The Devil Conspiracy

As it happens, I watched this preposterous B-movie immediately after one of the most recent Marvel flicks, and honestly: it turned out to be far better regarding editing, soundtrack, and screenplay - not that that's necessarily saying much.

Of course, the effects aren't on nearly the same level, but at least the filmmakers knew exactly what they were going for, and communicated their intention from the get-go. Really: I enjoyed this schlocky spectacle a whole big bunch, and Alice Orr Ewing is a star to keep an eye on, as she acts the Hell out of her role - pun obviously intended.

It's been a long time since I was able to just sit back and enjoy the overt ridiculousness of the entire Biblical spiel, and for me, it wasn't even a 'guilty pleasure' or anything - just entertaining fun.

This first half of the movie was honestly really good - the concept and execution/build-up had me interested and hooked. I wanted to see more!

If the film had 'ended' there..at the half-point mark I would had given what I'd seen a solid 8/10. Much of it because of the great story/plot/concept.

But...then comes the second half....oh my... The twists and plot now changes to something very confusing, disappointing and near juvenile in writing. Such a shame this could have been a 7-8/10 rated movie for sure. Now...I'll net it down to a 6 - again, the plot is rather ingenious and the acting is really not too bad.

This first half of the movie was honestly really good - the concept and execution/build-up had me interested and hooked. I wanted to see more!

If the film had 'ended' there..at the half-point mark I would had given what I'd seen a solid 8/10. Much of it because of the great story/plot/concept.

But...then comes the second half....oh my... The twists and plot now changes to something very confusing, disappointing and near juvenile in writing. Such a shame this could have been a 7-8/10 rated movie for sure. Now...I'll net it down to a 5.

Considering it's current score of 4.5 I thought this would be a big boring mess. Instead it's a very entertaining film with an interesting plot, some great special effects and I was never bored. This is about on the level of a well done supernatural television show, not a big budget Hollywood film, but it's enjoyable and had me wondering what was going to happen next. Not only that but I had no idea how it would end and have to admit that I'm not sure exactly how it did turn out as they seem to leave a bit of a question on that point. Different viewers are going to come away with various interpretations of the ending. Not a classic but worth watching once.

I went into The Devil Conspiracy knowing nothing about it, without watching any trailers. This is a perfect example of why I love that strategy. The movie starts with a breathtaking opening scene that made me think, "omg, what am I watching?" And it's filled with really weird and different scenes, things I feel like I've never seen before.

By far the best qualities are the music and the visuals. I love the musical score. It's not just one or two themes, it's awesome from beginning to end. And it's featured prominently. The visuals are frequently stunning. Numerous shots had my jaw dropped.

This movie is also flawed in many ways. There are a few stupid parts, even a couple that unintentionally made me laugh. Not everything works or feels smooth. I wish Peter Mensah had more screentime, I feel like he could have brought more to the role after loving what he did in Spartacus.

But the biggest downside by far is the lack of escalation to a climax. There is barely a climax to speak of. The entire movie is cranked up to turbo mode, but it stays at that level through to the end. It never kicks into overdrive. It would have taken the movie to another level for me.

I still had a good time with this unique and fun experience. I'll probably watch it again at some point and hope to see continued attempts at crazy movies like this. (1 viewing, opening Saturday 1/14/2023)

There are times it was great, and times it was very poor. It was easy to tell when the writer either lacked knowledge or had bouts with writers block... and lost that bout. Its sad to see something that has such great potential fall to either rushing to get done or just impatient to do just a little more research on areas they failed. I really hate laughing at something that is supposed to be a serious moment.

The production was pretty good, but somebody definitely lacked touch with either the story they based this on, and even reality itself sometimes. "Your my prisoner and I demand respect!"... What?