Here is yet another obscure film that literally nobody knows about. In case anybody is wondering, I am watching all of the films in the Echo Bridge release of 8 Adventure films which includes this film along with the previous films that I have reviewed. Most of the films are really crappy and this film is no exception. This film stars Alana Austin (whoever that is) but most notably Ernest Borgnine (and yes I made a few Escape from New York jokes while watching this film).
The follows Andy who is a troubled teen. (How original). She apparently disobeyed curfew and is on probation. The only way to keep her out of trouble is by sending her with her grandpa in the middle of nowhere. When their dog runs off, Andy goes and looks for the dog and gets lost. There is also a guy who is an illegal immigrant and is running from the officials and finds Andy and so the two must rely on each other for survival.
This movie is possibly worse than River's End (and I hated that movie). Both films are pretty similar. I mean, you have a troubled teen who acts like a jerk to everyone goes into the wilderness and is reformed by the whole experience. But in this film, there is no apparent lesson(s) being told and well, the acting and characters are even worse. The only thing that barely makes this film from getting a one star review is Ernest Borgnine who actually gives a good performance even though the lines he was given are absolute trash. There is a fairly emotional scene that involves his character and not because I felt anything for his character but only because it was Ernest Borgnine. That is another thing. The characters are just awful. I have seen this types of characters in several movies. They are not interesting and I do not know how I am supposed to even be invested to these characters let alone anything that happens in the film. The film sort of drags slowly when Andy and the illegal immigrant are in the desert and that's because largely nothing happens. They talk, but the conversation is uninteresting. I know there is supposed to be a connection being made between the characters, but I honestly don't care. Everything that does happen is fairly predictable as well. Like when an injury occurs or something of the sorts. Which reminds me, HOW DOES FALLING DOWN A SAND DUNE MESS UP YOUR LEG?!?!?! The cinematography is not very good and I would have expected a little bit more from this film. There are several opportunities of having some shots focused on the beautiful scenery that is all around. But we get none of that and what every shot of the film appears to be more focused on is a living thing whether it be dog or human. One other complaint is a rather minor one here. There is one instance that I found (though it would not surprise me if there was more instances) where Andy is calling for the dog. She calls for the dog once. For some reason, to save money they follow that bit up by just repeating the clip of her calling for the dog. Trust me, it was very noticeable.
Honestly, I have nothing much more to say. Castle Rock is bad. If it was not for Ernest Borgnine, this film would have definitely recieved a one star rating from me.
