It's clear that Whedon Co. made the movie they wanted. And it was very well done.

But I found the movie wayyy too meta to fully enjoy. A movie like Scream could be enjoyed even if you didn't realize how much it was deconstructing the genre. Because CITW has so many recycled themes from Whedon's older work, and so clearly uses the control room to symbolize the audience, it is impossible to get away from the 'meta-angle' of the movie. And because of that, we can't detach ourselves from the judgement Whedon is making about us as an audience. That's very distracting for me as a movie-goer. (It's why I had to give up on Spike Lee race movies)

Also, the cynical conclusion at the end is really, REALLY unsatisfying. 'Drag Me to Hell' had a hopeless ending, too, but Cabin In the Woods takes that kind of bleakness and escalates it to a depressing degree.

On the flip, I admire Whedon's willingness to 'go there' at the end. Most auteurs would punk out.

I am not sure if Whedon has always had statements and judgements so overtly written into his work, or if I am just noticing them more since Dollhouse. Either way, I am beginning to put him in the Woody Allen category - ridiculously talented film-makers whose work I respect, but am not very entertained by.