Hey gang, Valkor here. When I first began my travels throughout the interwebz, it didn’t take me too long before I could find the "seedier" side of town - you know, the place where all the porn lurks. Since then I thought I knew it all when it comes to the dark reaches of the web, only to discover that there’s an even deeper, darker web lurking. I dunno if I have the stomach for what might lie beneath, so I’ll play it safe and watch/review the latest film to cross my desk – Dark Web… which almost has nothing to do with the actual dark (deep) web. And neither is it a good film. Read on and prepare for spoilers.
Dark Web centers on a militant group that goes out and captures young girls and brings them to a wooded area where they’re hunted by anyone willing to shell out the big bucks. The entire operation is lead by an eccentric type (Danny Glover), who calls all the shots while a lover duo handles the directions and controls all the cameras. Ultimately they’ll film and edit the hunt so that the final film cut can be sold on the dark web… because that’s where you can get that sort of thing among other “dark” items. The whole process turns out to be something of a game for the six hunters involved; while they pay big money to get in the game, they are supposedly promised a big cash payout should they win – but they'll have to do as directed. While there is a promise for a big payout, you'll soon learn that these hunters have ulterior motives for being there. And things aren't going to get any easier as one of them, Timur, decides to go rogue, killing his partner while promising the prey her freedom along with her captured brother. But it won’t be easy since the other hunters are onto him and will do whatever it takes to win… or die trying. And it turns out Timur isn't who everyone thought him to be, but ultimately everyone dies… well anyone of importance to the film anyway. So yea, there’s that.
Honestly, if you’d like to watch a similar and far better film, might I suggest “Paintball”; it might be a little tough to find, but if you should happen across it, then definitely check it out. And then maybe – MAYBE – watch this film. But you really don’t have to. Better yet don't... just don't.
The Good:
Dark Web isn’t a terrible film, but it’s not all that interesting. Some of the action scenes were pretty cool and I’ll even go so far as to say Danny Glover gets some cool points for his small role. Other than that…
The Bad:
While it might not be a terrible film, Dark Web still isn’t good a good one. First off why even call it “Dark Web” since the film doesn’t have anything to do with it? Sure they name drop it throughout (the monitors even flash the name “Dark Web”), but they could have called this film anything but that. There’s a title out in France for this film called “Hunting Games”, but that sounds too close to “The Hunger Games” (I honestly didn’t care for that film either – Battle Royale people). Then there’s the lack of suspense or any kind of tension; you’d think a chick being hunted would get the excitement flowing, but it’s a slow, boring and sometimes goofy process. Why goofy? Some of the characters sound badly dubbed for some reasons. If there’s a legit reason behind this I’d really like to know. It’s not gonna change my score, but I’m just curious why even go that route. But if the voices are legit the actor’s voices… well, then that’s just bad acting. Finally, two of the hunters take an arrow – one to the knee and the other through the chest… and yet they walk around and fight like it never happened. Come on, son!
The Ugly:
N/A
"Dark Web" is available now on digital video, which I found on Amazon Instant. And honestly… save your money for better films as this one isn’t really worth the price of admission. And out of TOV 5 stars, Dark Web gets a 1.
