 Much like it was with the first film, I still haven't dabbled in the 'Five Nights at Freddy's' game franchise in the slightest. For one, I feel like the idea has been played out, going from fun, creepy, suspenseful mystery horror to a pop culture icon. That may be the kind of thing that, by definition, drags most people in, but the idea of it being something mysterious, as it was upon its release, was far more intriguing. I'd argue the same sort of thing happened with 'Slenderman,' and it all just causes any initial intrigue I have to promptly vanish.
The first film was already kind of rough, suggesting it had no idea what it was supposed to be. It felt like it should have been a horror flick that played with suspense and tension more than anything else, but what you really got was what could be considered a mere toe-dip into the horror genre, where it's creepy, but not necessarily scary, and even somewhat caters to the kids who may be watching. While it certainly suggests gory things happening to people, we never really see any of it and just get a rough idea of what's happening. Still, I felt like I could be an odd man out on my opinion, with my unfamiliarity with the property working against me. Regardless of the mixed bag the first film may have been, however, I can say with all sincerity that this chapter managed to shake any remaining intrigue I may have had in the franchise. I may not know its parallels to the games it's based on, but it was enough of a speedbump in this day and age, when horror films have been undergoing a resurrection. Once again, this feels like it doesn't know what it wants to be, and once again, it seems to cater more to the youth watching. I'm okay with that idea, but it should come with something of substance. All this film really said to me was "look how much our animatronics look like the game!" Set in 2002, a couple of years after the events of the first film, the previous film's lead, Mike (Josh Hutcherson), is constantly reminding his young sister, Abby (Piper Rubio), that the former friends she made at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza who inhabited the animatronics there have since moved on. Abby is of the belief that if Mike repairs the animatronics, her old friends may come back, and she may be able to spend time with her, but Mike, believing them to be dangerous, keeps insisting things are over and she should move on, which leads her to return to the Freddy Fazbear's of the last film to wallow in self-pity. Finding Abby at Freddy's, he has a moment of pity for her and promises to take something home with them to make up for the way she feels. That "something" turns out to be a talking toy called the "FazTalker," which she desperately tries to use to talk to the Fazbear crew, to no avail. Abby is obsessed enough with trying to communicate with her old ghost friends that the viewer might have a hard time sympathizing with her, as she seemingly makes no attempts at gaining real, human friendships and keeps to herself enough that even the deepest introvert would look at her and suggest she might need some kind of help. Meanwhile, at the first Freddy Fazbear's Pizza restaurant, which has been shut down following a fatal incident in 1982, involving a girl named Charlotte (Audrey Lynn-Marie), possessive evil begins to stir, claiming three exploring ghost hunters. One, a girl named Lisa (McKenna Grace), becomes possessed by the spirit of Charlotte, manages to connect to Abby through her FazTalker, and soon enough, the vengeful spirit of Charlotte uses Abby as a pawn in order to release the animatronics from Freddy's and attack parental units, whom she understandably considers ignorant, following the way they acted before she was murdered. Between Abby's somewhat troubling character and just a fair share of bad writing, this is yet another video game-based movie I find ultimately skippable, and I might add, even moreso than the first. A main character from the first film, Vanessa (Elizabeth Lail), even returns here to unfold her story a bit further, but there's sincerely nothing here that anyone will be surprised by about her. At best, this ends up being a one-time carnival ride, just for giggles, as the thrills are so few, and it almost leans on comedy a bit more, but not in a fun, farcical way so much as just trying a little too hard. 1/5  Upon reviewing 'The Black Phone,' I think it's safe to say it's one of the better horror films in recent history. It truly impressed me with its unusual take on what would otherwise be a typical kidnapping film with a touch of torture. It introduced a supernatural element that blended a kidnapping movie with something that goes deeper than the real world. It held an eerie atmosphere, the performances were great, and every time things seemed predictable, something else would come along that I didn't see coming.
