Andron

Title: Andron (15)

Year: 2015

Running Time: 100 minutes

Director: Francesco Cinquemani

Cast: Leo Howard (Alexander), Gale Harold (Julian), Michelle Ryan (Elanor)

Notes: Also known as The Black Labyrinth.

Rating: 1

Thoughts:   A group of people are plunged into a dark, claustrophobic maze, where they must fight to survive, as the outside world watches.

Danny Glover and Alec Baldwin are splashed across the sleeve, but only have small parts. They might have saved this, but I doubt it.

The above, a strap line for the film, removes any mystery as the reveal doesn't come for a while in the actual film. Epic fail.

Although it is suitable that when it does come Baldwin's character sits smirking, no doubt at the size of his fee for nine minutes of work. His lines are beyond wooden.

It opens with some incredibly long titles so that we can see the maze. That's a tired technique and has me switched off almost immediately. It sets up the rest of the film perfectly.

Ryan then recovers it a little when she appears, having woken up not knowing where she is, but doesn't get enough screen time either. People then start emerging and finding each other as they explore the maze or rather the massive disused futuristic factory-type place.

There are some great opportunities here for full-on psychological horror but they are missed with a pedestrian script. This really plods. It drifts on, characters with no depth floating past, as we fully discover what the sleeve has already told us. I don't care.

The script never gets better, the music is beyond dated, and there is no fear, no concern, and no threat. I was actually pleased as the people got knocked off, it meant the end was getting nearer.