Never Let Go

Never Let Go is a family drama, a supernatural horror film and a psychological thriller all at once. It stars excellent actress Halle Berry as well as child actors Percy Daggs IV and Anthony B. Jenkins. The film's plot is similar to M. Night Shyamalan's The Village. The story revolves around a mother and her two children who have taken refuge in a cabin in the woods. They live in complete isolation and suffer from starvation. The mother keeps telling her children that evil forces surround their home. The only way to avoid a grisly fate is by being tied to a series of ropes that are installed in the cabin's basement. As the children grow into teenagers, they slowly start to doubt their mother's stories. When they finally decide to let go of the ropes, a dramatic series of events occurs.

This movie has several noteworthy strengths. First and foremost, the plot is clever and comes around with several twists and turns throughout. While the general idea of the story isn't new at all, it has been executed with enough wit to keep genre fans entertained from start to finish.

Another remarkable strength is the acting in this film. Halle Berry excels as fragile, obsessive and strict mother. The two child actors convince throughout as well with one of them portraying a son who truly believes his mother's tales while the other one showcases a more rebellious, independent and free-spirited attitude. The two actors complete each other splendidly. Both of them should have great careers ahead of themselves.

The locations have also been chosen with care. The old cabin truly underlines the simple, regressive and difficult lives that the three protagonists are living. The forest with its old trees, rough rocks and colourful moss is the perfect setting for a tale of isolation.

However, this film isn't without flaws. The movie's pace is particularly slow and especially the film's first half needs resilient, optimistic and mature viewers who are open to give this film time to grow. They will be rewarded with a more dramatic second half.

This movie is missing truly gripping scenes. A gloomy atmosphere is present from start to finish but the film plods along without any notable highlights. This is a very mild drama and thriller that would have benefitted from a few more intense sequences.

At the end of the day, Never Let Go is a family drama, supernatural horror movie and psychological thriller that convinces with a clever plot, strong acting performances and fitting settings while suffering from a particularly slow pace and a lack of intensity. Never Let Go is thus recommended to mature, optimistic and resilient genre fans only.

Firstly, my review: I really enjoyed this movie. It's a solid psychological horror that keeps you guessing the whole way through. The movie does a great job of creating a creepy and eerie atmosphere that pulls you in and makes you feel uneasy. What I loved most is how it keeps you thinking - there were plenty of moments where I wasn't sure what was real and what wasn't. It's such a nice change from the usual horror movies that spell everything out for you.

The plot is interesting and engaging, and unlike most horror films today, jumpscares are used only when they actually add to the tension. They don't rely on them just to scare you every two minutes. The acting is really good, too - it helps make the whole thing feel more real and adds to the creepy vibe.

Now to my rant on horror movie reviews: After watching, I was excited to read some reviews and see if people shared my thoughts, but I was shocked by the number of people complaining. Some said the plot was "too confusing," or that there weren't enough jumpscares, or they just didn't get it because they were distracted on their phones for half the movie.

I feel like a lot of people just don't appreciate good horror anymore. They'd rather watch movies filled with cheap jumpscares and predictable plots, instead of something that actually makes them think. It's frustrating because real, scary horror movies are becoming so rare these days, and I'm worried about where the genre is headed if this is what people want.

It can't just be me who thinks like this, right?

On paper, a decent concept, visually gripping but thats pretty much where it ends.

Hallie Berry plays a great part as 'Mamma' with her 2 young loyal sons living in a her shadow as she pretects them from the unknown her has lost all reality.

The run down house that plays the safe haven and backdrop of the movie is almost a character in the moving playing a part in the story arc, the looming dense forest is daunting.... But for everything else?

Young boys to give credit put in great performances, they mesh well with Hallie, and its beautifully short for all artistic feels but its a story that has a very disappointing cliff hanger, save your money.

Never let go is an intriguing, mentally draining psychological horror that quickly hooks you with a central question: is Halle Berry's character losing her mind, or is there something more sinister at play? It's a slow burn where you constantly have to guess what is real and what isn't. The premise is interesting, and for the most part, it keeps you engaged.

The biggest problem I had with the movie, however, would have to be the third act. Prepared to question all that's throughout, it feels like there wasn't much resolution at the very end. It doesn't have the closure I was looking for; instead, it just leaves us with more questions. Some people like that mystery, but for me, it was just the slightest bit more explanation or one additional scene needed to help wrap up things nicely.

That said, it's still worth watching, if not for any other reason than for those who love a good slow burn, psychologically thrilling plot. Just be prepared for an ending that may not be as satisfactory of a wrap-up as it could be.

6.8/10 (Recommend)

I don't think this movie is bad, but for all the tension it creates I feel that the ending isn't the complete justice that is being sought for. A story about a family who can't leave the safety of their house without a rope around them because an evil lurks in the forest. Everything comes into question when one of the children begin to question if the evil is real.

Halle Berry is pretty decent in this film, but I don't think it's her performance that carries the story. It's Anthony B. Jenkins and Percy Daggs IV that make you care the slightest about the come of things. They may be young, and I wouldn't call this their strongest performance, but they have lots of potential as actors.

The music is pretty top notch for creating the fear and tension. It knows how to elevate the visuals in ways that seeing things alone won't help. Though the cinematography is good in creating that tension and unknown as well.

I would watch this again because it gave me the heebie jeebies just enough to feel frightened at times, but I wasn't overly unsettled that I couldn't see an outcome a mile away. There's a terrific score that trumps everything and enhances the story. While the ending is kind of anti-climatic it was acceptable for me and I didn't hate myself for sitting through the film.

That's it for now. Thanks for taking time to read my review. Happy watching and enjoy the show!