Open Grave

The road to the finale is littered with dead bodies and red herrings, but Open Grave is more notable for its laid-back approach to storytelling than for its plot twists.

Where the story leads is so disappointing-and hackneyed-it makes the entire journey feel like an enormous waste of time.

The film's aura of mystery only works in the first 20 minutes or so, when it seems effortless; after that it feels like it's working very hard to keep the truth obscured, and in so doing just becomes a colorless slog.

The film doesn't break any new ground, and with a few tweaks, it could have packed a far greater punch.

Open Grave starts off well enough, but soon finds itself as lost and confused as its amnesiac characters.

Stock characters in a poorly plotted zombie-apocalypse storyline jabbed with a ham-fisted musical score, "Open Grave" is an elementary horror movie geared to set the genre back 30 years.

Decent payoffs for those who are interested in playing along -- and willing to contend with a few slow spots in the mid-section.

It's a nifty what's-going-on-here? setup with loads of potential, all of which is sadly squandered.

... another genre head-scratcher from López-Gallego, who last brought us 'Apollo 18' ... It won't impress the more literal-minded fans of 'World War Z' or 'The Crazies.'

Perhaps next time a little more faith in the power of visuals and performance would do the trick. Anything but another 100 minutes of dull characters sharing their inner monologue would be preferable.

Open Grave ends up merging Agatha Christie with 'The Last of Us,' with varying degrees of success.

Its climax may not be to everyone's tastes, but so relentless are the number of intriguing questions present in Open Grave's onset that it more than warrants a look.