The Appearing (2014)

Don't listen to the negative reviews

It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

Despite the intriguing title, THE APPEARING is nothing more than a cheap and lousy horror movie that screams derivative at every step. It starts out as a tragedy-from-the-past type movie, and before the end has turned into your usual demonic possession flick. At no point is it original or indeed valid as a decent horror film.The characters are dull beyond with Will Wallace's lead being particularly stultifying. Former Superman actor Dean Cain shows up in support, while poor old Don Swayze - the late Patrick's brother - reminds us that he's nothing like his more famous sibling. Despite attempts by the filmmakers, the incidents portrayed in the film are rather tame, and the familiarity of the whole thing makes it tough to keep your attention on it.

This film is a little better than so-so. I debated rating it either a 6 or a 7, but decided on a 6 because of some camera work and editing choices.The acting is better than average. Swayze and Wallace are really pretty solid (arguably Swayze's best performance since I thought in the past that his brother was a much better actor). A few of the other actors could have done more with the characters, though….particularly the guy from "The Blind Side" (Quinton Aaron). I thought he did a great job in that film, but this one….not so much.Fun to see Dean Cain because he is such a cool dude, but his acting is always a little sub par. No exception to that in this film.Some of the edits seem a little amateur as did some of the camera work. Overall, I enjoyed it once over some good popcorn, but wouldn't watch it a second time.

There's something to be said about how bad a film is, when the first ten minutes pass and you're wondering more about how it got made than the plot itself.The acting is bizarre. It reminds me of drama classes in high school, where a prompt to "look happy" means smiling maniacally whilst staring at a single point in the distance like a crazy person. Or the instruction to be the "stoner chick" ends up like the only knowledge the actress has of drugs is a "Just Say No!" education commercial.An early scene sets the tone. A curious girl and some guy (...boyfriend? I honestly have no idea) wander into an abandoned, haunted house. The script has the girl stating at least 5 times how weird the place is, even though it actually doesn't resemble anything other than an old house with cobwebs. Seriously, it's not even dark in there. Then we're introduced to a couple who have moved to the area following a "tragic event". Fair enough, but when we see the wife in the bathroom looking upset, music suddenly roars into life, completely obliterating the mood. Is it background music? Is it a CD the wife put on? Where the hell did it come from? And WHY IS IT SO LOUD?! Still, I'm only fourteen minutes in. The next scene shows the wife making breakfast and the husband doing his best not to act in any kind of realistic way, by stating that he can't share breakfast as he's late for work, but then weirdly taking absolutely ages to drink a glass of OJ and take two bites of toast. Sad wife (I think, she's got that weird look in her eyes again - and not because of her acting) looks at a photo of her daughter (ah, so that's the tragic event) and then runs out of the house, and then just appears in the middle of a country road with photo in hand. But this isn't lost time, or a fugue state. She's just...walking there.I've got another hour and a quarter of this. Can't wait.

I could go on about the lame script, bad acting, blind camera work, lazy directing, and amateur editing, but this has been covered by the others commenting. The movie opens with a black man kissing a brunette, which is fine, except that not one black girl appears in the movie, and if there was, it would be an extra, completely ignored by all men except possibly a black man. Why? Because the movie industry is racist. I shove the crew's face in the pile of racism they made. BAD DIRECTOR! BAD PRODUCER! You are worse than scum, you are traitors. Matthew J. Ryan and Daric Gates are bigots: Do not hire, do not invite, do not return their calls.