Jonestown: Paradise Lost

A pretty cheap-looking and rather hokey dramatisation of events that isn't very well acted or particularly compelling. Yet I'll be damned if it didn't get me all intense and nervous, this owed to how this focuses just about solely on the last few days/hours before the mass suicide/murder. This is a solid and thrilling way to get into the basic details of this tragedy, along with some invaluable interviews with key persons (though it never really gets under the skin).

Although it is somewhat affecting, this docudrama suffers from a low-quality representation of Jones, in terms of both script and acting. Even though the event remains to some degree incomprehensible, more imaginative direction may have resulted in a film capable of presenting greater insights into how such a thing could in fact occur. As it stands, straight documentaries about the subject tend to be more revealing than this kind of melange.

The Jonestown story is just so fascinating you can make the umpteenth movie about it (counting documentaries and fictional works) and still captivate an audience that's seen the rest. Granted, this one struggles to set itself apart, by aiming for a reconstructionist approach. It wouldn't be my first pick to watch, but it does contribute Stephan Jones' angle (Jim's son), and focuses on the Leo Ryan delegation, which completes the picture for those already familiar with the basic premise.

The actor they got for Jim Jones is the person you'd expect to be cast as Jim Jones in a "Not Another Jim Jones Movie" movie.