Walk away people, nothing to see here.
Added 11/25/2009
Maybe I'm the only one who thought this, but I had some what high expectations for the movie STEEL TRAP. Nothing too high, I just figured it would be a passable little Slasher flick. After all, Dimension Extreme is known for releasing some enjoyable (if not a little predictable) Horror films from time to time. With such movies as BLACK SHEEP, DIARY OF THE DEAD, STORM WARNING and the FEAST series, I always looked forward to the latest Dimension Extreme release. Sadly, the movie STEEL TRAP isn't anywhere near as good as I had hoped. It's almost an acceptable film but ends up just being junk.
Normally I can find at least one or two aspects in a Horror film that makes it worthwhile, even if the movie isn't all that great as a whole. In the case of the movie at hand here, I can't recommend it too highly. Even to the most devoted and "hardcore" Horror movie collector, STEEL TRAP offers very in the redeemable department. A few spots here and there raise some eyebrows, but it's nothing to write home about.
First, let's talk about the good. I have to admit, the beginning of the movie was pretty enjoyable. Every single character was such an unlikable jerk, that it made the movie seem like a social commentary on society. However, STEEL TRAP just couldn't continue this type of momentum through the rest of the film. We'll touch on that problem more in a little bit. Another thing I liked (at first) was the execution of the killer. He reminded me of the type of Slasher you might see in a Dario Argento movie. Dressed in all black with a shiny plastic mask and carrying a large meat hook, it seemed as if this movie was going to be pretty enjoyable. At least the killer was anyways.
Now, on with the bad. In short, STEEL TRAP is a rip off of many other Horror movies. This isn't usually a problem for me (a lot of Horror films take notes from one another) but in the case of this movie, it's just a blatant rip off. Period. Even the actors seem to know this as the movie progresses forward, showing through in their acting abilities. The only way to describe it is if you've ever caught someone in a lie. You can just tell they're lying. STEEL TRAP is just one big, stupid lie! The over all movie is like a weird mix up of SAW, DIE HARD and I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER. The comparisons to the SAW series are the most obvious, being the fact that we're given a large group of people who have to meet their horrible demise at the hands of another calling the shots.
The fact this movie rips off the SAW series in such an unforgiving manner makes it all the worse. This movie doesn't even have the decency to at least try and be a little bit different. It's just in your face, dumb and cheap. STEEL TRAP is trying to be something that it's not and it fails horribly. Say what you like about the SAW series (a lot of people seem to dislike them because of the high sequel count), but at least they're enjoyable in their own way. STEEL TRAP acts like it's audience is too ignorant to read between the lines, and we'll accept this rehashed rip off without a second thought. Well, I won't stand for it.
It's the main reason I made this review in the first place. I just want to let people know what they're getting themselves into before watching this piece of garbage.
Also, would it have killed the director to at least use an interesting camera lens here? Giving the movie a more "grainy" look might have bumped up STEEL TRAP to at least three stars! I'm sick and tired of directors not using colorful camera lenses for whatever reason! Trust me guys, it makes a world of difference.
Back to the subject of the dialogue in STEEL TRAP. Like I said before, things started out enjoyable enough. Each character seemed to be more unlikeable than the next. So much so that I thought it was the directors intention. Nope! This turns out to be only at the beginning of the film because after about 30 minutes into it, the actors seem to lose momentum quick. The rest of the movie is seemingly just a bunch of scenes spliced together by the director, in order to make a coherent film. Some of the dialogue is so bad, one gets the impression that the actors must have gotten the movie script that very day! Other scenes are decently well acted enough that it makes you wonder what happened!?! STEEL TRAP is just a mess, plain and simple.
