Ameriatch One of the best films i have seen

Inadvands Boring, over-political, tech fuzed mess

Myron Clemons A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.

Mandeep Tyson The acting in this movie is really good.

Leofwine_draca Lovecraft fans be warned – DAGON is a very loose adaptation of his Shadow Over Innsmouth, changing much of the action and containing little of the atmosphere that Lovecraft painstakingly created in his works. Saying that, this is a very atypical movie which makes great use of Lovecraft's themes and ideas, but bizarrely alternates between scenes of pure horror and other moments of outright comedy. The mixture is uneven but the result is worth a look; an action-packed and eventful thrill-ride of a film with great costumes and make-ups and a fantastic setting. The setting (despite its relocation to Spain) is one thing that director Stuart Gordon and his associates got exactly right and they deserve praise for their efforts.Not everything about this film is good. The extremely spooky and weird inhabitants of the town are incredibly played for laughs instead of menace – the result is weird but the audience's reaction mixed. At least Gordon works in a sense of uneasiness into the characters – especially the creepy hotel clerk played by veteran performer Jose Ruiz Lifante (THE DEVIL'S KISS), who steals the show in his cameo appearance. It's great to see Lifante back on screen after his appearance two decades previously in such classics as THE LIVING DEAD AT THE MANCHESTER MORGUE and his presence is a lovely touch. Also appearing is veteran Spanish actor Francisco Rabal, who sadly died shortly after production. Unfortunately for the viewer, his poor English makes it hard to understand a word of what his character says, which is doubly unfortunate as he is the guy who explains the plot to us! It doesn't really matter, because this film's script isn't a strong point. What is strong is the visual impact, from the scenery and the effects. There are some strong scenes of gore and gruesomeness which are pretty hard-hitting, including a totally surprising face-pull which pushes the boundaries of good taste to the limit. Unfortunately the creature effects (created by CGI) are less even and rather laughable in places, but work if you're in a kind mood. The film ups the exploitation value by including a fair amount of female nudity, especially prominent in the ritual sequence which ends the film on a high.The acting ranges from okay to good in the most part. Lead Ezra Godden actually starts off pretty bad and wooden as the film progresses, but as the danger increases he comes into his own and makes an impact as the hero. The basic template of the film is all action, a big long chase scene, which has its strengths and weaknesses. A strength is the driving suspense and excitement in some sequences – the attack in the hotel is devastatingly effective, for instance. Unfortunately such attacks soon become fairly repetitive, lacking the drive that made the film so gripping initially. Thankfully things pick up for a strong finale and are heightened by an effectively spooky score. Generally this is an uneven movie but one definitely worth a look for Lovecraft followers, as it's a lot closer to his spirit than many other so-called adaptations.

lathe-of-heaven I'm a bit torn about this one... I read Bowmanblue's review and I must say that I mostly agree with what he wrote about the movie. I liked the film and it really did have a pretty good atmosphere. The town where they chose to set the story had a nice creepy vibe going for it and could be considered an actual 'Character' in and of itself.I guess if you look at this movie from the basic premises and stories that H.P. Lovecraft used, it seems to fit into his universe pretty well. His stories were really almost ALL atmosphere, which isn't a bad thing. Heh... I'M usually the one who is most vocal about how important mood and atmosphere is in Horror films, especially Classically themed ones, and yet here I am actually considering spouting off about the lack of substance or story through most of the middle part of the film. (shame on me...)I REALLY love Stuart Gordon's films, especially his first 3 and 'FORTRESS'. I think that he is very talented and he is DEFINITELY the guy to do this kind of movie. I honestly wish that he would get off his more modern thing of doing these more 'Realistic' Horror films and just get back to doing what he does best and what we all REALLY want from him: Good, old-fashioned, creepy Horror films.I suppose if I am truly being honest, I will admit that I sorely missed Jeffrey Combs in this one. Maybe he just had other commitments or couldn't go to Spain to make this film, I don't know... But, that was kind of nagging at me as I was watching the movie and I THINK that if the main guy had been Combs, I bet that I would probably have liked the movie even more. However, he had a good 'nice guy' vibe going on, sort of like the romantic lead in 'REANIMATOR'The look and atmosphere of the film are very good. The acting is fairly decent for the most part and the story is pure Lovecraft. There are a few gruesome touches thrown in here or there (or it wouldn't be a Gordon/Yuzna film now, would it...?) but, I really didn't feel that it was nearly as grisly as some others. Overall, and also objectively taking into consideration how many here really do like this film, I would say that if you are a fan of H.P. Lovecraft or Stuart Gordon at all, then you should find this film to be fairly entertaining.The way the film finishes has a nice touch to it that gives the movie a little bit of a welcome punch at the end...

