I confess! I really do not know quite what to make of writer-director Rodrigo Cortes’ Red Lights, an awkward, overly dramatized thriller about a pair of paranormal myth-busters; Drs. Buckley and Matheson (Cillian Murphy and Sigourney Weaver) seeking to debunk claims of paranormal activities and psychics alike, with the marvelous nuances of science. Cortes’ vision is undoubtedly intended to conjure up some sort of argument on rationality vs. faith, but I can’t make the case that it’s convincing, or that the movie has anything compelling to reveal. It is, however, filled with lots of spine-tingling and chilling scenes for the most part.
The first half hour is cynical and a little humorous, but that doesn’t last for very long. The flick gives the feel of a Hollywood blockbuster that will truly get more unnerving as time moves along, but it instead, quickly derails with convoluted set pieces (which actually aren’t all that impressive–just lots of shaking, larger-than-life loud noises, and things falling/breaking) and plot developments that become more over the top, exaggerated, and illogical, even for this type of psychological thriller. Robert De Niro (Silver) is a lot less animated than he usually is, with a Buddhist demeanor of sorts and a less than ideal part that makes one want to walk out of the theatre. Nevertheless, the veteran actor delivers on the part to some extent. READ FULL REVIEW