I happened to catch a glimpse of a very distressing illustration while clearing my Facebook notifications the other day. But like, distressing in a good way. In the way that, when I learned that said image was inspired by a film called Loop Track, I immediately looked up the most convenient way to watch it (Tubi). And then I proceeded to watch it that very same evening.
Loop Track is a horror/suspense movie about a weird, little guy that goes on a hike through a New Zealand forest. New Zealish? New Zealandian? I don’t know. It’s irrelevant and this bit works better in VO. Anyway, off the bat, we learn that this guy is very on edge and isn’t terribly interested in any sort of human interaction. He’s also poorly equipped for the expedition: he starts off the hike in a sweatshirt and jeans, and is visibly winded once he reaches the first trail marker, which is only 10 minutes from the parking lot. In fairness, he does at least have a big ol’ pack of supplies with him and apparently the nights get very cold, but still… I can’t help but think that you’d be so much better off without that sweatshirt, man.
After barely managing to avoid coming into contact with a couple other hikers on the trail twice, our hero is accosted by an excessively friendly man named Nicky. Nicky seems like a nice enough dude, but completely fails to catch the hint that our main character would rather hike alone and insists that they continue on together. At this point, about 20 minutes in, we finally learn that the main character’s name is Ian.
The two eventually reach a rest cabin, where the couple (Austin and Monica) that Ian worked so hard to avoid are already chilling. Night comes, a meat patty is overcooked, and the four get to know each other a little better. Which is terrible news for Ian, because now all four of them are hiking together, and all he really wants is to be alone. Also, he doesn’t sleep at all throughout the night and ends up being even more on edge than usual.
Now that all the main cast has assembled, we start to get drip-fed information about their backgrounds and reasons for going on this hike. Except for Ian. The thing about the other three characters is that don’t really matter. While this movie is essentially entirely about Ian, we really don’t ever get to learn much concrete information about him. He mentions that he used to own his own business, and that he used to be married, but that’s about all that he actively tells anyone about himself; the rest is up to the viewer to glean from subtext and whatnot. Seems a bit light, if you ask me. But I suppose we’re expected to be more interested in how Ian overcomes the challenges he faces on-screen, rather than the ones he’s trying to leave behind. I just think the character would be a little more well-rounded if we had a better idea of why he is the way that he is. “Failed business” and “failed marriage” are enough, but some more detail would have enriched the experience.
There’s a recurring theme of Ian seeing something off in the distance from time to time, feeling as though he’s being watched, and generally being more than a little bit crazy. The other characters chalk it up to stress and a lack of sleep that’s making him loopy, and they try to convince him that it’s all just his mind playing tricks on him. What I don’t get, and what is probably the biggest point of contention in this film for me, is why do they even travel with him in the first place? He’s clearly not interested in their company and, as the least experienced hiker by far, is really just a giant anchor around them. Nicky is a bit of a moron and has a giant ego (traits that often go hand-in-hand), so I could see why he would want someone around to talk and boast at. Austin and Monica struck me more as free-wheeling hippie types, who tag along with the other two because that’s just the way they are. I guess in the long run, maybe all three saw Ian’s sad mental and physical state and decided to help him, but he’s still just a stranger that never once asked for help. Leave the dude be. Goddamn extroverts.
I’m going to choose not to spoil the movie and cut the synopsis here, but know that while Loop Track does try to play with the viewer’s expectations a little, it’s still based largely in tropes. The red herrings aren’t fooling anyone, and I was pretty consistently able to predict exactly how every scene was going to unfold. I lament that the big reveal was spoiled for me because of the illustration that I mentioned in the first paragraph, but on the other hand, I likely never would have watched (or even heard of) this movie if I hadn’t seen it. And that would have been a shame, because I did enjoy it. That said, I think that the whole third act is a little bit disappointing by virtue of what it is. Knowing the broad stokes of it might have even actually helped me in that regard, because I could definitely see a lot of folks just rolling their eyes at the reveal after all the tension that’s been built up.
As far as some more technical aspects of the film go: the dialogue was fun and a little punchy, with the characters generally being written to be likable despite their flaws. The setting is obviously quite beautiful and lush, with plenty of long establishing shots to help you really drink it in. And while I know basically nothing about cinematography, I can say with confidence that I loved how many shots had characters off-center, lingering just long enough to quietly encourage you to continuously be scanning the background for things that might be out-of-place. Was I actually able to spot anything? I think it would be too spoilery to say either way, but what I will say is that it went a long way to drive home the feelings of paranoia that Ian suffers from throughout the first two acts.
While I like Loop Track, it’s not by any means essential viewing. I thought that the inter-character drama and the constant, almost oppressive tension were great. Keeping the entire movie restricted to Ian’s point of view was a smart choice, too, but there’s not a lot more to it. As I said earlier, the characters aren’t especially deep or interesting, so the stakes never felt all that high. The plot is very paint-by-numbers and at a high level could really only have ended in one of two ways (Ian is crazy/Ian isn’t crazy), and knowing in advance which of those roads it was going to go down was unfortunate. To end on a good note: the director/writer/whoever opted to save all of the excitement for the final 20 minutes of the movie. We get a couple shadowy glimpses of what may or may not be something threatening and some unexplained blood spatter on a tree, but otherwise it’s all psychological build-up until the climax. Very good choice for a horror film. And also the climax begins where I’d expected another red herring reveal, so that was a nice little subversion.
So yeah, I liked Loop Track. It’s not an excellent movie, but I was engaged throughout the entire thing, and I think that’s kind where the bar is set these days. I can’t always explain or even fully understand why some films keep me interested more than others, but I know that if I’m able to sit still for two hours (give or take) and not reach for my phone or check how much time is left every ten minutes, the filmmakers have done a good job.
What? You want a number? Let’s say… 6/10. But like, a six that’s closer to a seven than a five.