Now in 2014 after four sequels and a fifth one due in October, you can't really look at the first Paranormal Activity the same way. The series now seems like a money grab and it's sequels were an up and down thing with the third one being the best. The new spin off film, Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones is really an even bigger question mark.
The movie is set in a rundown Hispanic community and some would call it the hood. Recent high schools graduates Jesse (Andrew Jacobs) and best friend Hector (Jorge Diaz) learn and discover that Jesse's neighbor on the bottom level of their apartment, a very creepy lady, has died mysteriously. After her death, Jesse's life is turned upside down once he learns he has some type of bite mark on arm. The story involves black magic, witches and a possessed Jesse.
What first stands out about this film and what is different than the others, is the cast. Like the other films of the series, this cast is full of unknown actors which make this film seem real. Andrew Jacobs is a fresh lead who is likable and he's works with the others and there is a lot of character development in this movie. Jorge Diaz brings humor to this film which is something we have never seen before in this series. Even the grandmother of the story played by Renee Victor who speaks no English in this film works as being the foreign character and sparks her own laughs. Sure, most all the characters lack substance and most you can't tell the difference between them but they are still fun characters.
The movie is set in a different atmosphere that I like but the story lines follow similar paths. The characters go predictable ways, the kills are typical and besides it's ending, most of the movie is not very scary. The themes and substance which includes witches and black magic are light and really most of those ideas don't have much to them.
Who knows what the future holds for this series but I am not seeing how this movie connects to the rest of the series or connects at all just in itself. The ending which has references to the previous movies just looks thrown together and really has no meaning. This is a film that really leaves us in the middle and with a feeling of nowhere to go further. Its seems like it is up to us to figure out just what is going on or what it means.
In the end, Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones is kind of a mess and it is hard to get used to but at the same time it's an above average film. It is a very interesting film that I can tell already is going be one of the most different films I am going to review all year long. Just like The Devil Inside from last year, this film is a strange way to start a new year.
3/5
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