josephd-18087

I went into this movie with 0 expectations. I'm a big fan of the thriller genre and I didn't want to spoil anything about this film that got pretty good reviews. No trailers, no reviews, just a vague idea and recommendations. And I have to say, I enjoyed this film, but you wouldn't be at a loss just waiting for it to come out on a streaming platform in a month or two. It's worth watching but not worth rushing to the theaters for.

The film has a good style, it's atmospheric and at times quite scary. There is some great horror imagery that does get a little overused by the end of the movie. It makes for a fun, entertaining watch with only a few frustrating moments. But it does not stand up to scrutiny once you start thinking about it after the movie has concluded. Characters act inconsistently and without much internal logic. The villain motives are pretty paper thin and only make less sense the more you think about their actions. There are a LOT of genre tropes in here (the main character is a female detective with a rocky parental relationship and no personal life because she can't balance it with her work, that kind of stuff you've seen a thousand times before). Any genuinely spooky imagery is overused by the end of the film. And I cannot state this enough, the plot makes less and less sense the more you think about it.

In a genre filled with the same copy paste cliche movies, this stands out from the rest for its style and creativity, but still falls into a lot of the same trappings that hold it back. It's above average but nothing worth hyping over.

Also, once you've watched the film, go read some interviews the director/screenwriter gave. It's incredibly frustrating knowing that most of the decisions taken were done because he thinks it's "cool" or "funny" and not for any logical or meaningful reason.

To start, I like slow, psychological movies. They're some of my favorites. I like smart movies that take their time and allow things to progress naturally.

This is not that kind of movie.

I've seen some people talk about how this is a "thinking man's movie" and "heady". Maybe it's baby's first psychological thriller but it is in no way deep. With themes like "phone bad" and "you rely on your GPS too much" and "people are mean" it really makes you wonder what kind of person would actually find this deep or insightful.

The movie itself is boring. Not because it is slow but because NOTHING HAPPENS. Sure things happen around the characters but the characters remain preserved in stasis. They do not change in any meaningful way from the start of the movie to the end. As an example, the boy starts this movie being kind of a dick to his sister... and ends the movie kind of a dick to his sister. I mean seriously character arcs in this movie are: "I used to use my GPS to get where I'm going but now that I don't have a GPS I can't find my way anywhere" and "I used to not like you and was forced to tolerate your presence but I now still do not like you and will continue to tolerate you." It's astonishing. And the characters suck so watching them learn absolutely nothing is infuriating. This movie feels like the first third of a good movie that got drawn out way way way too long.

The acting is fine, the movie is pretty and the camera work is cool. The music is good and appropriate. That's all the pros.

Just save yourself the time and read the Wiki plot synopsis.

It's fine. Probably worth the time if you enjoy modern action films. The action is solid and there's a lot of it to go around. Everything else is acceptable enough around the action. Don't go into it expecting much.

Plot- Eh. It's coherent but doesn't really do or say anything. The bad guy is a comically evil dude who probably murders puppies in his off time and the hero is a "I'm not the good guy" but constantly takes the moral high ground. The movie spoils the last like idk 8 minutes in the first scene only to cut back to 2 days earlier. It doesn't belong in the movie and kills any tension.

Acting- Fine. Nothing offensive and nothing to write home about. Chris Hemsworth sells his character well enough.

Setting- Fine. It's focused and contained compared to some other action movies that just jump between like Paris, New York, and Tokyo or whatever.

Action- Good but doesn't reinvent the wheel. It feels kind of like John Wick with gunfoo, long panning shots, and lots of hand to hand combat. But unlike John Wick it doesn't get particularly creative with weapons, style, or environment.

Watch it. Or don't. Your life won't change much either way.