I've never walked out of a cinema before the end of a movie, no matter how bad it's been. I won't even switch off a DVD. I'll always see it through to the end. Pity, because if I'd stopped Mr. Jones at the half-way point I might not have felt so utterly let down.
It's a weird hybrid of a found footage movie and an acid trip.
A young, attractive couple move to an idyllic woodland home to get away from the city. From the husband's voiceover* in the opening minutes we learn he wants to make a nature documentary ... that it's his dream ... that his wife has put her career as a photographer on hold ... and, oh, he's has stopped taking his meds. It's not long before he's bored with the documentary idea, though, and instead is content sleeping or filming himself while he whines about things.
(* A voiceover on a found footage movie is already ringing alarm bells.)
Luckily, Mr. Jones, a shadowy character with a creepy shack and dubious motives, quickly cuts through the self-pitying drivel and cranks up the suspense. After spotting him, and believing he is a reclusive artist who sends random strangers scarecrows in the mail, the couple investigate to find out the man behind this creepy yet valuable artwork.
My problem from the outset is the two "protagonists". They lack any personality, yet sadly are on screen for 90 percent of the movie. Also, half-way through, the film breaks format and becomes just epilepsy-inducing nonsense.
If you like arthouse movies that are just noises and flashing lights, and where the director leaves pretty much everything up to the audience to work out what's happening, then you might actually like this. I just found it frustrating. And despite having a relatively short run time, I felt I'd been sat for hours. It was exhausting.
As a slight aside, there is something about "cabins in the woods" films that bugs me. That is, are there agents who specialize in these kinds of properties, seeking out tenants who do zero research on an area and have a penchant for breaking into the homes of neighbors whose decor could be described as "abattoir-y"? If so, I'd love to see the ads.
"Cosy cabin, two bedrooms and large cellar. Quiet neighbors who keep to themselves. Several previous owners. No chain."
HD
