The Bay

Lionsgate | Release Date: November 2, 2012

6.8	USER SCORE Generally favorable reviews based on 60 Ratings

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suity_saharApr 3, 2013

Decent movie. Not really scary at all actually I had only one moment where I was a bit frightened, but it was not boring either. The movie is played out through hand cameras, surveillance and even cell phone cameras. If you don't mind that,Decent movie. Not really scary at all actually I had only one moment where I was a bit frightened, but it was not boring either. The movie is played out through hand cameras, surveillance and even cell phone cameras. If you don't mind that, you wont waste your time on this one.… Expand

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

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dharmaJun 7, 2013

Great idea, mediocre execution: a found footage 'monster disaster' flick. But despite some pretty good shocks and a great start, the whole thing feels unorganized and cobbled together, with no payoff whatsoever. It's low budget for sure andGreat idea, mediocre execution: a found footage 'monster disaster' flick. But despite some pretty good shocks and a great start, the whole thing feels unorganized and cobbled together, with no payoff whatsoever. It's low budget for sure and it surprisingly came from Levinson, a renowned Oscar caliber director. Could have come from any young upstarts out there.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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Tss5078Aug 29, 2013

The Bay is a message hidden within a film, similar to 2008's the Happening, The Bay tells of the consequences of destroying our environment. In this film, dumping into the Chesapeake Bay has caused a harmless fish parasite to evolve into aThe Bay is a message hidden within a film, similar to 2008's the Happening, The Bay tells of the consequences of destroying our environment. In this film, dumping into the Chesapeake Bay has caused a harmless fish parasite to evolve into a human killer. What makes this film unique is the way in which it was shot. The film is shot as a documentary that was posted on a fictional Wikileaks type site, and tells the story of the outbreak in a small Maryland town, on July 4th. The cinematography is made up of everything you'd see at a small town festival, camcorders, cell phone cameras, news footage, police dash-cams, and security cameras. Through a collection of footage from the day, we are told the story of the outbreak by one of the only survivors, who had to let the world know of this tragedy that was covered up by the U.S. government. The different angles and the fact that their really weren't any main characters also make this film unique. The story really isn't much, as it just like a million other horror films. Everything is normal, until people start getting sick, and chaos ensues. It's not the story or even the actors that keep you interested in this film, it's the different pieces put together in documentary form by the narrator, Kether Donohue. Without the narration, it's just a collection of web clips, but there is some interest in finding out what happened to each of the people we see and in seeing them figure out what's going on at the same time that we do. It's not a great story and there aren't any stand out performances, but the film itself is done in such a unique way, that it will be like nothing you've ever seen before. Yes, The Bay is another way of telling us about the dangers of not caring for our environment, in a story that is severely lacking imagination, but it's worth seeing, simply from a stylistic point of view.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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Nesbitt10Feb 26, 2013

It was only a matter of time before the found footage craze drew a bona-fide name-brand Hollywood filmmaker into its ongoing vortex. The story behind "The Bay" is that the US government coverup an--outbreak that wiped out the town ofIt was only a matter of time before the found footage craze drew a bona-fide name-brand Hollywood filmmaker into its ongoing vortex. The story behind "The Bay" is that the US government coverup an--outbreak that wiped out the town of Claridge, MD in 2009. All cameras and footage related to what happened were confiscated by the government, but now someone has compiled and the truth about what happened in Claridge, MD beings to leak out. Although this is placed in the horror genre--containing some tension and gruesome moments-this is comes of more of an eco-scare. The footage is a combination of the news filming of Stephanie and her cameraman, as well as other various form's of camera footage.This combination of POV adds an element of interest and realism to the film, expanding the storyline beyond what could have been achieved by a single camera held by a single individual. The movie jumps around town to give more comprehensive coverage of the crisis--sort of like if "Contagion" was told from a first-person point of view, and isn't nearly as good. The film follows the findings of a pair of marine biologists, who discovers species of benign organisms that appear to be evolving--into something more mischievous.

Levinson seems more interested in spreading a green message--than terrifying.viewers. There's nothing wrong with that, but audiences lured in by the trailers may be disappointed despite being well produced. The best found footage films "Paranormal Activity" and "REC's", immerse you fully in the hellish situation, and make you feel as if you're part of the terror. "The Bay" simply never does that, but it's an admirable attempt at something a bit different.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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GuillermoBMMar 5, 2015

Summary: I really liked The Bay, because it looked realistic and its plot is thought-provoking. 61/100 [C+]

Directed by the academy award winner Barry Levinson and produced by Jason Blum, "The Bay" is an above-average, found-footage horrorSummary: I really liked The Bay, because it looked realistic and its plot is thought-provoking. 61/100 [C+]

Directed by the academy award winner Barry Levinson and produced by Jason Blum, "The Bay" is an above-average, found-footage horror film. First, let me say that the trailer is great, the premise is terrific and Barry Levinson is a very talented director. The entire film feels quite genuine, the found-footage adds lots of veracity and the acting is quite good. I really liked the performance of the news reporter. Moving on, even though its running time is very short (84 min), it didn't deliver enough scares or entertainment to me. Everything was kind of boring, but I give it credit because it looked extremely real the whole time.

I'm pretty sure that a huge part of the audience that disliked The Bay did not even try to understand the message of the movie. This ecological issue could actually happen in real life! It was so thought-provoking. Moving on, as I said the performances were great, just some extras were kinda weak. Kether Donohue's performance was excellent, she's a news reporter in the film and is documenting all the catastrophe in this little town; her character was dynamic and smart. In addition, she's not the only one important here, throughout the film we can see some scientists talking through Skype about this parasite and all these scenes were quite effective and interesting.

Do not expect jump-scares or lots of gore. This movie is more about scientists, laboratories, death fishes, people infected in hospitals and stuff like that. The Bay boasts a thought-provoking story about public services, in this case water contaminated, eww. Levinson cares about the human perspective and he gives us some nice camera shots in hospitals and streets. He smartly uses a found-footage style to present us his intriguing tale. Although at times he forgot how to maintain the film entertaining, I was satisfied by the end of it. I remember that I kept looking at a glass of water for minutes thinking... where does it come from? How clean is it?

It was very thrilling sometimes and it had two or three effective jump-scares, but two of them are in the trailer. A huge part of the scares and surprises were spoiled by the trailer, so please don't see it. Overall, it's one of the most believable found-footage films I've seen, even though it was not as entertaining as I thought. I only recommend it if you like documentaries or movies about ecological issues, pandemics or virus. The Bay is a horror film for a very specific audience, this is not that type of horror movie which you watch with some friends at night. I recommend you to see it alone, and judge it by yourself. [C+]… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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