Vanishing on 7th Street is that all too common horror film that manages to actually find an interesting premise, and then squanders it in execution. The film’s problems begin after the introduction of the shadowy specter that has wiped out much of humanity, and then as if inspired by the promise inherent in its concept, it decides to throw caution to the wind and sinks into the increasingly large pool of forgettable horror films undeserving of a single viewing. It seems harsh, but in this case, I would advocate watching a horror film that was a train wreck from inception rather than one that started out smart and then died on the page and decayed with each miscast role.
First, let’s talk about the cast. What does it say when comedian and actor John Leguizamo ends up as the strongest cast character in the film? Hayden Christensen, the film’s de facto lead, has yet to learn to emote. His line delivery still has all the range of Stephen Hawking’s artificial voice and he seems incapable of inflecting his voice with convincing emotion. Thandie Newton on the other hand has proven herself a capable actress when she shows some restraint, but for Vanishing on 7th Street she has none. The overacting is downright painful to watch. She goes way too far and makes her character a nuisance not because of the poor scripting but because every second she’s on screen is a reminder that we’re watching a story with actors and not real characters.
Finally, John Leguizamo also overacts slightly, though his character suffers more from the writing than his delivery. Yet compared to his two lead co-stars his performance is Oscar-worthy. Leguizamo has gotten much more nuanced in the last ten years and he brought some of that with him here. It’s just not enough to balance out the acting nightmare Christensen and Newton have dreamed up for us.
The story could have been unique, but instead it plays out like your basic zombie film: a group of survivors wake up to discover that most everyone around them has vanished, leaving their clothes behind. What caused their disappearance? With all the subtlety of a bag of bricks, mysterious shadow creatures are revealed and thus it becomes a constant battle to stay in the light as the night becomes longer with each passing day.
The story unto itself isn’t problematic and that’s the reason I resent writer Anthony Jaswinski and director Brad Anderson after having watched it play out. The story could have worked. Unfortunately, Jaswinski thought to forgo a very critical part of the film’s opening:
You have to love Magnet though for putting out a horror film with a concept similar to rapture 4 days before May 21, 2011. That was either brilliant or lucky coincidence. Sadly, it’s the smartest thing about this film when everything is said and done. And yet, once you start thinking about it, it makes the film come across as very preachy. The characters must stay in the light. Everyone else has disappeared leaving their clothes behind (again, much like the rapture depictions in countless films and books). It almost ruins that last shred of dignity the film has going for it.
Blu-ray Bonus Features
The combo set includes a digital copy and the film on Blu-ray, wherein you’ll also find about a healthy bunch of featurettes, many of which feel like duplicates of one another. Three featurettes are basically promo pieces looking at the making of the film and never go much in depth, rather they exist more as publicity pieces. Then you have a Fangoria interview with Director Brad Anderson which really just has a bunch of the same information as the audio commentary also on the disc. When all is said and done, you have about two unique extras: some feckless alternate endings and a production piece on the creation of the film’s mood of desolation and abandonment.
"Vanishing on 7th Street" is on sale May 17, 2011 and is rated R. Horror, Thriller. Directed by Brad Anderson. Written by Anthony Jaswinski. Starring Hayden Christensen, John Leguizamo, Thandie Newton.
