I have seen Vanishing on 7th Street (2010) for the first time (“V” of #AtoZHorror in August/September) and to be fair, I didn’t know all that much about this movie besides that it got released a couple years ago on a very small scale. I didn’t watch a trailer for it, I went in as fresh as I possibly could. Did I enjoy it? Yes and no, and I have some explanation. The movie starts out pretty interesting and suspenseful. It seemed like it had potential going for it, after a while however, I noticed things started falling apart after the story was set. The concept really looks good on paper but it wasn’t executed as good as it should’ve. Not all the characters were that likable but the actors were trying. The acting performance of Hayden Christensen was decent in my opinion, a likable actor however. Thandie Newton was REALLY good in this movie, but I could’ve expected that after her impressive slate of movies. I also thought that John Leguizamo was good in it.
This movie kind of reminded me of The Darkest Hour but that movie was released later than Vanishing on 7th Street. There is a certain amount of creepiness found in this movie but it doesn’t really seem to wanna go beyond that. The directing was solid and while the script isn’t that strong in general, the concept is still original. It is just the execution that was disappointing and I am still not sure what to think of the open ending. Its a decent post-apocalyptic thriller with a great concept, a good cast and cool effects. It still had lots of flaws, to me it just barely scores above average. I’d say check out Vanishing on 7th Street if its on your Netflix queue but I wouldn’t suggest to buy it on DVD/Blu-ray. You could do WAY worse but you can also do a lot better. Not sure if I will check this one out again anytime soon, its more of a one time watch.
–Ferdi Akkulak