How to talk about "Triangle" without giving anything away? It's a puzzle equal to that which the movie presents its audience, because this isn't your standard horror movie. It has more in common with plot-twisting movies such as "Momento" and "The Machinist" than the gory likes of "Halloween" or "Ghost Ship".
Perhaps a good start is offer some praise to the director Christopher Smith whose work i've been a fan of since "Creep". I also greatly enjoyed his follow-up "Severence", but "Triangle" is easily his most mature effort so far; and the entire movie has an almost dream-like atmosphere to it. It certainly looks beautiful and the haunting music adds to this ambiance.
Melissa George, who plays the central role here, is quietly impressive; she's never really been an actress who has stood out to me in her previous roles, and so it was a pleasant surprise to see her rising to the occasion of taking center stage. It's only a shame that her character is so haunted and inaccessible. This isn't George's fault; the role is written in a way which keeps her detached not only from the other characters but also from the moviegoers. She's constantly aloof and distracted which can be initially annoying; it's hard to care for a character which you can't warm to.
I would certainly applaud the makers for attempting something different to the standard horror story (although, I do admit that it is very similar in theme to one other recent movie that you'll probably see mentioned a few times in the forum for "Triangle") and I certainly enjoyed the experience. I'd recommend staying away from learning too much about the plot beforehand (the trailer, in particular, gives far too much away) if at all possible.
"Triangle" is very much like a movie-length version of a "Twilight Zone" episode but its also a very flawed piece. There's an intelligence at work in the script; the way in which the pieces of the puzzle are presented to the audience is done in a skilled manner but it also suffers from thinking it's far cleverer than it actually is. There are plot holes to be found by those who dwell on the story, and the ending isn't quite as neat as the movie believes it to be.
Still, this is an impressive effort and well worth checking out (especially if you're a fan of the two superior movies mentioned earlier - "Momento" and "The Machinist"). In a world in which cinematic horror tends to involve torture and cheap shocks, it's nice to find a more psychological effort that looks for other ways to creep under your skin.