Over the last few years, however, I never ended up returning to 'The Black Phone' until I refreshed my memory of it before the sequel. I felt like I honestly had to, because the trailers were blowing my mind, and somehow I didn't remember the dream element of the story - you know, half the plot. However, in my defence, it had been a few years. Anyway, upon seeing the trailers, I, like anyone else, figured this could be the answer to reviving 'A Nightmare on Elm Street' without entirely remaking or recasting it. I'm pleased to find out that, at least for me, we were right. Four years have passed since Finney (Mason Thames) and Gwen (Madeleine McGraw) Blake outsmarted and outwitted a creepy neighbourhood stalker known as "The Grabber" (Ethan Hawke). Slight spoiler alert (because it's clear in the trailer), in this process, Finney manages to kill the Grabber, earning him respect at school that he didn't have before, a lot more self-confidence, and, as a bonus, his father (Jeremy Davies) decided to quit drinking and being a source of pain for the siblings. Now, he goes by Finn, and he's no one to mess with, as he gets a big head about his big escape. In the meantime, Gwen is starting to have those pesky precognitive dreams again, which last time involved the Grabber's victims, including Finn. This time, they're a little more otherworldly and involve the Alpine Lake murders of 1957, which her Mother, Hope (Anna Lore), also had precognitive dreams about at the time. Through one such dream, Gwen learns this through a phone call her mother makes to her—like some psychic connection across time. These dreams have Gwen trying to convince Finn to take a trip to Alpine Lake in an attempt to find answers about what her dreams mean this time. Finn agrees to take the trip, knowing firsthand that when Gwen dreams of something, it's crucial. Together, they head to Alpine Lake, along with a young man named Ernesto (Miguel Mora), the brother of Robin (also Miguel Mora) from the last movie, who taught Finn everything he knows about standing up for himself. Upon their arrival, Gwen's nightmares get far more intense and seem to have real-world consequences, much like with an 'Elm Street' movie. Meanwhile, Finn finds himself on a payphone, once again communicating with the dead. This time, it's the vengeful spirit of The Grabber out for revenge against his killer. I get the feeling that several viewers are going to point out that this is simply "ripping off" 'Elm Street', and to some degree, I get where they're coming from, but even speaking as a diehard "Fred-Head," I'd sooner say that this was probably inspired by 'Elm Street,' giving the concept a unique twist instead of just doing a remake of some sort. For that, I give it credit, and can say in all honesty that I'd take these 'Black Phone' movies back-to-back over the 2010 'Elm Street' remake any day. The similarities are abundant, but there was something about this that really hit the spot for me. Despite hearing a few negative reviews on it already (and I mean few), I don't have much to criticize here. Maybe I have a bias towards this film, as it pretty much checks off what I look for, including a truly frightening villain, a wonderfully dark atmosphere, expansion on the story and the rules of this particular world, and, once again, solid performances by all involved. I want to see more of this world, but I also hope it doesn't get run into the ground through repetition and that they keep expanding on things. But as far as mainstream horror goes, with the potential for a new horror icon in The Grabber, this is something I really enjoy. 4/5  At this point, it's safe to say that when it comes to horror series, 'The Strangers' is about the furthest from my favourite as any of them get. However, I'm here to offer my opinions on the good and the bad, and in all honesty, this wasn't quite as bad as I had expected going in. However, don't get me wrong, the movie is still pretty bad, loaded with cliches, full of scenes that are either confusing or don't make any sense, and I'd once again point to this as, if anything, an entry-level slasher film at best.
