Significant Other

I won't overuse the term slow burn, but I will say the last 45 minutes are quite a surprise based on the first 45. Maika Monroe is very talented and Jake Lacy gives off Ben Affleck vibes in this short solid film. I am a sucker for films in this genre. I don't want to say what that genre is or name other films like it because I would have to mark this review as containing spoilers, but it makes for a film with some great twists.

It tries and somewhat succeeds on being a mediation about the meaning of love and if that sounds a little boring and cerebral, trust me, it isn't. In the second half you will laugh and gasp and probably be very glad you stuck with the story.

Nothing great, but pretty solid entertainment, that at the end of the day, feels like a setup for a bigger and better sequel. It may be praise enough to simply say, I hope I am right about the sequel.

This is my first review, and after watching this movie, I just had to write something about ratings in general. Yes, 7 to 10 is considered the standard rating for a "good" movie, but there are multiple brilliant productions that are hiding in the 5 to 6 rating, that really don't deserve to be marked by that. This is one of those movies. My message, to whom ever is reading this, is really; don't reject a movie based on the rating by default. There are more entertainment hiding in the average shadows. The actors are really satisfying to watch, and combined with a fresh storyline, and paradoxical mix of thrill and comedy, this movie is one I will recommend.

I'm seeing a lot of negative reviews from critics calling it a "waste of time", and audience reviews of 3/5 stars. But remember, people tend to dislike things that are different. And this film is definitely different.

As a Shudder user, I see SO many 1 star reviews of films that I LOVE, saying that they're "boring" or "not horror movies" (it got so frustrating, I stopped reading them). I've come to the conclusion that the average mainstream-movie watching person only defines a "horror movie" as one with a monster/demon/ghost/psycho killer, 90 minutes of interchangeable jump scares (usually of the antagonist appearing BEHIND the characters where only the audience can see), and a high body count.

So brilliant films like Garland's Annihilation, Strickland's In Fabric, Benson & Moorhead's Resolution, or in this case, Olsen & Berk's Significant Other, get passed up because they aren't understood, and therefore raves about, by the casual movie-going, mainstream majority.

I loved this film because it had all of the criteria you'd hope for in the ever-evolving horror genre... tension, suspense, atmosphere, a fitting score, and even a twist you don't see coming. Just because there aren't gory kill scenes every 7-10 minutes by some grotesque creature does NOT disqualify a film from being classified as horror.

So if you truly appreciate horror as an artistic form of film art, something that can make you feel unease and suspense while making you think, then give this a shot and form your own opinion. Fans of horror films like Pontypool, Braid, Hereditary, Come True, or any of the aforementioned films will definitely love and appreciate this one.

Even though 'Significant Other' has its flaws, I respect a lot about this film. It had an interesting premise with some subtle and clever twists and it got in and got out with a short runtime.

The problem this film has is its middle. It feels like it establishes a good tone early. Pretty dark and serious, then all of a sudden things become wacky and it feels like it is going for laughs (I'm torn as to whether this was intentional or it was just coming across this way).

It's pretty hard to dislike a film like this though. It's not preachy and trying to shove a message down your throat. It simply wants to entertain you. I'll give it a 6, but a part of me would like to give it a 7. 6/10.

I don't know why Horror's not included in the "Genres" list; I would call this more horror with sci-fi elements than the other way around.

Trying to think of what other films of which this one reminded me, and the closest I could come up with was Under the Skin. While not as creepy and much more overtly explained than that 2013 Scarlett Johansson film, I found definite similarities. To elaborate more on this would be bordering even more on spoiler territory; suffice to say that this film's title is quite the double entendre.

I'm liking Maika Monroe more each time I see her, and she does not disappoint here.

As a horror enthusiast, I find the present rating of 5.7 for this film far lower than it merits. I found it far superior to the recent Hellraiser reboot and, unlike that film, look forward to watching this one again.