User reviews

And it leaves a lot up to the imagination. These things do the film no favors. Nothing is explained and that is fine. I guess. But it also keeps the viewer at arm's length. How I am supposed to care about the lead when she is just in one after another of the same situation. Yeah, we get it: she's scrappy.

It was also hard to stay abreast of who was who without names, dialog, etc. I can't even tell you if there was an "us" or a "them".

The movie just seemed there. And it tried to justify its there-ness with the mostly non-verbal contrivance at its core. But while the silence in A Quiet Place has its reasons, I just don't get it here.

In a world in which no one speaks, a devout female-led community hunts down a young woman who has escaped her imprisonment. Recaptured by its ruthless leaders, Azrael is due to be sacrificed to pacify an ancient evil deep within the surrounding wilderness - but she'll stop at nothing to ensure her own survival. Azrael makes a savage bid for freedom as her escape accelerates towards a vicious, revenge-fueled showdown.

And what a showdown it is. Being hunted through the forest, captured, escaped, recaptured, re-escaped, captured again, Azrael is one unlucky woman the way she is hunted and captured over and over. However she thinks she has found the key to survival toward the end, but everything turns to gore filled carnage. And not a single word of dialogue the entire film. So the meaning of it depends on the actors acting ability, and our perception. What does the end mean? Well, your guess is as good as Azrael's... The acting isn't great, but the mood and the story are fabulous. It's well executed and paced well despite there being no dialogue and long shots of actors just staring at each other or into the distance. I really enjoyed it and gave it a solid 6 for gore entertainment.

If you've seen the previews, you know what it's about already. The film doesn't have any defined story line besides kill and let be killed. If I were in this setting, I would not survive because it seems like you have to be an ultra trail runner to escape bullets and monsters. For those who glut for gore, this is a solid 7/10. If you enjoy slow scare, this is also a solid 7/10. If you've seen plenty of horror films, the ending was predictable that the film is only a 4/10. Am unsure if writers and directors intend for a lesson or symbolisms but this film doesn't reveal any till the very last scene. I can go on about the metaphors but that was not why the film worked in terms of entertainment. It's a typical horror film.

There is only one positive thing about this film. The cinematography, but only a quarter of it. They reallly get you in the first act with this Resident Evil 4 aesthetic. After that, it's like they only had budget for a n00b of a camera operator.

However, the more we get into the story, if that's what you want to call it, the more comically ridiculous it gets.

For example, the whistling. That's really the next best way to communicate? There have been movies that I'm use sign language but it feels unnecessary to the narrative. But in this film, it is the perfect time to use some sign, and yet we are stuck with these idiots whistling at each other like some choo choo trains.

This "movie" is not innovative or groundbreaking. The premise SOUNDS interesting..but it doesn't work. There is a reason 99% of movies have dialogue before the 36 minute mark in a 90 minute movie. Besides the strange premise and Samara weaving, those are the only two reasons to watch this. Samara does a lot with nothing, because half the movie she doesn't say a word so you have to be a good actress to make it even watchable. This film is watchable but its just simply not entertaining or scary. Its a boring action movie with little to no dialogue. I rate movies fairly high, I'm very easy to please and I can usually find good things in a bad movie or poorly made one, but this. This was just simply a waste of time and I don't wanna waste anymore time reviewing this than I already have. Disappointed because I generally enjoy shudder originals especially most of the ones this year.

This is a well put together movie. The production, sound and lighting are all pretty strong. The acting, despite a word not being uttered, is good. Samara weaving was excellent as the determined and gritty lead. I'm keen to see her in action with actual lines.

The dialogue free story moves at a fair pace without ever truly grabbing you by the balls. It's occasionally gory/bloody and unnerving but is never jumpy or particularly frightening.

There are small breadcrumbs of clues smattered around about the post rapture apocalyptic world the movie is set in - but there's a lot left up to your own interpretation and many won't get past that.

I'm still most confused how such a fine looking truck decked out with all the mod cons pops up out of nowhere. Especially driven by a relatively normal guy (that actually speaks)!?

A better, more polished effort than many I've watched on shudder but no classic by any means.

I would like to describe how frustrating it is to watch a film like this but ... there are no words.

It's some post appocalyptic scenario (maybe) and there are people in the woods who seem to (maybe) worship some force of evil, embodied by zombie-like demons that lurk in the woods.

People run around in the woods and there are some fights between the maybe good and maybe bad guys until eventually it draws to a somewhat unambiguous ending.

