I am sorry to say Chernobyl Diaries is not a good horror movie. The story centers on a group of tourists who join a day trip to see the ruins left behind following the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear accident and found themselves stranded in the ghost-town, and they are not alone.
Once the film opens, I started to notice and could not help but to mumble: "Looks like a very low-budget movie!" And it is! The practically unknown-cast, the stereotyped characters, the chiche-lines, the fact that one of the main character, Chris (played by Jesse McCartney) decided to propose to his serious lover, Natalie (Olivia Taylor Dudley) in Russia, after they went to all other more "appropriate places" like Rome, Paris, or even London, show how silly and unbelievable this movie is.
My friend, B, cannot help but to comment that: "Looks like a mix of Frozen and The Hills Have Eyes." That is also true except those two movies are more superior in their execution and story lines, which this movie clearly lacks. The most impressive thing about Chernobyl Diaries is the location and the scenery, and it appears that the whole movie is filmed on real location. The problem with the movie is that the poor lightings, and where the scary scenes happen only in the dark or at night, does more harm than good. The director did not even make good use of the location; such as poorly focused shots on appearances of monstrous figures and the jostling of the camera as we run along with the characters as they attempt to escape.
The biggest issue is that the movie did not attempt to give the audience any explanations, any character developments, or more importantly--any clear death scenes. Now the movie looks very cheap. The Chernobyl setting seems like a gimmick more than anything. If the film had been made as a horror movie with a premise of Chernobyl accident and actually followed through on that, I think the potential was there for a decent movie. As it is, Chernobyl Diaries is a major disappointment that never meets its potential on any level.
