We were choosing what to rent. She chose Cabin in the Woods. I don't remember what I chose.
I'd heard a few complimentary words said about TCitW, but along with all other films I may want to see in the future, I made sure I didn't hear the synopsis. The only thing I DID hear was it was not the film you would expect.
I was looking forward to seeing it.
First there was the opening: a couple of white collar technicians(?) in an office building.
THE CABIN IN THE WOODS!!!
Then a brief introduction to the protagonists. Perfect formulation in brevity. We think we've seen this before.
The man at the Gas Station.
The arrival at The Cabin.
Then the fun starts.
The story flips between what happens in the woods and the curious conversations and actions of the aforementioned white collar workers, making bets, discussing those upstairs and those downstairs, and events in Scandinavia and Japan.
From beginning to end, this film is a masterpiece. In my IMDb account, it says i've watched over 4000 films, but I have only given a score of 9/10, or more to 17 films. This is the first for seven years, which i've given a 9. The fights, the gore, the dialogue, the twists... it is all original. There is only one scene in the film which you can see coming, but even when the person meets their unfortunate end, you still both enjoy and regret its unfolding.
It seems to me the cast was picked perfectly for their parts. None are meant to be Othello. They are meant to be Jock, Nerd, Slut, Waster, Virgin... but enough of that. The white collar workers could not have been chosen better. Funny, creepy (in a letcherous office worker way), misanthropic... maybe?
This film makes fun of itself, but it never seems insincere. You are cheering for the protagonists, your are cheering for the office workers and you are cheering for the bad guys at times.
There's twist after twist after twist, and I am so pleased with myself I never listened to the views of any loud mouth critic before I watched it.
The very final scene says there could be a Cabin in the Woods 2, but it wouldn't be a Cabin in the Woods. It'd be:
A World Outside the Cabin in the Woods: Apocalypse, or
Cabin in the Woods: Redemption, or
From the Cabin in the Woods They Came.