It's a huge cliche to write angrily about the many aggravations in 99% of horror movies, but it's also super fun to moan about stuff. However, here we finally have a movie that takes those irritations, understands exactly what makes them so frustrating, and approaches them in a highly intelligent and humorous way. Joss Whedon has proved his aptitude to me in his many works, and here we have evidence of yet another facet in his large repertoire.
The characters are largely likeable, and although stereo-typical on the face of it, their formulaic nature plays directly into the story in a brilliant way. The twists provided here are not the sort that come towards the end of the film and blow you away, but are far more intrinsic to the whole narrative, and are almost immediately evident. I prefer this form of playing with expectations, as it doesn't rely solely on a trick 90 minutes in.
When the film ended I was left feeling exactly how I love to feel after a great film; excited. I was excited about what I had just watched, excited about the expert execution of this noble idea, and excited to tell people about it. The Cabin in the Woods never just takes the easy way out of anything and is a movie that everybody went into with a plan and an intrinsic knowledge of what they wanted to make. At no point did it seem to drift or feel empty, and I was almost always curious about the next corner in the path we were walking down.
I'll end this opinion piece here as there is far too much that I could say that would simply give away the joyful surprises. I believe spoiler-filled talks are better suited to the podcast medium as it allows for a long and in-depth conversation, and so if I were to ever talk openly about the plot, it would most probably be there. I will quickly say that I think this is a film that almost anybody could enjoy and I really have no trouble recommending it. In fact, as I type this my brother's are downstairs using my newly purchased Netflix account to watch it thanks to my incessant prompting. Don't make me hassle you guys too, you can thank me later.