There are some awesome gore effects and the movie is expertly made but why they wanted to go the silent route is bizarre. It is tedious and you just don't care about any of the no-name characters and the things they don't say.

I'm sure some will rave about this movie but for me it did not work.

Would have made a great short which seems to be the case for alot of these features these days. This film is massively padded out with dross that needs editing out. Found my eyes closing at a couple of moments during the film which is never a good sign, same was said for A Violent Nature. There's a reason no one has told the slasher story like that before and it's because it's a snooze fest.

This looks great on paper and like I said would make a great short but there is nothing in this feature that was new or unique. Mute cults... um sure, Valhalla Rising did this masterfully. Also I did not buy it. These people have supposed to be mute for a very long time yet they exhibit no real form of other communication. It all felt staged. A world not earned or lived in.

I think my biggest gripe is that this film lacks so much clarity. It presents a bunch of questions and answers none.

Some nice gory bits in it but that's about it.

In a community where people do not speak, a beautiful blonde woman and her black lover are hunted down in the woods by armed men from their community. They are captured and the woman is delivered to creatures that eat flesh and appears to be burnt, but she escapes. She returns to the community trying to find her lover but is captured again. But she flees again and is rescued by a man driving a pick-up that speaks and listen to music on the radio. He offers food to her, but they are surprised by a shot from a man that is chasing the blonde. What will happen to her?

"Azrael" (2024) is a senseless and messy music, with stupid violence and a plot that does nowhere and impossible to be understood. The characters do not have names, since they do not speak (why?). Their vocal cords seem to be cut due to religious beliefs. Why the blonde woman insists to return to the community that wants to kill her? Who is the guy driving the pick-up? Didn't he know that there are creatures and a violent community in the woods? What in the hell is the monster delivered by woman in the church? How can a community exist with people without means of communication? This awful film is totally overrated in IMDb. My vote is one (awful).

Title (Brazil): "Azrael"

This was a movie that I didn't know about until seeing the trailer playing at the Gateway Film Center. When I saw that this was slated to be released, I made it a point to see it on the opening Thursday at the theater. What sold it for me was figuring out that this had Samara Weaving, who I'm a fan of. Other than that, the bit that I saw made this look brutal and reading the synopsis, had me intrigued.

Synopsis: in a world where no one speaks, a devout female-led community hunts down a woman who has escaped imprisonment. Recaptured, Azrael (Weaving) is due to be sacrificed to an ancient evil in the wilderness but fights for her own survival.

We start this with seeing a woman, Miriam (Vic Carmen Sonne), who is painting pictures. What this seems to be is a prophecy of events that will unfold. She is also pregnant, that is something that I should include here.

Now the movie then shifts here where periodically, we get title cards. I found this interesting as this gives you an event of what you'll see in each section. Something of note is that the rapture happened. Since then, most everyone has lost the ability to speak. Azrael is making a bracelet. She goes back to Kenan (Nathan Stewart-Jarrett) and scolds him for making a fire. They look to see if anyone noticed, but it doesn't seem to have. Azrael has a mark on her throat that looks like a cross. She also gives the bracelet to Kenan.

Her fears are realized though. They're attacked by a group of people. It is made up of Anton (Johhan Rosenberg), Luther (Eero Milonoff), Isaac (Sebastian Bull) and Liesl (Rea Lest). They're taken hostage and put in the trunk of cars. The place they're taken to has a chair. Azrael is strapped in and they cut her shin. We then see the purpose of the ritual. This burned person comes out of the woods. Azrael gets free and fights off Anton, leaving him for this creature.

It is from here that Azrael fights for survival. She goes to this group's camp, looking for Kenan. It gets to the point though where she must decide if life is worth living without him or does she die trying? Miriam is the leader of this cult and it seems that she's a prophet. There is a crack in the wall of her church where she hears whispering. It is from these that she paints on the walls. One is a smaller image of Azrael. They have a plan for her, but she won't allow it without a fight.

That is where I'll leave my recap and introduction to the characters. Where I want to start is that this is a high-octane action horror film. This doesn't waste any time getting into it. There isn't much to the story. It also doesn't need it. What this does well is set up the world that this takes place in. We know that it effectively has ended as the book of Revelations warned. The saved have disappeared and the rest are living out their days. What I like here is that people didn't turn to organized religions. Instead, they boiled down to pagan beliefs and sacrificing people to these creatures.