The movie here is nothing more and nothing less than an average film. It's barely a step above one of those horrible Sci-Fi Channel exclusive, "made for TV movies." The one thing I can give this movie credit for is the lack of CGI, but maybe that's only because they couldn't afford it in the movie budget. STEEL TRAP has very little going for it. Some of the death scenes are okay, the first one being the best. I also enjoyed some of the set designs and death traps. The idea of adding spiked, razor sharp needles in the elevator doors was a good one. Also, the camera work is at least competent, which is why it gets two stars. Outside of that, this is bottom of the barrel stuff here.
This movie might have been a little better if the director toned down the SAW vibe (sorry buddy, it just didn't work here) and eliminated most of the awful dialogue. Instead, the plot should have been given more mystery and suspense. The apartment building should have been given more traps (like the elevator teeth) and the killer should have slaughtered more victims.
Gore Hounds, avoid this mess unless you're truly devoted to the Horror scene like I am. Everybody else, stay away from STEEL TRAP like it has the plague! It's because of movies like this that the Horror world is seen as cheap and pointless. This is the type of movie that will be forgotten over the years. Who knows? Maybe it will get better with old age (like some "Grindhouse" movies do) but I kinda' doubt it.
I've said my bit. Over and out.
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Not too bad
Added 10/18/2009
It was kind of scarey and kind of funny at the same time. I have watched worse. The ending is interesting.
0 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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Completely surprised at how good this was. Plot was really good and I never guessed who the killer was. For a low budget movie, it was good.
0 out of 3 people found this helpful.
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Shameless watered-down version of SAW, but...
Added 4/26/2009
I actually kinda sorta liked this one.
Of course STEEL TRAP is no new classic or anything.
It's SAW, without the gore and shoddy directing.
It makes a bit of a mockery
with statements like
I want to play a game...
or
Your mission, if you choose to accept it...
It's a slasher/scavenger hunt for teens
(and immature adults who love horror).
A group of party-goers receive text message invites to an after-hours party. Not being the most pragmatic of folks, these idiots stroll on down to an abandoned floor in the building. Let the games begin...
They have to solve stupid puzzles, decipher riddles, etc...
The characters are all pretty annoying.
There is sex talk with no sex.
Sarcasm without any intellect.
Plus a lame killer as menacing looking as an S&M version of Pee Wee Herman.
FINAL GRADE--2.5 STARS
A step down for Dimension Extreme.
A step up from most After Dark Horror Fest.
Better than the latest cruddy SAW sequels it's imitating too.
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Tries to be Too Clever for Its Own Good
Added 3/9/2009
Maybe they should have called this thing "Drywall Trap" or "Office Space Trap", because there really isn't a whole lot of "Steel" visible during the flick...maybe the elevator doors??
I really did like the premise of this film. You get nine almost-strangers trapped on the 27th floor of a deserted high rise being hunted down one-by-one by a masked killer. As a huge fan of slasher flicks, that is all I needed to give this one a shot. Unfortunately, there are quite a few things missing that would have made the film enjoyable:
1. - Likable Characters. Okay, so when you make a slasher flick, you always need someone to play the jerk, just so you can enjoy watching them get hacked to pieces. Well, with "Steel Trap" all you have are unlikable idiots that no one could possibly relate too. With so many unlikable characters, you truly don't care who wins, loses, lives or dies. You just want it over with.
2. - A Menacing Killer. The photos on the DVD of the masked killer look pretty creepy...and that is as close to scary as it gets with the movie. In action this masked dork doesn't really inspire fright so much as bemusement.
3. - Creepy Setting. If all else fails, put your protagonists in a creepy environment that can be fun to look at. Watching someone run past the copier room in what looks like an insurance agency office is just plain dull.
4. - Have some Gore. For a DVD from "Dimension Extreme" you would hope a little red stuff would spill from time to time. Even a low-grade horror flick can at least pump out some grue to enliven things, but any red stuff spilled here is strictly in the "Rated PG" range.
The cover of the DVD looks awesome, the story sounds compelling, but trust me, the only thing resembling a "trap" is the marketing done for this film. I sprung it, and was trapped into wasting 90 minutes of my life I'll never get back. Avoid this one big time.
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