The Grove

I went into The Grove expecting a standard horror and left surprised by the originality of the setup. Co-writers and co-directors Acorye White and Patrycja Kepa take risks with relationship dynamics and build to horror rather than launching straight into monster mode.

White is compelling as Terrance, torn between duty, love, and losing himself, while Carl Anthony Payne II brings a grounded presence as Chris, the friend trying to hold things together.

The film's unique style lies in its contrast between the weekend-getaway vibe and the creeping dread of military experimentation. It's visually appealing as well. Brock is a cool character, and his relationship with the other guys gave me a laugh at times.

A creative, solid film with heart.

Alleged horror film description leads with "When Terrance, a Black Ops soldier". This should SCREAM to ANY living horror fan that this is an action film.

Horror fans don't need soldiers in their horror. Jeez. Enough already.

Plus, throw in REALLY weak script, direction and acting and you got a massive loaf ready to be flushed away forever. And forgotten. Forever.

Please, avoid this and seek out horror films that don't involve "alpha male" posturing.

Full of promise, aside from the whispering lead. Great idea for a story, that until now has only been touched upon briefly: what if.

The characters were pretty unbelievable though: 50 year old retired vet hanging out with 19 year olds....and another vet half his age. Not saying it is impossible, just that it never happens, and for good reason as you might see here if you brave it.

Overall, sub-par acting, horrid storytelling, plot swiss cheese, terrible lighting and effects.

The worst part of this entire thing? They end it abruptly and tell you more is coming.

I'm not waiting to see a 90 minute movie finished up in another 90 minute movie; not when it's bad.

Full of promise, but they yank the rug out from under you at the very last second.

This movie is quite a mess. It has just enough production quality that you may waste your time on it thinking it could be a hidden gem. It is not. I watch and enjoy a ton of B movies. I can find joy in most films, even if they are objectively bad. This one... it's just really difficult to find anything to enjoy. A couple scenes are ALMOST kind of a vibe, but the first hour of the film is just people hanging out and talking about pointless stuff that doesn't matter. Almost the entire first hour could have been cut. Maybe it would have done better as a short because of that.. The acting is... borderline laughable, but still passable. (I'm sure they did their best with what they were given, which isn't much) The camerawork, again, just barely passable. Super basic static shots throughout, but some decent framing. Those are the points that made me give it a 2 instead of a 1. The script is basically a rough draft that needs a ton of editing. The plot is pretty non-existent. It takes so long to get there that you just don't care about the crumbs of plot at that point. Most of the violence isn't show. It's mostly implied, so sometimes it's really difficult to even tell what happened. It's just such a mess.

Someone put up a review saying all the negative reviews are people that had something against, I guess the director? Because the movie isn't up on streaming yet. I have no clue who the director is so I have no vested interest in review bombing their movies, but it was super easy to find this film. It was on the first website I checked. So yea, point being, the negative reviews are real people. We simply didn't enjoy the movie.

The Grove is unfortunately a prime example of when a weak idea gets dragged out far too long. The story could have been good, but there's simply no excitement: during the first hour we only see a group hanging around in a cabin, something that could have been wrapped up in ten minutes. The actors are more annoying than convincing, and the execution feels cheap and amateurish. Overall, the entire 1.5-hour runtime feels like wasted time, and the money spent on making this film would have been much better donated to an animal foundation, since it provides neither entertainment nor any real value to the audience.