Fear the Night

I would love to sit here and gush over how Maggie Q got hosed on this deal and yada yada.. but she helped produce this mess. Maggie Q was fabulous as Nikita back in the day, but I'm starting to feel that ominous sensation when I see new movies she's in. It feels similar to when I see a new flick pop up with Bruce Willis's name on the cover. She's hot and slick, and usually acts pretty well- but everything else about this parade of toxic masculinity was cringy, vapid, and failed to conjure up entertainment value. I gave it a star because.. well, MQ is hot, slick, and still acts pretty well- even if surrounded by empty, single-dimensional cardboard cut-outs. For MQ fans only.

I had not heard about this movie from writer and director Neil LaBute priot to sitting down to watch it. So I really had no particular expectations to the movie. But I Will say that the movie's synopsis sounded interesting enough, plus the fact that the movie was starring Maggie Q certainly was a good selling point.

The storyline in "Fear the Night", however, turned out to be a rather bland and generic home invasion type of movie. Writer and director Neil LaBute didn't really bring much of anything new to the genre, and instead played it safe by cashing in on all the stereotypical tropes seen in the genre in many movies before this. But hey, at least there is a sense of security and familiarity in that aspect, I suppose.

The acting performances in "Fear the Night" were okay, and they had a good cast ensemble together for the movie, I will say that much. But the actors and actresses very given very little of anything substantial to work with.

If you're looking for a home invasion movie to watch, then I will say that there are better choices out there and more entertaining movies to be seen.

Watchable for what it was, "Fear the Night" is not a movie that made a lasting impression on me. And it is hardly a movie that warrants more than just a single viewing, because there isn't sufficient contents to the storyline to suuport more than just the first and only viewing.

My rating of "Fear the Night" lands on a very bland five out of ten stars.

I'm a fan of Maggie Q, and I feel bad for her that she had to be part of such a lame excuse for an action-thriller. Barely any of her action skills were utilized effectively. This film lacked a cohesive and engaging narrative, was poorly cast directed, and for that matter, lacked any real and effective directorial skills. The most shocking part of this mess was that experienced filmmaker Neil LaBute with over 30 directing and 35 writing credits under his belt, still hasn't learned a thing about filmmaking. A fifth grade drama class can write and direct a better film than him.

Every genre cliche that has been done many times before and better, was in this mess, and LaBute still managed to have the worst of them all. The entire story was generic, slow, predictable, riddled with plot and technical issues, and was, simply put; utter nonsense. What's worse, is that as the film progresses, it gets worse and dumber by the minute. As if a group of dangerous criminal invaders wouldn't have at least one gun - at least for intimidation or with a silencer if noise is an issue, and not one flashlight lol. Like I said, a fifth grader can come up with a more realistic story.

The time-stamps he added made things worse, because it showed what very little and unconvincing plot happens in between the large gaps in time, to the point that you will get tired from cringing and eye-rolls. Even the normally comfortable 90 min runtime felt way longer with terrible pacing, lack of any real plot and character development, long dragged out and unnecessary scenes, and if that wasn't torture enough, LaBute throws in this infantile and logic-defying epilogue just to punish and confuse the viewer some more.

Maybe with any other better filmmaker, even some newbs that have given us decent films, this nonsense may have been an adequate watch, but as is, don't waste your time, I did it for you. It's a generous 3/10 from me, for all the ladies that tried their best to fend off the lame hicks, lame story, and lame directing, that they had to endure.

This had potential. Alas.

Fear the Night on Prime Video, starring Maggie Q, initially sets a compelling stage, promising a taut home-invasion thriller. The first half genuinely builds suspense, establishing a tense atmosphere as a bachelorette party becomes a battle for survival.

Maggie Q delivers a committed performance as Tess, showcasing her physical prowess and carrying the emotional weight of her character. She's undeniably the film's anchor, making you root for her despite the escalating chaos.

However, the film unfortunately loses its grip. The action, while frequent, often feels undercooked, lacking the visceral impact and creative choreography needed to sustain engagement. What begins as a clever cat-and-mouse game devolves into repetitive encounters.

The script, after a strong start, struggles to maintain its narrative coherence, and the direction, initially effective in building tension, falters in delivering truly impactful set pieces.

The final 10 minutes are particularly regrettable, dragging out the conclusion unnecessarily and diminishing the overall experience.

Fear the Night had the ingredients for a gripping ride, but ultimately falls short of its promising potential. 5.5/10.

Action/Suspense/Thriller home-invasion film written and directed by Neil LaBute and starring Maggie Q. The movie revolves around Tess, an Iraq War veteran and a recovering alcoholic, who returns home to attend her sister's bachelorette party at their family farm. The film takes a dark turn when a group violently invades the party, and Tess has to use her military training to protect herself and the other women from the violent assault.

LaBute stumbles into the common pitfall of romanticizing PTSD. Tess, like many of our real-life service members, unfortunately suffers from it, but the film falls into the cliché of presenting its symptoms as beneficial. In the movie, Tess's PTSD symptoms, such as heightened suspicion and strong startle response, coincidentally align with the actual threat present at the bachelorette party. This narrative choice can suggest that her trauma has somehow prepared her for this extreme situation. In reality, PTSD is a complex and often debilitating condition. It can manifest in various ways, including hypervigilance, flashbacks, and avoidance behaviors, all of which Tess presents with in the film. However, it does not work as the sort of "sixth-sense" often implied in films, including this one, and is something people have to work hard at to overcome. In other words, in real life, people succeed despite their trauma, not because of it; this film has that backwards.

Despite these criticisms, the performances from the entire cast were good. The action scenes, although sparse, were solid and suspenseful, with LaBute's skill in crafting suspense seeing the film approach an ominous horror-like atmosphere. Anything with Maggie Q is always worth a watch, and not just because she's gorgeous; she's a phenomenal actor and her presence elevates any film she's in. It's a shame that LaBute didn't tap deeper into her martial arts skills and athleticism, which could have greatly added to the film's fight scenes. This film would have been a perfect showcase for them, and their inclusion would have only made a decent film better.

Overall it's a good one-time watch for fans of the genre. 6/10.