Premonition

Directed by Mennan Yapo, Premonition follows Sandra Bullock’s Linda Hanson as she finds herself experiencing the days surrounding her husband’s (Julian McMahon’s Jim) death in non-chronological order. It’s an intriguing premise that is, for the most part, employed to ineffective and underwhelming effect by Yapo, as the filmmaker, working from Bill Kelly’s screenplay, delivers a sluggishly-paced drama that fares especially poorly in its meandering, virtually inert first half – with the arms-length atmosphere compounded by a repetitive structure and increasingly disastrous lack of context. (Bullock’s curiously charisma-free performance does little to alleviate the far-from-enthralling vibe, ultimately.) It’s clear, then, that Premonition benefits from a final half hour that possesses more entertainment value than one might’ve initially anticipated, with the newfound emphasis on Linda’s efforts at solving the mystery lending the proceedings a much-needed (and heretofore entirely absent) sense of urgency – although Yapo’s movie-of-the-week visual sensibilities prevent the picture from packing the enthralling punch the director has obviously intended. By the time the silly and unsatisfying finale rolls around, Premonition has cemented its place as a fairly substantial misfire that squanders what could (and should) have been a compelling little thriller.

** out of ****