“Pulse” (The Weinstein Company)
Dead On Arrival
Kristen Bell of “Veronica Mars” fame stars in the new thriller “Pulse.” This is her chance to prove she has the same caliber of talent as Sarah Michelle Geller who found extra fame with “The Grudge.” Well “Pulse” is no “Grudge” and Bell is no Geller. The movie is deadly dull and Bell does nothing to light up the screen.
Bell plays Mattie, a college student who is having problems with her boyfriend Josh (Jonathan Tucker). He doesn’t return her calls, doesn’t come by to see her, blah, blah, blah. One day she drops by to see him and he is so glad to see her he hangs himself. A simple “We’re through” would have done the job just as efficiently.
Back in her room Mattie still gets e-mails from Josh. She suspects it is a prank played by Dexter (Ian Somerhalder) who bought his computer. But it is no prank. Josh’s spirit has been captured by phantoms that live inside computers and cell phones and want to suck the life force out of people.
The movie isn’t scary, isn’t interesting, isn’t well acted, isn’t anything but dull. It all takes place in a locale similar to the one seen in “Dark Water” with Jennifer Connelly. The streets are all deserted and the coloring of the sky and everything else is gray. It is just a drab look to a drab movie.
Bell is an up and coming young actress thanks to “Veronica Mars” but this role is not gong to do anything for her big screen career. And poor Ian Somerhalder, he got booted off “Lost” and into this. Talked about a downward path for his career.
The film is rated PG-13 for violence and profanity.
Check this movie out and you will find it has no pulse. This horror wannabee is strictly dead on arrival. Kristin Bell and Ian Somerhalder can’t resuscitate this movie and it just lies there until the final credits show up on screen.
I scored “Pulse” a throbbing 3 out of 10.