Now something interesting here is the character names. I pieced together while watching this Weaving as Azrael. Outside of that, I don't recall any other names given. It made me chuckle seeing them when looking up the cast list. Then to delve more, Azrael is an archangel who was the 'angel of death'. Seeing what she goes through here and must do to survive, that is fitting. I'll just go ahead and say that she's great here. Having seen Ready or Not, I knew that she was capable. Credit here that she doesn't have any lines of dialogue. That isn't easy. She can convey emotions like rage, love and loss well.

I'll then bring back religion to discuss. I said there isn't much story, but I think we get enough for things to make sense. The world has effectively ended. There are limited people left. Azrael and Kenan try to make it on their own. They're taken by this group. This is a story that would work whether it was in this world or in one that is more like we know. This group is trying to sacrifice them. We see these burned people that drink blood and violently attack. Would I like to know more? Absolutely. Do I think that this is enough for me to follow the tale, also yes. Credit there for the visual storytelling.

Then to stick with that, let's go over to filmmaking. I love the isolated feel of the woods. It gives hope to our couple that they might be able to hide. It also helps to hide that this is made in a world that hasn't ended, so credit there. That allows them to work with a smaller cast and not spend money to hide things. I like this shanty camp for our cult. The cinematography is good to capture this while also framing the action sequences. These are all good. I was shocked with how brutal the effects were. They looked to only use practical effects, so credit there as well. There were moments where it made me cringe, which I love. Other than that, I love what they did with sound design. The soundtrack also fit what was needed.

All that is left then is acting. I've already said how good Weaving was. Her counterpart in Stewart-Jarrett has limited screen time. What he did there was good. Sonne works as this prophet who leads the community. I like that she also fights Azrael during the climax. Rosenberg, Milonoff, Bull and Lest were good as the first cult members we see who capture the couple. We also met Katariina Unt and Phong Giang, they were both solid as well. Sonia Roszczuk, Valentin Tzin and Felix Leech, as well as the other burnt people were good too. The acting was solid across the board for what was needed.

In conclusion, this is an intense action horror film. I dug what they did here. We have a simple enough story. Seeing what this lead character of Azrael must endure is great. This goes brutal places with the effects, which worked for me. Credit as well to the cinematography, framing and sound design there as well. This is an interesting take on religious horror in a way that I'm not used to. I rather enjoyed my time and would consider rewatching if this hits Shudder before the end of the year.

My Rating: 8 out of 10.

Judging by some of these reviews I would say some people skimmed through it or just had it on as background noise while doing something else. If you are gonna write a negative review at least have the decency to properly watch the movie. Some of the things being said as happening, don't actually happen (and vice versa).

It's an interesting concept but what makes it really works is Samara Weavings performance and how creepy the "villians" (for lack of better word) are. Anytime actors playing bad guys make me hope they die a gruesome death means they've done their job. As for Samara Weaving, I just don't get how she isn't being offered more roles in big budget movies. She has a wide range of emotions and can easily go from heroine to silly cute chick to a serious dramatic actress.

I think the main reason some people didn't get this movie is that the plot isn't easily explained and you have to use your own imagination to work things out for yourself (which the social media generation have shown they aren't capable of).

I got what the film was going for by the end of the film but, seriously, would've been a lot less frustrating had the film actually told us a bit about what was happening before they decided to hit is over the head with it.

The only thing told from the beginning is that everyone is mute, because of the apocalypse and their sins of speech or something like that. That's all you get. Other than that, it's up to the audience to piece together the, once you figure it out, incredibly simple storyline. And it is just that, a simple film. Nothing note-worthy here. Just some decently staged gory moments, and some decent acting. The ending is incredibly predicable, to the point of you knowing what's going to happen long before you get there. It's pretty run of the mill horror here.

Overall, I couldn't recommend spending money on it. It was watchable and kept my interest, but if I had paid for it, I would've been pretty disappointed. It'll be on Shudder for free in no time, just wait for it til then.

2 relious cults out of 5.

I recently caught the Shudder original Azrael (2024) in theaters. The storyline is set in a world where no one speaks, and the land is overrun by man-eating monsters that are attracted to the scent of blood. A young woman escapes from a compound led by a pregnant woman, only to be hunted down as they plan to use her as a sacrifice to the creature lurking in the woods. But she's not going down without a fight.

Directed by E. L. Katz (Small Crimes), the film stars Samara Weaving (Babylon), Vic Carmen Sonne (Holiday), Nathan Stewart-Jarrett (Candyman), and Eero Milonoff (The Good Driver).

