Delayed Reaction: The Conspiracy

Premise: Two friends making a documentary about conspiracy theorists accidentally uncover a conspiracy.

I'm a well-known found-footage slut. It's a style that really works for me. In the same way that slasher fans still like even the tired 7th installment of a franchise, I tend to like even the sloppiest found footage movies. In that respect, I got what I wanted out of The Conspiracy. In particular, the last act, when they've infiltrated the conspiracy gathering and it's all being covered with hidden cameras really worked for me. It's not revolutionary, but it's effectively done.

 

I do have a problem when it's not clear what I'm being sold with the found footage premise though. For example, V/H/S is a collection of found V/H/S tapes that people are watching. Paranormal Activity is an edited collection of camera footage by increasingly paranoid people. Even if I don't understand exactly how this footage is getting edited together so well and concisely, I get the idea of the presentation. For The Conspiracy, it's less clear to me. At times, it looks like I'm watching the documentary the two men made. At other times, it looks like I'm watching raw footage the way it was found. For example, at the end, we see Aaron getting killed by the Tarsus club and Jim getting his family threatened by the club. Then there's an epilogue showing Jim taking their side and claiming the footage was just an act. That really annoys me. If The Conspiracy is supposed to be the approved spin of the Tarsus Club, then how did 90% of the film make the final cut. If it's supposed to be the footage discovered of their research, then why the spin piece at the end? I love found footage, but I do get annoyed when the footage doesn't make internal sense.

 

I guess that means The Conspiracy is a generally good found footage movie as long as you don't require the strictest fidelity with the presentation.

 

Verdict: Weakly Don't Recommend