Blu-ray & DVD REVIEW: Wrong Turn 3 - Left For Dead

[JessHorsley]

What could be worse than being stuck in the woods with cannibals?

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There are certain films that just merit sequels and - even worse - films whose franchises just won't die. While some films - like Rambo or Die Hard - live on in infamy as having almost no end in sight, films like Saw and (even worse) Wrong Turn, somehow get someone with enough pull (and money) in Hollywood to make a sequel.

Personally, I enjoyed the first Wrong Turn film. While it wasn't anything too original nor was it anything spectacular, it had a decent plot, strangely appealing effects, and a good amount of gore. That said, when Wrong Turn 2 was released, I was shocked. How had this simply average film warranted a sequel when films much more deserving got nothing? Thankfully, even Wrong Turn 2 wasn't the worst film I saw...

But now, with the release of Wrong Turn 3, I can hopefully say I've seen the overdue end of this series, which should have left well enough alone...

Directed by Declan O'Brien (Monster Ark) and written by rookie screen writer Connor James Delaney, Wrong Turn 3 is where one knows they've gone wrong...in fact, if you find yourself watching this film, you've taken a wrong turn in your film viewing.

The plot is unoriginal, simple and - often times - written poorly while the directing, while not the worst around, does little to highlight the actors doing their best to provide what little character-building is available. There are a few scenes which impress (the bus crash specifically), but otherwise, the camera work does little to shock or awe viewers.

Likewise, the actors - while not to blame for their poor dialogue - often deliver their lines with little gusto or depth. In fact, it almost seems like this was the movie these actors took because they were passed over in that ABC or NBC pilot they auditioned for a few months back.

Lastly, the shock and awe I previously mentioned wore off in Wrong Turn 2 (if there was really any left at that point) which unfortunately means there's none here. Nada. Zip. Zilch. None. There's not a single scary moment in this film...which, for a horror film, is the nail in the coffin.

Luckily, there is one scene - and viewers will know it immediately as it's quite literally the first 5 minutes of the film - which does includes an over-the-top, hilarious death which will make people both laugh and cringe at the same time. But, unfortunately, this was both the first and last entertaining moment of Wrong Turn 3.

The Blu-ray does a good job of presenting the dark colors of the woods in 1080p and the English 5.1 DTS-HD does a solid job of mixing up the (attempted) horrifying shrieks and howls in the film's forest setting. Sadly, even a great picture and good sound can't redeem this monstrosity.

For die-hard fans who have to watch this, there are a number of decent featurettes included, especially the "Three Finger's Fight Night" and the "Action, Gore, and Chaos!" featurettes, which give some behind-the-scenes looks at the development, writing, stunts, and production of the film. Deleted scenes are also included (though considering how bad the film is, I personally don't recommend watching scenes even the director didn't like!)

What can I say? Not all of the films we review are going to get a positive review and, while I can say I do my best to find the good in everything, it was darn near impossible with Wrong Turn 3. There are a few entertaining death scenes, but gratuitous violence without a purpose does little for me anymore and a terrible plot which finds escaped convicts in the woods being hunted by a hillbilly cannibal - while it sounds awesome - is just plain poorly executed (no pun intended!) here.

- Jess C. Horsley

[Malevolus]

Ouch! You really hated it that much? We caught a screening of WT3 as part of Screamfest in Hollywood. It's certainly a bad movie, but I thought there was some fun in it. I might have felt differently if I had to pay to see it though...

I was pretty impressed by what they managed to pull off with what must have been a shoestring budget AND filming in Bulgaria (especially the bus crash). Also, none of the actors had noticeably terrible or dubbed accents, which is always a plus for these kind of films. Better than a Syfy channel original, definitely.