While the movie isn't groundbreaking, it's definitely a gory and entertaining watch. Samara Weaving delivers a phenomenal performance as the lead, and the villains are ruthless and well-portrayed. The violence and horror elements shine, with intense fight scenes and brutal eating sequences. The gore is plentiful, with some well-executed cut scenes, and the special effects team did an impressive job. The film also makes great use of sound, as the characters can't speak, adding to the eerie atmosphere. The final showdown is worth the build-up, making the entire journey worthwhile.

In conclusion, Azrael is a violent, gore-filled thrill ride that's a lot of fun. I'd give it a solid 7/10 and strongly recommend it.

Azrael starts with an intriguing premise: a post-apocalyptic setting where a woman, played by the talented Samara Weaving, is hunted by a cult. It seems like a horror film with potential, especially with Weaving, who's known for her solid roles in the genre. However, despite the promising setup, the movie stumbles in several areas.

The decision to have almost no dialogue is bold, reminiscent of films like A Quiet Place or Bird Box, but unlike those, Azrael fails to use this strategy to create the same level of tension or immersion. With only three lines spoken throughout the film, the narrative struggles to find clear direction, leaving many questions unanswered.

The biggest issue is the film's indecision about its genre. It tries to be a bit of everything: supernatural, slasher, psychological horror, and even a survival thriller. This mix of genres, rather than enriching the story, ends up diluting it, resulting in a film that lacks a clear path and fails to establish its own identity.

Still, there are a few positives worth noting. The chase scenes are well done and manage to build some adrenaline, though they fall short of reaching their full potential. The religious atmosphere in certain parts is also intriguing, but unfortunately, it's not explored as deeply as it could have been.

Samara Weaving, often associated with horror, delivers a decent performance, but it's far from memorable. Compared to her role in Ready or Not, which will soon have a sequel, Weaving feels underused in Azrael, as if the film doesn't give her the space to truly shine.

Overall, Azrael has good ideas, but it lacks the cohesion and depth needed to truly stand out. It's a film that entertains but doesn't leave a lasting impression, getting lost in its attempt to be everything at once.

In the aftermath of the Rapture, Azrael (Samara Weaving) and her lover Kenan (Nathan Stewart-Jarrett) are outcasts from a cult that have renounced the "sin of speech" by surgically removing their vocal chords. When the two are captured by the cult with Azrael sacrificed to the burned creatures that prowl the land she narrowly manages to escape and embarks on a quest of retribution against the cult.

Azrael comes to us from director E. L. Katz and writer Simon Barrett. The film came about as something personal for Barrett as per an interview by Katz with Comic Book Resources, Barrett came from a religiously oppressive upbringing and incorporated that with a dream he had that served as the basis for what would become Azrael. Uncompromisingly brutal and atmospheric, Azrael creates an engaging and immersive experience thanks to a strong lead and an effectively atmospheric world.

While Azrael covers well trodden ground of stories involving aftermath of the Rapture (such as the multitude of unimpressive Left Behind films), Azrael largely acts as a subversion of those films and is less about reaffirming faith with fear and more about creating a twisted world of faith gone wrong to the point it robs its followers (willing or unwilling) of their ability to speak leaving them in a cold unforgiving world without reason or argument. Being a dialogueless film, the actors have to rely more upon facial expressions, action, and suggestion to create character and build the world and they do so quite effectively with Samara Weaving particularly good as the titular Azrael. While the film is relatively small scale and features another visit to the all too familiar location of the woods with many films inspired by the likes of A Quiet Place (such as the recent and underwhelming Never Let Go) I felt it did a good enough job with its creation of the cult compound and the surrounding atmosphere to largely avoid the traps of some other similar films from this year. The movie has an absolutely fantastic ending that pays off the carnage in a memorably disturbing fashion and it made me think of the underrated Gareth Evans horror film Apsotle from 2018 and makes a great companion piece.

I really enjoyed Azrael. While it does cover familiar ground, it also creates a stylish and unique atmosphere and useless the increasingly common "no dialogue" gimmick to solid effect and creates a memorably brutal and engaging ride.

Azrael (2024), directed by the mostly unknown E. L. Katz, gives you a glimpse into what happens when a serious attempt at horror accidentally slips into the comedy genre. Starring Samara Weaving as Azrael, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett as Kenan, and Vic Carmen Sonne as Miriam, this movie somehow manages to take itself seriously while looking like a DIY Halloween project gone wrong.

