LIKES:
Nice Angles/Atmosphere
Realistic Setting
Good Camera Work
The Acting is Not Bad
Does Show Perspective
Some Creative Uses of AI
Short Run Time
Summary:
The movie is shot beautifully, giving an artistic flair that Blumhouse always manages to add to its films and provide it with style. Good camera direction helps to give some of the more terrifying elements of the movie, primarily good shadows, and use of corners, and that set up for a good jump scare to come into play. It may not be the most unique camera style, but it works and adds degrees of artistic presentation that I certainly enjoy. As for the acting, the movie has some decent performances to work with the script and idea and they do their best to sell the horror being conveyed. Carradine had the potential to be something great, and for the time he has funny lines and pleasant nature to try and cut through the tension, he just needed more time and development to get more praise. Waterston is fantastic for the dramatic elements, vocalizing the struggles of someone with much pain and regrets, but not so separated from reality to know what she has. Her grief is conveyed well and avoids the annoying elements that sometimes come with dramatic focus. Cho though is the winner, the guy brings so much balance to the film and makes one of the more interesting characters to try and decipher the solution to his problems. He's fantastic with his delivery and I quite enjoy the delivery, even though he could have used a little more range to help.
In terms of the story, the movie accomplishes some okay dynamics in regards to what I extrapolated from the trailers. The realistic setting is, again, fitting, and even more so, a plot that supports being in such an environment and is not reliant on convenient exposure to demonology. Afraid is a movie that digs deep into artificial intelligence topics in a manner that was okay for entertaining me with the potential threats of the creation. Relevant topics found in the news are an excellent medium for the threats that AIA makes, weaving it into an evolving array designed for each member of the family. I was impressed with the creative tactics, some of which come with some jump scares that are thanks to sudden blare of the instruments. Yet, the negative aspects are balanced by some positive components as well, adding some light to the darker elements the movie is about, while also providing some fitting humor. As a result, I found the movie to provide plenty of perspectives about the nature of the AI, and by the end delivers some strong moments that drive the point home about how careful we must be. And if all this puts you in a coma, then be happy that the run time is fewer than ninety minutes, so you get out of there without too much trouble.
DISLIKES:
Mostly Predictable
Not Scary
Dumb Characters At Times
Some Annoying Plot Holes
The Plot is Not Engaging Enough
Pace Is Too Fast For A Complete Center
Too Ridiculous At Times
Summary:
Sadly, this is a Blumhouse project, and sometimes those can be sillier than scarier. Afraid falls into that category for me for many reasons, and it starts with the story. Certainly, there are messages and warnings inherent in the writing, but that's about where the excitement ends for viewers like me. The tale is predictable and reduced to stereotypical subplots that are more melodramatic and relevant to a younger audience. These plots are not very engaging, sort of stapled in for the horror of AI, but never really come to a complete, or exciting integration that remains coherent or climactic by the end of the movie. Many elements seem deleted from the main plot or blunted to a concise delivery that felt stiff and incomplete. And some moments are so ridiculous that they are great for a laugh, but sometimes placed at the wrong times to interrupt any building momentum for scares. This winds up taking the edge off of the movie, a boring horror that lacks the teeth I think many are hoping for, except for a few jump scares mentioned earlier. There was potential there, but that short runtime does little to give the movie the full hit they were going for.
