Blood Star

I stumbled across this movie randomly, and I saw the IMDB score was decent. Overall, it's not bad

The movie makes-do with little. The cast is entirely unknown and limited, and most of the movie takes place on a desolate road. But the movie is suspenseful, the sheriff is repulsive, and the lead actress isn't hard to root for. The run time is just right. It's reminiscent of the movies Joy Ride and Wrecker .

There are several flaws though: the lead actress isn't a good actress. There are times when the camera focuses on her while she's in the car, and her attempts to act scared and/or panicky are not done well. The plot is good at the start when they focus on a cat-and-mouse game between the sheriff and the lead actress, but near the end, it goes a little left field, in a direction that I didn't like (I won't spoil and say more). Some convos between characters drag on a little too long (eg the lead actress and a certain diner worker)

5.5/10.

The fact that I was led to believe that the 2024 movie "Blood Star" was a horror movie, was more than sufficient for me to sit down and watch it. I am a big fan of all things horror. Sure, I had never heard about the movie, prior to sitting down and watching it, so I didn't know what I was in for, nor what to expect. So I suppose, in a sense, then director Lawrence Jacomelli had every opportunity to entertain and impress me.

But "Blood Star" was a thriller, not a horror movie. So that was a bit of a disappointment.

Honestly, I am a bit surprised that writers Lawrence Jacomelli, George Kelly and Victoria Hinks Taylor collectively could only muster to conjure up a script as generic and mundane as they did. But wait, I am not saying that "Blood Star" is a bad movie, not at all. It was just a bland and generic high way harassment type of movie. And essentially, if you've seen one such movie, then chances are you've seen them all.

I was not familiar with the cast ensemble in the movie. But they definitely had a good cast ensemble, and leading actress Britni Camacho carried the movie nicely. But I will say that I was especially impressed with John Schwab's performance as Sheriff Bilstein.

There is a bit of violence in the movie, which definitely helps to spruce up the otherwise somewhat mediocre storyline.

"Blood Star" is a watchable thriller, sure, but it is hardly a movie that warrants more than just a single viewing.

The ending of the movie was just a slap in the face to anyone who had been sitting through the entire movie.

My rating of director Lawrence Jacomelli's 2024 movie "Blood Star" lands on a five out of ten stars.

It's a road trip horror that would remind us of many classics from hills have eyes to wrong turn. With it's secluded dessert backdrop and the unique feature of villain it adds up to a great thriller. Despite the blood and gore it's a stark portrayal of the chain of abuse the unfortunate and unprivileged would have to endure. The evil lawman is a physical manifestation of prejudice. Bobby and Amy is an appreciation of women's struggle. Complimentary performances make this indie a success. Great audio effects and background music. Excellent visuals and special effects. It's a satisfying watch with no obvious errors.

No pun intended - now you can give or cut this some slack .. especially if you think about this being done in just 10 days (shot that is - another pun that was not intended) ... I really was trying to like this ... flaws included and all. But while the cinematography is really good and the bad guy has some (needed) charisma ... the script takes turns that just are not ... well they are not helping.

Take last third exposition ... just too much! And I don't mean the "excuse" our bad guy comes up with. Not necessary in my book, but short enough that it does work. No I mean the talk in the car between two girls/women ... I understand it is supposed to give us a bonding process ... but it just slows the movie way down and does not add much ... if anything. Well (running) time ... add to that some weird monologue our main character has ... some is I reckon necessary ... other is beyond satire or humor ... especially when she enters a room that someone told her is a rest room ... and she tells us this isn't a rest room - don't remember her quote ... as with the conversation in the car, likely something that might happen, but has no business and no real need to be in the movie .... makes the character look ... not intelligent. Shame thought this could have been (way more) fun.

The first few reviews that have rated this movie have obviously been written by friends or family of the director/writers.

In no way, shape, or form is this movie above a 5/10, let alone a 10/10!

I've rated it a 2/10 because the only decent aspect was the cinematography. Everything else was atrocious.

The protagonist in any movie is supposed to be likeable. Even if they're really the villain, they still need to be relatable and have likeable qualities so the audience will root for them.

The writers really missed the mark with this simple formula.

Apart from the fact that the acting was terrible, the main character was dull, boring, and really annoying at times, so it was hard to feel anything for her.

There are rules to follow when you make any thriller/horror movie. The main one being, you can't maim or permanently incapacitate your protagonist! There's a huge difference between them having injuries or maybe losing a finger, but incapacitating her in the way they did was a terrible decision and a very poorly executed attempt to deliver the shock factor.

Whoever made the decision to green light the making of this movie needs to sacked! I could honestly do a better job myself.