The Wasp

I didn't expect much seeing the ridiculous IMDB rating but noticing some intelligent praise about this film from others. All of us who saw it really enjoyed it.

A woman is in the middle of an abusive relationship and feels trapped. She turns to her childhood friend whom she hasn't seen in many years, with whom she shared a jarring experience but admired her friend's seeming innate bravery and ability to do what this trapped woman could not. And that act is to get rid of her miserable, abusive husband. But there is a much deeper meaning to the wasps in this movie, which take on literal, comparable, metaphoric roles in this film in a very clever way.

The acting is seriously top notch as this film is all about whether the main characters can pull off their performances and boy do they ever. These two women are absolutely riveting. I saw a comment about a child actor who plays a very small role and it was actually perfectly played as a clueless neighbor and a funny scene at that.

What probably drove this film's rating downward is that it doesn't have an ending that would make many 'happy' and what they'd want to see. But it's quite clear from all that occurs that it's definitely the right one. It may not have the huge punch that some were expecting - but that's likely because they were looking in the completely wrong place. What would drive someone to their limits? That's what this film is about and I'm guessing some may relate personally.

This is a rare gem and is easily a major cut above average. Anyone who says it isn't is not being honest with you.

In dark Bath-based British dramatic-thriller "The Wasp" middle-class Naomie Harris is stuck in a loveless marriage to douchey Dominic Allburn, so reaches out to pregnant old school-bully 'friend' Natalie Dormer with an indecent proposal... but as the two discuss details etc together, it becomes apparent that all ain't what it seems. For his debut screenplay Morgan Lloyd Malcolm adapted his own play (it has the clear feel of being based on a play) which Guillem Morales brings modestly home (with its various flaws) as his first English-language film as director. It's original, and decently engaging, though it lacks the strong stinging edge that woulda made it great.

Follows Heather (Naomie Harris) and Carla (Natalie Dormer), after being childhood schoolfriends, meet after not having spoken in years. Heather has done well in life, while Carla has a gambler for a husband, 4 kids and struggles to make ends meet. Heather makes contact with Carla and has a surprising proposition to put to her that could change their lives forever.

Harris and Dormer are the two main actors in this taut thriller, and they do very well too. I've never actually seen Dormer act in anything (I never watched GOT) but she carried this role really well and was totally believeable as Carla. It's got lot's of tension, lots of unanswered questions along the way, lot's of misinterpretations by the viewer and a few twists to boot. All in all it has the ingredients of a good film and while the directing and cinemaphotography are not ground breaking or outstanding, they're both more than equal to the task. Unusually for me I sat and watched from start to finish without a break and never once felt bored. There was some interesting and thought provoking questions raised too, about revenge, guilt, forgiveness and shame, and it made me think of my childhood and how it affects my adult life. I absolutely loved the ending, even though it was totally unexpected. Overall a great thriller with fine performances and I give it a solid 7.

Ladies and gents, what we have here is a well-acted, well-written, well-cast, well-directed, psychological thriller. It works well, it keeps you offguard, and the time passes very quickly indeed. These sorts of films were all the rage in the 1940s, a time when the industry was still transitioning from the static feel of a stage play (few backgrounds, lots of dialog) to the more kinetic medium of film. The only unusual thing about it is the fact that some big-name critics went nuts for the project, saying it was the best thing they had ever seen. Not really. But it does hold the attention. ((Designated "IMDb Top Reviewer." Please check out my list "167+ Nearly-Perfect Movies (with the occasional Anime or TV miniseries) you can/should see again and again (1932 to the present))

The Wasp comes from a long line of multi-layer thrillers that have a better-than-average chance I think of becoming cult classics.

These influences from the likes of The Usual Suspects to Knives Out are worn prominently on The Wasp's sleeve, but this is certainly not a bad thing. The script is pretty tight, and the revealing of the layers to the story are surprising to say the least. At a tidy hour and half, the film never overstays its welcome, and makes for a generally enjoyable film. Dormer has a good performance throughout, she even had me convinced that she was some other actress for a while. The set designs were nice, certainly a lot of detail and thought went into the few settings the film takes place in.

However, somehow this film doesn't really live up to the greatness that it hopes to achieve. In the end, the ending did not bring as much energy as it should have, perhaps because this film wanted to be a little cleaner than it needed to be. Despite the darkness and grittiness alluded to, somehow I think more could have been done. Another huge black mark is that The Wasp falls prey to the oldest rookie mistake in the book: child actors. I probably don't need to say any more than that the child actors in the film are really bad. Finally, and perhaps the most damning thing against the film, is the ever present feeling I got that Naomi Harris was overacting very hard for the film. I don't want to put the whole thing on her though because certainly some blame can be put on the writers for her dialogue, but for a film (and genre) that typically relies on a superstar lead to carry the show, I regret to say that Harris was unable to give me a convincing performance.

Despite all this, the film is still enjoyable due to its tidy script and short runtime. Not a bad film, but no need to run to the theatres to watch it.