The Aggression Scale (2012) Reviews

• Home but not alone

  kosmasp2013-01-01

  To say that I thought the plot was predictable would be an understatement. But to say I didn't enjoy watching the movie would be a lie. It has some graphic scenes mind you (and while you might have seen better special effects, this still can be called gruesome at times), so it is not for the squeamish. There's not a lot of plot involved in the story, but I still will not say anything about that. You shouldn't care too much about it anyway and let the underdog story carry you through it. You'll understand my summary line too (especially if you have seen a movie I'm obviously referring, though this is of course a somewhat adult version of that). All in all a decent thriller movie, that can be entertaining

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• What did I just watch?

  bobmichigan12012-04-28

  At first I thought I was watching a poor mans "B" movie with the typical torture the parents until they get what they need. By the end i was watching Home Alone 4 rated R style and zero jokes. This movie was downright brutal. This kid was awesome, now some of the acting is stale but the silence of the young man made this a better movie. The bad guys in this flick were also very good, they came in to get what they want and didn't waste our time torturing them but straight up killing. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for Saturday night popcorn flick. Turn off your brain and enjoy the action!

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• Vicious little home invasion thriller

  Leofwine_draca2013-04-29

  Many people have been describing THE AGGRESSION SCALE as HOME ALONE for adults, and while it does feature some home invasion-style nastiness, for the most part I would say they miss the mark. Despite the prevalence of the household setting for much of the action, THE AGGRESSION SCALE has more in common with the likes of the recent MOTHER'S DAY remake, featuring a gang of remorseless criminals and some unwilling victims who decide to fight back rather than take what's coming to them. It's a surprisingly decent little production, well staged with maximum suspense wrung from the simple premise. The likes of Ray Wise, Derek Mears and in particular Dana Ashbrook make for some unpleasant bad guys, the sort you'll love to hate, while Ryan Hartwig's maladjusted young lead is atypical and intriguing, a true antihero who the scriptwriter doesn't bother trying to make sympathetic. The film is more effective because of that, refusing to give the viewer an outright protagonist to cheer on, instead enmeshing them in violent subterfuge as the titular scale goes through the roof. There are occasional missteps, like the ridiculous detour into a car park in which none of the characters act as they really should, but it all comes together for a deliciously nasty climax that doesn't disappoint, given the set-up that comes before it. THE AGGRESSION SCALE has an edgy, modern feel to it that lifts it above other recent home invasion flicks to make it one memorable B-movie outing. It's this kind of fresh, inventive, lower budgeted fare that gives the big blockbusters a run for their money these days.

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• Ignore the budget and the "special" effects, and you have a good movie

  viridel2012-05-06

  Things that bug me about the movie: Made-for-TV quality acting / Special Effects that are truly "special" / Stereotypical cute-but-useless girl/sister that causes more problems than she solves / Rampant and unnecessary/pointless murders Everything else, you know what? Not too shabby. An interesting and well written flick, well worth the time to watch - perfect for Netflix or movie channels. IMDb - WHY DO YOU NEED 10 LINES!?! I have nothing more to add. If you get a chance to see this on the cheap (or even free), definitely do it!

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• A worthy effort but a bit slow to get going.

  shoutatthesky2012-07-22

  Overall this film was a worthy effort. The concept was an interesting one, dealing with the concept of psychopathy in a juvenile. Some people erroneously think of psychopaths as all evil, yet this was not a mistake made by the creators of this film. The main character, Owen, was portrayed as a kind of child savant possessing a very unique set of skills and the emotional ability to use those skills. Owen was also shown as a member of a family with a dedicated father who lovingly puts Owen to bed and puts a record on for his son like doing so was a treasured bedtime ritual. Therefore, instead of the usual one dimensional, all evil psychopaths, as usually portrayed, we instead had a realistic, multi-dimensional psychopathic character. The main failing of the film was the slow beginning. I felt that the way the characters were introduced could have followed a different format that did a better job of setting the feeling for the rest of the film. Instead of slow, dialog-heavy scenes there needed to be a bit more action and a better attempt at setting up the family's situation. Altogether a very enjoyable movie and a fascinating concept that I hope can be expanded upon in more films to come.

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