Significant Other

I've seen this movie before. Not literally, but components of it. It has a dash of What Keeps You Alive, a hint of Honeymoon, a sprinkling of Invasion Of The Body Snatchers, and probably several other movies to boot. There's a lot of "couple in the woods and things go sideways" movies, and after a while, they blend together, but that's nothing new. Taking inspiration from other movies or doing variations is as old as the sun. The 90's were over-stuffed with "Die Hard On A ____" action clones and "The _____ from hell" erotic thrillers after The Hand That Rocks The Cradle broke big. Hell, the 80's were just someone copying copies of copies of copies of copies of Halloween and Friday The 13th into infinity. As long as it's done well and can provide at least one fresh spin in there, a movie feeling like it hits familiar beats is fine. Hell, it can even be comfort food, in a way. Fortunately, Significant Other doesn't just settle to be another couple lost in the woods and everything goes pear-shaped movie. As the first half hour plays out, I thought this was just going to be Honeymoon but camping instead of a cabin. But at the half hour mark, this movie turns on a dime ... and then makes two or three more turns over the course of the movie I did not see coming. The creators of this movie worked hard to make sure it wasn't one more movie in a crowded field of them. It doesn't reinvent the wheel, but it has enough twists and changes of direction that it keeps it from feeling samey, and in turn keeps the viewer engaged. The CGI is wonky as all hell -- we're talking PlayStation 3 levels of wonky here -- but it never bothered me, because it's only relegated to small moments. For the most part, this movie relies on atmosphere and tension and twists. And the movie does atmosphere very, very well. The woods of the Pacific Northwest feel at once endlessly expansive and dangerously claustrophobic. The way the relationship between the two main characters, Harry and Ruth, is built is done very carefully, hinting at issues behind the happiness and layering in tensions between them bit by bit in a way that feels natural. Not all the character development is perfect, though; without spoiling anything, let's say the protagonist should learn a lesson about the antagonist and their defensive capabilities and never seems to, and it's a bit ridiculous. And the protagonist's mental health issues aren't given much definition beyond "parents had a toxic relationship", which, for as crippling as they are presented to be, it feels like there's something more. All in all, this was good. It won't blow you away with originality, but it's not trying to either. It knows its lane and stays in it, giving you just enough new ideas and curveballs not feel like a rip-off. I had a good time watching it, and that's enough for me.