"Haunting of the Queen Mary" sets sail with ambition, but quickly runs aground with a storyline that feels as adrift as a ghost vessel lost at sea. The premise captivates, promising a blend of history and horror aboard the iconic ship, yet what unfolds is a narrative so scattered it could almost be mistaken for an anthology of confusion rather than a cohesive tale.
The film tries to weave a web of suspense through the experiences of Anne, Patrick, and their son Lukas, whose endeavours to capture the Queen Mary on camera awakens more than just echoes of the past. Throughout, the story feels like a jigsaw puzzle with half the pieces missing, leaving the viewer squinting at the screen in search of a plot thread to cling to. The waters of this story are so muddled that one can't help but wonder if the reel was shuffled before screening.
As the minutes tick by, the viewing experience becomes an overlong trudge through cinematic fog. Haunting? Yes, but not for the intended reasons. The haunting is one of wasted time as scenes drone on, adding little but run time to the film. Moments intended to be filled with dread are instead suffused with the real horror of wondering when, or if, the film's purpose will emerge from the shadows.
What stings most is the missed opportunity. The historic Queen Mary is a character all her own, rich with true tales that could imbue the plot with genuine terror. Instead, the film opts for a chaotic assemblage of incoherent shots that do little more than dilute the potentially potent atmosphere. The viewer is left adrift in a sea of cinematic debris, wading through scenes in search of a life raft in the form of a coherent story arc that never comes.
In the end, "Haunting of the Queen Mary" musters a 3/10. It's a fragmented expedition into a fog of poorly constructed plot lines and tedious pacing that even the most patient of viewers would find challenging to navigate.
Score: 3/10
