"Godsend" was originally supposed to come out in October 2003, but was pushed back to April 2004 when re-shoots had to take place. Usually, that’s bad news in terms of a movie being top-notch and unfortunately, this was one of those sour times. I personally have a rule that I abide by when writing a screenplay: I always know my ending beforehand. Why? Well, how am I supposed to get anywhere if I don’t know what my final destination is? Now I’m not saying that’s the only way to go about it, but it’s my process and it makes sense to me. In this film's case, it sure felt like it was pulling a “Mr. Magoo” as to where it was going. I found this quote from the director that might explain a few things:

“It doesn't make the movie worse or better because you shot a bunch of different endings over a period of time as you were cutting it. We never really shot a good ending while I was shooting the picture; I knew there was something wrong and we needed to find one."

I beg to differ there, champ. I'm actually quite sure that lacking a clear ending before the shoot most likely influenced the end result here-- which was a redundant and aimless exercise in missed opportunities. That said, "Godsend" was not an atrociously bad movie...it was just a frequently bland one; think a lazy TV movie of the week. It sadly all started off on the right cell splice with the narrative raising the potent theme of death and the always fascinating question of “what if we could get around it?” For a split second, the fine "Pet Semetary" came to mind in its setup, but once the deed was done and Adam (Adam and Eve…get it?) was reborn, that was that on that. All the best, love and kisses.

This spectacle went on to swiftly hit the redundant and vacuous avenue. The bulk of the narrative basically consisted of a string of “visions” that the kid kept having. Problem was, the “apparitions” rarely raised the stakes of the game throughout and went on to serve up an obvious, poor man’s “mystery” that I solved 40 minutes in with my eyes closed. The last block of the picture didn’t fare much better, with scrawny plot turns forcing the story as to where it had to go and an extended expositional monologue from some left field character (think Oracle from the Matrix flicks) standing in as a satisfying reason for the madness. Man, did that “let me spell it out for ya, dumbo” scene stick out like a sore sailor! Don’t tell me about it in an endless ramble man! This isn’t the stage! SHOW ME BITCH! How lame and sluggish was that? And to make matters worse, the ending that they wound up using was easily one of the most unsatisfying, half-assed and puny cap-offs that I’ve seen in a film all year. It felt like they gave up on finding a way to conclude it all, so they slapped in a cheap boo scare and offered up ZERO closure. Maybe there’s something to be said about having an ending in your script before shooting begins...or maybe I’m just an a-hole...

On the erect side of the membrane, for all of its mediocrity in terms of content, "Godsend" was still a mostly painless watch due to the fine acting in the house. Kinnear and Romijn were easy love birds to get attached to and follow around. They were the main reason as to why I stayed semi-interested in the film all the way through. Robert De Niro was also highly amusing with his “meat and potatoes” performance while the kid (Bright) looked spooky enough to work within the odd circumstance. Coating wise, the somber score hit the spot, giving scenes impact when substance failed while the stylish/atmospheric visuals were, at times, quite effective in their eerie demeanor. I loved Hamm’s style!

This flick was shot in Toronto.

Five endings were shot for the film and word has it that they’ll all wind up on the DVD release.

The script was written by Mark Bomback who also wrote the Shannon Tweed tit-fest “The Night Caller”, co-wrote the upcoming “Constantine” and is set to write "Die Hard 4: Willis Fights his Toupee".

Nick Hamm’s “The Hole” was a much better film...see it or be square.

Rebecca Romijn-Stamos recently broke up with long time beau John Stamos (of Full House infamy) and is now dating horror critic John Fallon (I wish!).