ScoobyWell Great visuals, story delivers no surprises

Sharkflei Your blood may run cold, but you now find yourself pinioned to the story.

Lachlan Coulson This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.

Cissy Évelyne It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

Alice C Started out okay but about 20 minutes in became a long involved not so fun exploration. Not very thrilling. What am I watching and why. Waste of an hour and 40 minutes following who is chasing who for ineffective twists that don't work well. Reality meets the web or whatever and real life consequences don't really matter.

Ben Hattrell The movie begins well and captivates your attention quickly with a clear emphasis on drama and the unexplained or expected. It somewhat surprises you and sets the background for the movie well. The main part of the movie is nothing like the beginning. It gradually builds the tension and keeps your heart racing as a good thriller should although is clever enough to not neatly fit any genre really. For this sense of adrenaline the film length is great as it leaves you wanting more and never bored. From the review ratings I have read they seem a little low for my own enjoyment of this film. It is definitely worth a watch for any sci-fi fan looking for a captivating and thought provoking movie. Do not panic about the intellect necessary to understand this film however, since it is certainly easily understandable unlike some films with a slight psychological emphasis. Whilst the film engages you thoroughly for a clever ending the ending for me was a little flat and didn't do the beginning any real justice. It could have been more believable which is a shame since for me this movie would have been very close to a top rating had this and the beginning been sharpened up a little. On the whole ... Dramatic, thought provoking movie which caters for the genre focused adult masses well. Definitely needs an appropriate age rating due to content but does have a wide audience appeal. Worth a watch. Don't miss and you won't be disappointed.

Dan Franzen (dfranzen70) Open Windows is a cyber thriller starring Elijah Wood and Sasha Grey. Wood plays Nick, the webmaster of a fan site dedicated to pretty, young actress Jill Goddard (Grey) who finds himself smack dab in the middle of intrigue when, after winning a contest that promises a date with the starlet, he finds that the rendezvous has been summarily canceled. But that ain't all, as they say.So one moment Frodo is watching Goddard and others at a convention, remotely from his hotel room (no invite?), and the next he's learning there is no date – from a mysterious voice in his laptop who's named himself Chord. Chord promises to set things aright, though; he can gain access to Jill's phone, and they can both have some fun – since, Chord claims, she's the one who broke off the dinner.Things kind of spiral out of control, with the twists becoming more ludicrous as they progress. Red herrings abound. But there was just enough intrigue to keep me mildly interested, because the movie is never entirely predictable. Cheesy, yes, but not predictable. I couldn't figure out the end game. Someone was obviously not who they seemed to be. Someone was obviously going to turn on someone. These things happen. So I kept looking for clues and, finding none, went with the flow.Problem #1: The movie is filmed similarly to a found-footage film in that scenes are viewed through webcam (or phone camera) footage. It's the kind of gimmick that one must stick with if it's introduced at the beginning. Which, yeah, this one is, and yeah, it's kept up throughout. But the gimmick just gets old – it's sort of like watching the opening to a complex theme park ride, where the protagonists explain all the things you the rider will experience. In other words, I wasn't immersed in the experienced as much as held at a voyeuristic arm's length.Problem #2: Elijah Wood, who I'm sure is a really nice guy and who made for a great Hobbit, doesn't quite have the gravitas needed for the role. I had trouble shaking the idea that he had somehow gotten a hold of his dad's credit card and booked a nice hotel room for himself and was now going on an adventure that would wind up with him getting bailed out by his older brother. I don't know, he just didn't feel right in the role. Like I said – probably a swell feller, but this is not his movie.Surprisingly, former porn star Sasha Grey is pretty satisfying as Jill Goddard. It's said she took the role because, as a recognizable star (of sorts) she's experienced fanboys. And it's a good role for her; she's pretty and believable as the Next Big Thing among actresses. It helps that she doesn't overact, melodramatically playing a vulnerable young woman. Seems to me that novice actors make that mistake all the time, that they just can't offer a nuanced performance. Grey's performance, although not flawless, definitely contains shades. Of Grey. See what I did there? Ultimately, Open Windows is kind of nonsensical, with an overly complex plot and a lackluster lead performance. Frankly, it's only because of Gray and the minute intrigue that this sucker gets four stars instead of only two.

lathe-of-heaven First off... ignore all these pious, jaded Numbnut reviewers who arrogantly diss this film ('Found Footage'...? Really? WHERE the hell do they dig up these 'people'?) Sorry... just my honest reaction after seeing several of these shallow, illiterate reviews...Going into this film, I really did NOT expect to like it very much. Actually, I kind of put off seeing it, fully expecting it to be a very shallow and 'Gimmicky' film (a word that another reviewer apparently felt necessary to repeat 3 times in his Summary) So, it was with genuine reluctance that I watched this movie. Surprisingly, within the first few moments, the film had already grabbed me and seriously snagged my full attention (I'm watching this thinking, 'What the HELL...???) After reading about the premise, I was expecting that this probably would be a boring movie where we would just be looking at a some guy watching his computer screen the whole time. BUT... when I started to understand why Elijah Wood was there and what was happening to him, before I even fully realized it, the film had literally seized me by the nuts in an iron grip, and would NOT let go until it has slapped me around and fully had it's way with me.That is just about the most concise way I can sum up my impression of the movie...What makes it work, of course, is the truly clever thought that the director has put into just exactly HOW to portray this movie in a way that will involve the audience. My guess would be that there must be a MILLION ways that he could have screwed this up and ruined it, but I can only surmise that he must have been up for it, because I can honestly say that it not only held me captive for the entire length of the film, but REALLY had me wondering at every turn just what the HELL was going to happen next.Once you get used to the format and style of the movie, really the ONLY thing that could possibly keep your interest is the story itself. And WHAT a story indeed...! Let me just say one thing. If you DO find the movie interesting, make bloody SURE that you watch it to the very end because there are some very nice twists and turns that really add to the effectiveness of the film. One thing I will say, without giving too much away, is that when the French guys first appeared, I thought that it was frigg'n hilarious. 'Are you Nevada...?'My humble suggestion is, please DON'T allow these know-it-all, pompous, Dickweed reviewers put you off by their arrogantly dismissive Summaries of 'Gimmicky' or 'Poorly written'... NOTHING could possibly be farther from the truth in my lowly and wretched opinion. YES, you might say that the format is very unique and uses a method that a very SHALLOW person could quickly leap to saying is a 'Gimmick' if they wanted to appear to be the 'Oh-So-Cool' reviewer. But, 'Gimmicks' are what William Castle used in his films, and they had NOTHING at all to do with the story and were just Cheeeeezy stunts to shock the audience. Here, the director chose a format that I personally think would be a HUGE challenge to do correctly in order for it to come across in just the right way to keep the audience's attention and to tell the story effectively. One Lame@ss reviewer actually states in his Summary something like 'Brilliant and inventive, ruined by Science Fiction' WHAT...?!! That's like saying in the original Star Trek, that just because some of the technology was pushing it a bit with Proton beams, Graviton fields, and of course the Transporters, that that made it total $hit...? Uh huh, right... How about having a little frigg'n IMAGINATION, Dumb@ss...?Sorry... just REALLY chaps my Willie...So, I would say that if you really don't like computers or computer-related stories / movies, then you might want to give this one a pass. BUT... if you have a really naive and sensitive imagination like I do and IF you can easily suspend disbelief (mainly with the technology used in the film) and if you like Computer / Cyber-centric Thrillers at all, then I think that there is a good chance that you will really enjoy this very clever and entertaining film...