Identity---Spoilers

[Mr_Pleasington]

Well, I saw it this weekend and while it was entertaining, it wasn't scary at all, which is disappointing.  I figured the whole "different personalities fighting" thing within the first ten minutes or so given the info that was given in the intro.  Didn't have the kid pegged as the killer though I though something was up when he tricked his mom onto the highway early in the movie.  

Neat concept, lacklaster execution.


The funny thing is that the plot is very similar to the concept for "The Three" which is a joke script in the movie "Adaptation" that is meant to show how contrived a lot of Hollywood ideas are.  I just found that funny.

[Fellfrosch]

I read this because I don't intend to see the movie, but I am curious about it's twists and such. So tell me, why is it important that they all have the same birthday (or something like that, I saw it in a commercial)?

[The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers]

Being in the same boat as Fell, I also read. But it seems obvious. If they're multiple personalities, they're the same PERSON, hence the same birthday....

Or am I wrong?

[Fellfrosch]

So all the characters are different personalities of the same person? I thought you meant just a kid with multiple personalities.

[The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers]

LIke I said, I haven't seen it. but it seems like making a kid with multiple-personalities who all have the same birthday be a way to signal they have the same birthday without giving it away. I don't know how vastly different multiplle personalities are in real life. But then, this is Hollywood, so it probably isn't relevant.

[Mr_Pleasington]

Yes, the premise is that all the characters in the film are different personalities of a mass murderer who was abandoned in a motel as a child.  A doctor has given said killer a treatment so that all his personalities must confront each other until only one survives.  

Given the name of the movie, the brief info on the killer at the start, and that I knew the same birthday thing from the previews, I put it together very early...which took a lot of the tension away from the film.  There's also some twists as to who the killer personality is which actually manages to keep things interesting.

The main problem is that once they reveal what is happening, there is no more tension.  They do manage to throw in a lot lot of red herrings though, my favorite being the indian burial ground the motel is on top of.

Whoa, just saw the review on the front page.  Looks like my timing with the thread is impeccable

[Fellfrosch]

Interesting. So did the killer personality win in the end, or did some nice, peace-loving personality defeat it and let the man live a happy life?

[Mr_Pleasington]

That's actually one of the better twists.  You spend the first half of the movie thinking that the obvious killer is this convict that has escaped.  Then they make you think its an otherworldly force for a while.  Then you're convinced that its the second most suspicious character and when he is killed you think the good guys have won.

Then it turns out to be the kid, who ends up winning and presumably going out on another killing spree.  They actually do a really good job of giving you more than enough clues that it is the kid that's evil the entire time, but then misdirecting you elsewhere.  

[The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers]

ARGH! IT'S THE KID?! YOU SPOILED IT FOR ME!!!!

Oh wait... "spoilers" yeah. Ok. (just kidding)