I may be a few weeks late, but I finally got my hands on a copy of The Canyon on DVD. I’ll take any excuse to watch Ms. Strahovski in action, as I’m sure most of the Strahotski.com readership would.

I’m not quire sure what genre The Canyon is in, and that’s part of the problem I think it’s had with advertising.  While some have called it a Horror film, it’s not really fair to do so.

Of movies I’ve watched, The Canyon is most like Open Water.  It’s a story about survival, and at times that can mean horrific things happen.  I would call it Survival Horror, but that seems to be the name given to Post-Apocalyptic Zombie games.  This movie has no Zombies.

In a nutshell, the movie centers around two newlyweds — Nick (Eion Bailey) and Lori (Yvonne Strahovski) — who elope and choose to have their honeymoon near the Grand Canyon.  For reasons not fully explored in the final cut of the film, Nick has an overwhelming desire to take a mule trip down into the Canyon.

They find a shady guide named Henry (Will Patton) and embark on their journey only to have things go horribly awry, leaving them stranded with the sun scorching overhead and a pack of wolves hot on their trail.

As fair warning, the screenplay was written by Steve Allrich.  We consider both him and his wife, Karina, friends of the site.  Both have contributed information about the movie to Strahotski.com.

The Canyon is not a perfect film.  It went straight to DVD for a reason, and it was probably the right medium for the movie.  Don’t mistake that to mean that the film isn’t good — it’s just not blockbuster material.

The writing is actually pretty solid.  The script does a good job of turning back on itself and weaving themes throughout the movie.  Although such devices aren’t quite as subtle as I would have liked them to be, it did tie the story together nicely and was able to bring to life the real horror of the situation.

The film benefits greatly from its three primary actors.  All three give solid performances, with Yvonne Strahovski shouldering most of the burden.  Her ability to emote serves her well in this role, as we can see the frustration turn to horror, despair and the loss of hope as the movie progresses.

I’ve always been a fan of Will Patton and he does a remarkable job as their guide into the Canyon.  It’s hard to believe this is the same guy that helped Bruce Willis drill a hole into an asteroid so many years ago.

While doing a fine job of acting, Eion Bailey’s character always seemed a bit off for me.  He never felt entirely trustworthy, and I spent an inordinate amount of time wondering what Lori saw in him.  I half-expected to find out that Nick was a mobster setting this all up to kill Lori, or some other such reveal of the true nature of the character.

The wolves in the film did prove to be a menacing opponent.  It was refreshing to see a lot of practical effects in this film.  Though bigger-budget films would have CG’ed the entire wolf pack, we see real live animals in The Canyon.

For any flaws the movie might have, they were easily overlooked for the poignant story underneath.  Though well written, most of the credit belongs to Yvonne Strahovski for really drawing the viewer into her plight.  As a viewer, I didn’t really care about whether Nick or Henry made it, but Lori’s troubles hit home.

The movie left me thinking about what it would be like to be stranded in the wilderness with no food, water, or communication.  The progression of Lori’s mental state throughout the film feels realistic, and that alone is what makes it horrifying.

Though I’d like to tout The Canyon as the best movie ever, I can’t do that in good conscience.  It had its flaws, and its smaller budget is apparent throughout the film.  If you can engage yourself in the story, however, you’ll find a truly scary story about a girl put into extraordinary circumstances.

As a first US movie outing for Yvonne Strahovski, it is a worthy entry.  She delivered the A+ performance we would expect of her talent, making this movie is a must-watch for all Strahovski fans.

Verdict: B