The so-called "creatures" that are supposed to terrify the audience? Well, imagine if someone raided a discount latex suit shop and asked the local junkies to help with makeup. That's right, every time these skinny, awkward beings appeared on screen, I couldn't help but burst out laughing. Rather than inspiring fear, they looked like someone's regrettable fetish outfit, slinking around like lost extras from a bad 90s music video.

The opening scene, which should set the tone for any good horror movie, instead gave me major "What is happening right now" vibes. The lack of tension or even a vague sense of horror made me wonder if they were intentionally trying to make me laugh. When the creature showed up-well, let's just say it was more likely to inspire chuckles than nightmares.

Dialogue in Azrael is like Bigfoot-everyone knows it should exist, but you never quite see it. With minimal communication between the characters, I found myself scratching my head, wondering why anyone was doing anything. The motivations? The stakes? Completely MIA. There's a weird cult involved too, but instead of menacing rituals or cryptic speech, they communicate through whistling and heavy breathing, which again, is more hilarious than scary.

At about 45 minutes in, my brain had already checked out. I wasn't emotionally invested in anything, least of all the characters who were probably just as confused as I was. Still, I pressed on because I needed to finish this absurdity to write a review.

At the end of its brief 1-hour-and-17-minute runtime, Azrael left me with a lingering sense of... nothing. I didn't hate it-hate would imply I felt something. But I would rate this movie a solid 3 out of 10 for making me laugh when I'm sure it didn't mean to. If you're looking for an accidental comedy, maybe give it a try. Otherwise, spare yourself the confusion and just skip it.

Azrael caught my attention with this simple and gruesome looking poster and also obviously with Samara Weaving attached. She is one of my favorites in the horror genre and it is almost a joy to watch her suffer in these flicks because she does her roles so well. Her role in this is rather similar to the one from "Ready or Not". Fighting for her life and being covered in blood while looking totally badass. One thing that sets her role and the movie in general apart is that there is pretty much no dialogue. Almost all of the characters are not able to speak because their vocal cords have been removed. This goes well for some time but once the movie starts raise questions that are not able to be answered with the imagery only, it gets complicated. The movie combines multiple subgenres and really does a lot for its rather short runtime which adds a nice quick pacing. The acting is solid and especially Samara Weaving kills it and is able to portray her character in a believable fashion with ease. She switches between tortured soul to badass protagonist filled with revenge and anger. The setting looks great but I would have wished to see more of the world they live in because apart from trees and an occasional road, we barely get a glimpse of this new world they're living in. However it's a solid flick with quite a few brutal scenes and an interesting situation that we are thrown into. [6,6/10]

This movie is crazy. Samara Weaving is great as usual. There's no talking so be prepared for that. It starts with guys trying to sacrifice Azrael and we are off and running from there. This movie doesn't stop from that point. A lot of action and a lot of gore. This movie is tailor made for someone like me that likes to see different things that leave me with questions when it's over. I'm pretty sure I got it, but I'm ready to hear another person's take on what they take away from this and the ending. So that being said it is not going to be for everyone and that's OK. I will totally understand someone not liking this, but if you like crazy, strange, and wtf movies? This is for us. Did I mention Samara Weaving rules?

Let me just say there's no dialogue and I think there's good reason for it. Whoever came up with the abysmal idea of a plotless forest forager docu-soap had only so much in him. There was just not enough talent to create anything else, i.e. Vocal communication scheme for the lot of mushroom pickers.

There's this random girl escaping some lumberjack camp but we never really find out why. There are some third degree burn victims scuttling through the leaf litter and if need be feeding on said campers. There's a church and a pregnant lady and a camp matron, all equally mute, all equally talented in the art of "acting".

I thought I've seen the worst until this little gem. You know if you cause a road accident you can go to jail...? Cause this was a major crash.

If you like slow burns, cult movies, quiet horror movies or movies where no obvious plot is spoon fed to you, this movie is for you. If, like me, you just enjoy Samara Weaving and will watch anything she's in because she should be a household name by now, this movie is for you too.

I'm usually pretty good at figuring out hidden meanings, metaphors, plot devices and the like. When I saw the movie was called Azrael, it pretty much guaranteed this would have something to do with the devil. I'm still clueless as to what it all meant and what I'm supposed to take from the ending. Samara's decisions ultimately confounded me the entire movie right up until the end when you think "OOOHHH....wait, I still don't get it.". Maybe this? Maybe that? Maybe use your imagination and just make something up, because you're probably right. And that's ok. It kept me entertained and was interesting to watch and more movies like this need to be made, so I support it even if it's not perfect. It's better than most things that have come out in recent years.