Usually on or, in this case, close to Valentine’s Day, many people think of movies that are about romance and happy perky thoughts. This is not the case with “My Bloody Valentine 3D.”
There is nothing about this movie that is romantic or bright, but that’s where it succeeds. “My Blood Valentine 3D” is the “anti-Valentine’s Day” movie that harks back to the slasher films that were so popular in the 1980s.
The first of two slasher film remakes to come out in the early months of 2009, “My Bloody Valentine 3D” is about Tom Hanniger, who after being responsible for a cave-in at his father’s coal mine, is one of four lone survivors of the Valentine’s Day massacre caused by Harry Warden, the sole survivor of the tragic cave in who murders his victims with a pickaxe and removes their hearts, placing them inside a heart-shaped chocolate box. Ten years after the massacre, Tom returns home to settle his father’s estate.
With his arrival comes yet another series of murders presumably committed by Harry Warden. Only there’s one problem: Harry was himself murdered after police stopped him from killing Tom. As hearts go missing, is the killer truly Harry Warden back from the dead or could the killings be the act of a copycat?
Personally, I’ve never been a fan of the “slasher genre,” but recently, due to the fact that two of my favorite actors were going to star in slasher films, one of which being the star of this movie, Jensen Ackles, I thought I would give them a try.
Quickly I found myself becoming a fan and my excitement for this film being not just for Jensen Ackles anymore.
One major draw to this film for me was the 3D aspect. Going into the movie I expected the entire film to be much like previous 3D movies where the entire movie is somewhat cheesy due to the 3D.
Quite the contrary, in fact, because “My Bloody Valentine 3D” uses the 3D aspect only in the death opening and the other death scenes. This makes for a far more enjoyable film.
Another aspect that is aided by the 3D is the gore. There isn’t a lack of it in the movie and with the 3D you literally find yourself dodging flying body parts. There are many overly gory deaths throughout the film but with one specific one, I found myself tilting my body when the victim’s severed jaw went flying toward me. That made me feel like I was in the movie; truly witnessing the deaths and it definitely got my heart pumping.
Another draw to the movie is the cast. For fans of “Supernatural,” Jensen Ackles will shock and surprise fans as Tom Hanniger. Nowhere in this character is the bravado seen in Dean Winchester, instead we see a normal guy, who after a rather traumatic event 10 years prior, has an extremely fragile psyche. Not wanting to give anything away, Ackles blew me away in one of his final dramatic scenes of the film. When I went to see the movie and as a fan of “Supernatural,” I fully expected to see a hint of Dean in Tom, but that was not the case.
Ackles truly made Tom different than Dean and showed that he can act outside of the character that has currently made him famous.
The supporting cast is just as strong. Jaime King plays Sarah Palmer, Tom’s former love and his rival’s current wife. Kerr Smith, who became famous playing Jack McPhee on “Dawson’s Creek,” plays Sarah’s husband Axel Palmer. Although Ackles gets top billing, these two actors are seen nearly twice as much as Ackles. Their side story among the chaos is just as entertaining as the murderous rampage of Harry Warden.
Another interesting aspect is the idea of the anti-hero. There is no obvious hero in the movie. The two male leads both have issues. Tom has spent seven years in a psych ward and could be the killer considering they didn’t start until he returned to town, while Axel is the town’s sheriff who is cheating on his wife and may also be the killer considering he is connected to nearly all the victims.
This is really interesting aspect of the movie and unless you are extremely observant you’re left guessing who the killer is until the big reveal at the end of the movie.
I definitely enjoyed this movie. No, it wasn’t Oscar material, but it was definitely a good ride and probably made even better by the addition of the 3D.
If you can see it, see it in 3D, but it probably is just as entertaining in 2D. If you’re like me, and aren’t a fan of Valentine’s Day, fork over the $10.50 and enjoy the definition of Anti-Valentine’s.

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