If you have half a brain (or better no brain at all), have been bread on video games, TV commercials and blockbusters, and you're under 18, this movie is definitely for you. You'll find everything you need: stereotyped and wooden acting; sophomoric direction; tasteless and ignorant action scenes filmed with this oh-so-cool "time stretching" effects; tasteless and ignorant blend of genres, entirely formulaic (horror, martial arts, costumes); digitally over-enhanced cinematography; and above all, glorification of the "state-of-the-art" technology of modern filmmaking, absorbing all of the filmmakers energy, with nothing left for the important things: scenography, acting, storytelling, awareness of the camera, subtext. A computer could have written and directed this movie. You wouldn't have noticed the difference.
This movie looks, sounds and feel exactly like an over-long TV commercial. All of the actors are treated like props, even more than in Lucas's last films. "Matrix", "X-men" and "Blade" look like intellectual masterpieces in comparison.
Everything is said, about the filmmakers intentions and abilities, in the first killing: you have this stupid magnifying of every single sound details (climbing the rocks, steps, panting etc..), showing a mind who thinks only in terms of technical matters and envelope, and has no clue about what's a character and what's storytelling. Instead of focusing on the woman's struggle and fear, they focuse on the "cool" visuals and sounds. Just like in a video game. All humanity is lost. Frightening.
I'm not quite surprised that this quintessence of mindless exercise in MTV-clips-like formulaic filmmaking for the modern masses comes from my own birth country, France, as it has a long story of desperately trying to compete with american technical skills, which sadly often ends in products even more senseless, trendy and utterly empty than many american blockbusters. First "Vidocq", now "Le Pacte des loups". Vive la France! Hasn't Jeunet, with "Amélie", shown that there IS another way for french filmmakers than being shallow, trendy and fomulaic, to achieve commercial success?
There ARE some good french actors involved. I'm really wondering how they reacted when seeing the petty results of their efforts.