It's a bit of a rough start as the movie throws a lot at us in the first twenty minutes without significant or clear plot to go with it. (Props for the unmistakable theme established early on, though, that all landlords are trash and should be abolished.) Once the narrative does pick up, and protagonist Adam becomes involved one way or another with the unnamed leannán sí, the picture is wonderfully enticing. 'Muse' presents us with a mixture of fantasy, horror, romance, drama, and thriller, and while one vibe may take precedence at certain points, overall it's very well balanced - and importantly, filmmaker John Burr never loses sight of prioritizing the narrative. Given such variety and mindfulness in the storytelling, it's easy to rather fall in love with this; I think it's pretty great!
I appreciate that while the concept of muses are most famous as they appear in Greek mythology, many cultures have their own take, and it's with the Irish strain that Burr found inspiration here. The story may be familiar in the broad strokes, but that doesn't mean a new rendition can't be worthy of its own merits, and there's sufficient worthy detail rounding out those broad strokes as to make this a splendid watch. If not terribly deep, there's enough personality given to the characters to help each stand out and give form to the tale, and the scene writing that pieces the saga together is solid all around. To that point, the subtle arc of the protagonist is just as rich as the abject horror violence, adding another layer to the tableau. And on that note, the cast is swell; above all, both Riley Egan (Adam) and Elle Evans (the leannán sí) inhabit their roles with gratifying nuance that goes a long way to making 'Muse' work as well as it does.
The blood and gore looks terrific, along with other effects, stunts, and action-oriented sequences. I'm a big fan of the production design and art direction. Special commendations to Jennifer Lauren Friedman - credited with creating the paintings seen in the film, her work is outstanding and I'd love to see more of it. Why, all the contributions of those behind the scenes are unimpeachable, from costume design and hair and makeup, to lighting, editing, and cinematography. Burr demonstrates keen command of the medium as director, complementing his sound screenplay, and I adore Alexander Rudd's score, an array of electronic themes that somewhat recalls John Carpenter as they range from hushed and thoughtful to harsh and aggressive.
Honestly, from every angle 'Muse' is very well made. Both in terms of the production and the entertainment value it's considerably better than I'd have ever expected for a feature of this tenor - which is to say, the sort that one probably won't hear of or come across save by chance, or browsing various streaming sites. It's actually rather unfortunate that this has so low visibility, I think, as I'd say it's so well done as to deserve more recognition. Sure, as a matter of personal preference it won't appeal to everyone, but as both writer and director I admire Burr's handiwork, and cast and crew alike all did a fine job on this. It may not be an absolute must-see, but I certainly enjoyed it - and, having watched at an hour when I'd usually be passing out from exhaustion, this kept me awake and attentive, and I think that alone says much. Suffice to say that if you have a chance to watch 'Muse,' I think it's well worth ninety minutes!
