Triangle – Takes a few watches

Okay, this is my third viewing of ‘Triangle’ (so at least you know I must like it, at least a little!).  However, there’s a reason it’s not up there with my ‘most watched’ movies of all times.  And that’s because, despite me enjoying it, I really do have to be in the right sort of mood for a film like this.  In short… it’s a hard watch.  It’s a horror film starring Melissa George as a troubled woman who decides to have a – brief – break from her day-to-day life in order to join a few friends on a luxury yacht for a couple of days.  Unfortunately, this proves even more dramatic than her home life when the boat capsizes and the party end up managing to just about make it to a cruise liner that – almost literally – appears out of nowhere in order for them to board.  If that wasn’t creepy enough, their new ship is deserted, or is it?

Now, apart from Melissa George (who you may or may not have heard of), there’s no real stars to speak of, plus no real budget (the ship and anything largely connected to the ocean around it does look a little ‘cheap’ in terms of computer-effects, plus gore is hardly a major factor.  So, the film can’t really sell itself on any of those points.  It makes up for its lack of ‘obvious’ selling points by trying to create a confusing and fearful atmosphere.  It’s impossible to make any sort of film which ‘re-uses’ chronologically-filmed scenes without mentioning ‘Groundhog Day.’ I guess there’s a very – loose – element of that with ‘Triangle’ based on how certain parts of the film deliberately repeat themselves, each time revealing a little more of what’s happening.

I mention the ‘confusing’ atmosphere that’s created.  Well… it’s not just the characters on screen who are in the dark regarding what’s happening to them, but also us, the viewers.  Because of the way the ‘supernatural ‘element of the story is presented, it’s not always clear as to what the threat is (or at least what’s causing the threat).  This film isn’t a simple horror film with a monster running around eating people.  It uses various other sources of terror.  And it’s because of this that many people may find the plot a little confusing.  I have to confess that I did on my first viewing and even resorted to posting theories on internet message boards in order to check that I knew what was going on.  It’s one of those situations that once it’s been explained to you it’s kind of obvious and you kick yourself for not getting it first time round.

However, like I say, there are times when you don’t want the film’s narrative ‘spoon fed’ to you and ‘Triangle’ will  give you the opportunity to have think about what’s happening, why and if there’s a way out of what – I guess – is technically the (Bermuda?) ‘Triangle.’
7/10 if I woke up on Groundhog Day and had to watch this again, I could live with that