" to be a lovely little film that I doubt most people will see. Flipping through Jeffery Scott Lando's other films, I'm afraid I haven't seen any of his previous work, but being a fan of all things Buffy-related when I saw Mercedes McNab was in the cast I scooped it up without a second thought. I wasn't disappointed. With breathtaking, oppressive scenery the movie creates a sense of despair mingling nicely the backdrop of the film with the inner turmoil of the lead couple's relationship. The movie reminded of films like "Open Water" and other man vs. the natural world themed films. I liked three out of four of the cast. Mercedes McNab did a good job with a relatively standard character in Jennifer. Lacey Chabert seemed well suited to the roll of Noelle, and ultimately showed the most emotion in the film. Bandon Quinn seemed to suit his character of Tyson quite well alternately making me dislike and root for him and wasn't bad to look at either. However, Tygh Runyan's portrayal of Bryon seemed emotionless and out of sync with the rest of the cast. Whether this was due to a character I genuinely didn't like or to the actor's performance I'm not sure, since I haven't seen Runyan in any other roles. As the four, two couples, struggle onward through the desert the plot increasingly revolves less around the characters interactions and more around the dangers that the desert presents. I would have liked to see a bit less of people protesting that they couldn't go onward and a bit more desert danger. Lacey Charbert's character came off as a bit of a know it all, a limitless source of information and the hero of near every scene while the men came off as a bit whiny and rather useless and the ending hit full throttle suddenly and just slammed through a scene that could have built a good long bit of hopelessness. On the whole though, if you like the 'stranded and must survive' style films you'll probably like it, if you don't it'll probably drag.