The Vault (2017) Directed by Dan Bush




Once you have seen a ton of movies and watch movies everyday, it is good to come across anything that does something new and original This movie definitely feels fresh and original with its approach and story, yet at the same time it isn't always working out too well.

First of all, the story actually is great. It is not only original, it is also solid, filled with plenty of tension and mystery and just features an overall solid concept. The problem is with its storytelling. The movie seems to have a hard time handing its tension and mystery at times, particularly how to set things up.

It is for instance crazy how the movie throws you right into things, without a decent buildup. It slowly reveals things as it progresses, but is it enough to keep you interested in it all throughout? Not at all times. It is interesting how this movie slowly progresses into something you maybe didn't expect it to do, but it is all something that probably worked better on paper than in the actual movie though. Despite a great mystery-plot, with plenty of suspense in it, the movie itself never feels like a greatly mysterious and/or tense one. It is an interesting movie to watch, but most definitely not the most engaging one out there.

I still have plenty of respect for the movie though and I am also still willing to give it plenty of credit. It is pretty interesting to see how the movie has the guts to try out some things and really not much wrong with the story itself. Who knows, maybe in the hands of a more capable and experienced director this movie could had turned into a pretty awesome and unique little flick. It now unfortunately remains nothing more but a decent but also very forgettable one.

A problem with the movie also remains its characters. There just isn't anyone to really care or cheer for and in a way it is even hard to tell who are supposed to be the good- and bad 'guys' in this. Perhaps this was intentional, but it remains an absolute fact that it in this case never makes the movie the most engaging one to watch. And sure, James Franco is in this movie and yes, he is pretty good in it, but it is not like he is the one carrying the movie, or even the one who plays the biggest role. He is simply just merely first billed because of his name.

It is best to watch this movie without knowing too much about it in advance. It then becomes a pretty decent, entertaining and original one to watch, but it at the same time isn't going to be anything to blow you out of your socks. A real shame, since the potential and most of the right ingredients for it where really there.

5/10

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