Milo-Jeeder In "Dagon", Paul and his girlfriend, Barbara, go on a trip to Spain, but after suffering an accident with their boat, they end up stranded in a gloomy harbor port called Imboca. After a series of incidents, Paul becomes separated from his girlfriend, so he goes on a search all around the town to find her. For some reason, the villagers from Imboca are out to get Paul, but he manages to escape the angry horde. Through the story of a homeless guy named Ezequiel, Paul learns that several years ago, there was a fish shortage in the town of Imboca, which caused a lot of despair among the villagers. One day, an evil sailor introduced the townspeople to a new god called Dagon and forced them to abandon their catholic religion. Dagon eventually brought a lot of wealth to the town, but in return, he demanded live sacrifices and women to breed with him. Progressively, Imboca became a dark and isolated place, inhabited by fish-like creatures, which live to worship their beastly god. During Paul's search, he comes across a strange "girl" named Uxia, who is also the high priestess of the Order of Dagon and she seems to be in love with him. Paul decides to continue with his search, unaware of the fact that the townspeople, led by Uxia, want to offer Barbra as a sacrifice to Dagon.Director Stuart Gordon offers a dark and even depressing atmosphere in this film that deals with the classic theme of innocent people stranded in a deserted place, where they meet a gruesome fate. While the story is simple, as it mostly features Paul escaping from the angry villagers, it manages to provide an hour and a half of genuine horror with dignity, avoiding never ending fillers that lead to nothing. In some way, I suppose "Dagon" may sound similar to a zombie flick, but in this case, it seems like the angry horde actually has something personal against Paul, which makes the whole thing more intriguing, since we don't get to know why, until the very end. Paul's quest becomes exciting, as we get to see the mysteries surrounding Imboca slowly unraveling. My main satisfaction with this film is due to the perfect location, because I believe that the filming locations are very relevant in these types of horror films, where the setting usually works as another character that interacts with the rest. The fictional town of Imboca (which is actually called Combarro) makes the perfect horror scenery for this nightmare-like story; it looks frightening, even depressing, and it is always raining heavily throughout the entire film, which makes things even more difficult for the main character. Aside from the Combarro landscapes, we see a decaying hotel that seems to have been deserted for a long time, which gives a feeling of uneasiness and discomfort. Abandoned places always seem to provoke distress, because they give the feeling that they are cut out from the rest of society, the modern civilized word and its false securities. The Spanish architecture of the houses and mansions are somehow more unpolished and rustic than the architecture that we normally see in American horror films, and I find this rusticity to be also frightening, as it gives me the idea that the people from this place have some kind of a ferocious nature and aren't exactly tamed. As for the bizarre villains, which in this case are mostly the townspeople, I thought this was a great achievement; the idea of merging humans and sea creatures as the main antagonists is perfect. These characters hardly ever talk, they mostly make strange noises, they walk around in a weird animalistic way, and most of them cover their pale fish-like faces with scarves and the rest of their bodies with black hooded raincoats. In a way, it reminded me of a zombie film, since these villagers move together in a horde without a mind, chasing the only humans in the town, because they want something from them. Of course, I have seen my share of zombie films and while I can enjoy them from time to time, I found these strange fish-like creatures to be more interesting and scary. The music in "Dagon", composed by Carl Cases is also very fitting. We mostly get to hear the same music throughout the entire film, in which a woman and a chorus of men chant a darkly appealing melody that helps to create a mystical and depressing atmosphere. Of course, I don't think "Dagon" is the perfect film. My main problem with this film is the bad CGI; not only because it looks extremely cheap and amateurish, but also, because it is completely unnecessary. This film could have been much better without this horrible CGI, and while I cannot say that this ruined the movie for me, it cheapens it considerably. I have another criticism concerning the dialogs. Though "Dagon" mostly doesn't provide humor, unlike some of Gordon's previous horror films, I'm sure some of the dialogs in this film are supposed to be intentionally funny, and while I chuckled like it was intended, I find the humor to be out of place in a film like this. Based on "The Shadow over Innsmouth", this film is mostly regarded by Lovecraft fans as a noble effort that actually remains true to the atmosphere and structure of his story. In any case, Dennis Paoli, who writes most of the scripts for Gordon, deserves recognition as well, since "Dagon" doesn't take everything directly from Lovecraft's story. The film deals with a few recurring Lovecraftian elements, such as the impossibility to escape fate, religion and non-human influences on humanity, among others.

Scott LeBrun It's a pleasure to view a horror film that actually lives up to the *word* "horror". This film is like a nightmare that just goes on and on, with no real relief and no promise that there will be light at the end of its tunnel. It shows its characters no real mercy, and is absolutely overwhelmed by a constantly threatening atmosphere. Note that once the sun disappears in this story, it stays gone. ("Dagon" *has* to be a leading contender for rainiest film of all time.) Director Stuart Gordon and screenwriter Dennis Paoli, old hands at adapting the works of H.P. Lovecraft, don't spend very much time easing you into this madness. Some of the performances are excellent and the dialogue is quite literate. That's not to mention the fact that the visual effects and makeup effects are overall superb. The sets and the lighting are perfect for the material. And it's all topped off with an unnerving, ominous music score composed by Carles Cases.Of course, Lovecraft buffs know that this only takes the title of one Lovecraft short story, and is actually an adaptation of a different one, "The Shadow Over Innsmouth". It stars Ezra Godden as Paul Marsh, on vacation with his sexy wife Barbara (Raquel Merono) with another couple off the coast of Spain. Trouble arises with their boat, a storm arises, and Paul & Barbara make it to the coastal town of Imboca. Here the people behave very strangely; in fact, they're all something other than human and have been praying to Dagon, a monstrous god of the sea, for a long time. And they have plans for Paul and Barbara.Giving "Dagon" some heart and soul is the robust performance of veteran Francisco Rabal ("Belle de Jour", "Nightmare City"), in one of his final roles (the film is dedicated to the late actor). He's basically our exposition provider but does a wonderful job. You quickly become attached to this character and lament his departure from the story. As for Godden and the character of Paul, they may be a matter of taste as it takes a while for Paul to change from agitated nerd to ass kicking hero. The ladies are lovely; also capturing our attention is Macarena Gomez as Uxia, the mysterious young woman who's instantly smitten with Paul.Genre fans will likely have a fine time with this one. It's good, grim entertainment that truly creates a little world of its own.Eight out of 10.