woensdag 28 december 2011

Santa vs. Saint


I can´t just do an ordinary review on both titles. Sint (Dutch) and Rare Exports (Scandinavian) turn out the same on many ocassions. That's why I'll put these two fairytales next to eachother and have them fight, guided by my simple but honest opinion. Let's get it on!!

Sint

The first I'll discuss is Sint, a horror film that depicts St. Nicholas as a murderous bishop who kidnaps and murders children when there is a full moon on December 5. This traditional slasher based on a Dutch holiday ended up being pretty controversial in the Netherlands. Big advertisements (showing the poster above) were shown in bus stands and were therefor public. Parrents were worried that their kids might get scared by the ever so good guy.
All of the controverse was overrated, as was the case with other Dutch-shocker (the director, that is) by Tom Six; The Human Centipede. The only sacred childhood figure was now raped. The only question that remains is: why so late? Santa already had been portraited as a killer way back. It would be a waste to let this Saint untouched. And if there's one thing Dick Maas (De Lift, Amsterdamned) has proven with his holiday slasher; it was worth it. 
The cheesy start, the goofy conversations, the ice cold vibe and the beautiful streets of Amsterdam are all right in place. The kills are rewarding and surprisingly graphic. The only negative point to all of this is that it has all been done before -and better-. The refreshing use of the 'Sint' as a killer is sufficiant enough for the film to get it's power from, untill a certain point. The ending is definitely something you will either love or hate and the acting isn't always convincing enough.
Score: 80/100

Rare Exports

Rare Exports reminded me of 'Sint' more than once. The vibe and murdorous 'evil' are quite similar and the comedic aspects are on the same level. Not really thĆ”t important but you're thankful for it to have some comec relief to it at all. Storywise it's definitely not the same. It's not as traditional as you might think. Rare Exports comes off as more of a surprise. Mostly positive, but also with some negative points to it. 

The kid, one of the main characters, is a massive pain in the ass area. The look on his face just killed me and his behaviour (refusing every simple task) was just too retarded. It was an excuse for him to have his own little adventures, discoveries and problems. It's not smartly written on his part, which is a shame because the rest is definitely interesting and mysterious. It will keep you on the edge of your seat untill the bombastic ending kicks in. 

Whereas the ending in 'Sint' was over the top and silly, it still felt in place and rewarding. That's not really the case with this Scandinavian flick. Although it had some cool moments during the grand finale, I'll give Jalmari Helander that. It's the least entertaining one and therefor I would recommend 'Sint' over 'Rare Exports' any day. But for the fanatics: just watch them both, they're worth it!

Score: 68/100



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