Crimson Peak

The storyline has good flow but is perhaps a bit predictable, acting is decent though the characters don't have much depth. But the winner for this film are the visuals. The house itself is stunningly haunting and the ghosts are almost ethereal. This movie doesn't have much substance but is a real treat to watch.

This film is visually amazing. Anyone familiar with some of Del Toro's other work will see a lot of his signature visual touches, which is far from being a bad thing, and the design of the ghosts was refreshingly innovative and blended into the overall visual style. The plot is interesting once it gets going, however slightly predictable.

Sadly, there are some noticeable downsides. The most obvious one is how slowly this film starts, with seemingly very little happening for the first twenty or so minutes. The focus is very heavily on the plot, and while some characters are developed more slowly because it ties in with the plot, others can feel underdeveloped. When this is combined with the slow start, it makes the first part of this film fairly boring. Some of the chronology of this film can seem slightly strange as well, when scrutinised.

However, despite its faults, this is still a good film and worth watching. 7/10

Visually the film is interesting, but in all honesty, it isn't very interesting beyond that. It is a decent story, and it seems interesting for a while. However the film dragged a little, and really offered nothing all that new by the time it's all said and done. While there were some good aspects, the film was far too predictable for how slow it was. Overall an okay watch, but I certainly wouldn't watch it a second time.

6/10.

Having been a fan of Guillermo Del Toro for some time now, I had expected 'Crimson Peak' to be his next great masterpiece. Although the film didn't meet my expectations, I can't say that it disappointed them either.

Near the end of the 18th century, aspiring author Edith Cushing (Wasikowska) meets a struggling inventor by the name of Thomas Sharpe (Hiddleston). The two quickly fall in love and move into Sharpe's dilapidating mansion - which is also inhabited by Thomas' sister, Lucille (Chastain). Once there, Edith slowly realizes that not everything is what it seems and decides to dig deeper, in spite of the growing dangers.

First, 'Crimson Peak' is not a horror film; it is a 'gothic romance' (with some horror elements thrown into the mix). The genre hasn't been visited upon for decades, yet Del Toro does a fine job of offering his own take on it. The film also contains plenty of blood and gore - so if you don't have a stomach for that kind of stuff, your chances of finishing this film are nil (for there are far more disturbing aspects).

The story constantly switches in tone. I get that its a 'gothic romance' (two genres that can't be any further apart from each other), but it can get confusing for some people very quickly. One scene might seem like it was from a romantic period film while the next might seem like something out of a thriller! I think Del Toro and Robbins did a fine job of balancing the pacing, but they could have certainly tweaked a few things and cut the runtime down by an extra ten or fifteen minutes.

That being said, the plot is pretty straightforward - up until the last third of the film. Again, there are some disturbing details that both Edith and the audience discover. It took me some time to connect certain things, but I eventually figured out the bigger picture. Nevertheless, the very nature of this film will undoubtedly shock you - and will do it in a way that no other film released this year has.

Both Wasikowska and Hiddleston give good performances, but Chastain is the standout. Her role as a cold-hearted, manipulative aristocrat is done with sheer excellence; you can't help but suspect of her something. She allures your attention with her mysterious persona, yet you can't help but hate her for who she truly is.

Just like in any other Del Toro film, the visuals in this film are amazing. This time, instead of the visual effects (like in 'Pacific Rim'), the main focus is on the production design and costume design. Every set, prop, and article of clothing not only have their own unique design but are also very telling of a scene's or character's given mood (now that's some good attention to detail). I would honestly be shocked if this film wasn't nominated for Best Prod. Design nor Best Costume (although I also wouldn't be surprised as the Academy usually forgets about films like these).

Despite its narrative problems, 'Crimson Peak' is a grand visual experience that needs to be seen on the big screen (notwithstanding the blood and gore). Del Toro's directing has not faltered one bit, and he truly has come up with an original concept that we haven't seen in a very long time. And although I didn't completely fall in love with this film, I will say I'm glad I watched it in theatres.

My actual rating for this film is 7.5/10

This was highly anticipated film. The director didn't succeeded in fulfilling the expectations of audience and not at all film-critics. Still this picture does not belong to the category of completely useless pictures that you wouldn't enjoy.

The art design including costumes, scenery, stylization, camera operating and everything made to satisfy the eye is perfectly done with detail. The topic for it's self must be the house of the Sharp family. The building has its own spirit, which the characters itself unfortunately lack.

And characters is the next important thing to talk about. There is quite a top actors basis. Mia Wasikowska representing a young Victorian woman absolutely fits. Tom Hiddleston as the wanted perfect man with dark secrets is a natural choice. And finally the amazing Jessica Chastain showed a perfect performance as the evil sister. She nearly stole the whole spectacle for herself. But still it does not work very well. The main problem is that the relationship between Edith and Thomas is not believable. They lack ''chemistry''. Some converging and strongly intimate scenes are missing. The other problem is Edith Cushing herself. When arriving at the house, she suddenly changes from an intelligent emancipated woman to classic scared horror virgin type who needs a protection and loses a good deal of sympathy.

The story itself is predictable, and so does not need to be focused on. Maybe the reason is that Guillermo del Torro planned to shoot this picture a long time ago and he simply lost the connection with the topic and focused on technical stuff. On the other hand, this is an opportunity to see a pure cliché, not meant in a bad way, horror- drama movie with all its attributes and great visual quality. The treatment with sounds for increasing the tension is comparable to The Woman in Black (2012).

It does not deserve to be strongly criticized nor praised, but since I'm fan of all three actors and Guillermo del Toro, I must say I enjoyed it quite a lot.