We also see the film drawing from several elements we've seen before, such as 'Halloween II' and its hospital survival setting, while picking up where the last one left off. With all of this criticism coming right out of the gate, I'm sure you're all wondering what that bit about it not being as bad as I had expected is all about. I will get to it, but for now, we'll flash back to the last film, which ends with the lead from the previous movie, Maya (Madelaine Petsch), hospitalized after the events, and in a post-credit scene, waking up next to "Scarecrow" (Matúš Lajčák), indicating that there would be a second chapter. As the film begins, we notice that the post-credit scene appears to have been a dream. Still, it's not long before the dream comes true, as the characters who have become known as "Scarecrow", "Dollface" and "Pinup Girl" discover Maya's still alive and go to the hospital to seek her out, evidently with no one but two people on the job that night, and patients who are sleeping through the whole debacle, and that's not the only bit of nonsense we get throughout the film. Meanwhile, the film takes the time to get the community of Venus' varying opinions on what happened to Maya and her now-executed boyfriend, Ryan (Froy Gutierrez). The film also opens with a bit of text showing some figures involving murder in the United States, and the fact that so many of these murders came at the hands of strangers, surprising no one. However, I believe the idea behind the Venus community and how they talk, which is usually, in a word, "fishy," has to do with the idea of whether or not we can trust anyone, and guessing who among them has a dark side and who doesn't. Even Maya gets stuck with confusion at the matter here, and I can give the film some credit for this - except a handful of these characters have nothing to do with anything, so it's a neat idea that falls apart. Back to the plot, however, when the three masked strangers reach the Venus Hospital to seek out Maya and finish the job, that's when Maya channels her inner "final girl" (perhaps most famous and accepted of all horror tropes) and attempts to escape the hospital and survive her attackers. It's actually not a terrible concept, trying to make Maya someone who can hold her own and become a new Scream Queen, but she may have hit the mark with a better script, as the movie has her do a lot of stuff that I didn't feel worked quite right. For example, at one point, she returns to the scene of the crime she survived while still being hunted. I suppose the idea they had here, namely with her returning to the cabin where she got stabbed, was to have her face her fears and transform into a badass, but I felt there was enough to work with when we see her survival skills in action. But then again, she does light a bonfire while she's surviving a hunt, which, to me, seems dumb. Anyway, that's really all the film amounts to - Maya surviving her attackers. In contrast, the film occasionally flashes back to "Scarecrow" and "Pinup Girl" as children, offering a brief origin story. Ultimately, it's nothing special or surprising, and it's easy to shrug off. 'The Strangers' continues to be among the low-end of horror from my perspective. Even when it tries to do something a little different, it's never enough because it doesn't really bring anything new. I like the concept of mistrust here, particularly the idea of Maya becoming a badass survivor and the notion of a flashback villain origin story; however, none of it is well-executed. All in all, this felt like a film that had some of the right pieces to be at least decent, but it falls apart in specific moments, which halfway insult the audience. To no one's surprise, despite a few things I can ever so slightly forgive, it's yet another dud in the series. 2/5  Right out of the gates, I feel the need to reiterate that Jordan Peele's name is attached to this film as a producer, not as a director or writer. I say this because I went into this expecting something along the lines of Peele's other works, which I generally enjoy, but got something far more unusual that could never lend itself to a second viewing. Some would say that I'm just not a football fan of any sort, and they'd be right, but I can still enjoy a good football movie with a good story. This story was, in a word, just "weird".
Before I really get into it, though, the concept of a sports-based horror movie is unique. For that, I can give the film some points for originality. I'm sure they're out there, but I can't really think of any sports-based horror movies off the top of my head. Sports movies usually fall into the drama or comedy genre. So when I saw the trailer for this, it piqued my curiosity, especially with someone like Marlon Wayans returning to more serious acting, as seen in movies like 'Requiem for a Dream', despite knowing him better for his comedic performances. Here, we're introduced to Marlon Wayans' character, Isaiah White, a football "GOAT" ("Greatest of All Time"), through a dreamer kid named Cameron Cade (Austin Pulliam) watching Isaiah White's tapes. At the same time, his Dad, Cam Sr. (Don Benjamin), encourages him to become as good as the great Isaiah when he grows up. Sure enough, his Dad's encouragement, probable pressure and ultimate passing led him to become an ace as an adult (Tyriq Withers), and the fictional USFF (United States Football Federation) seeks him out. Pretending for a second that football is about as far as I'll ever get to understanding sports terms, etc, things will be pretty simplified here, but what it all boils down to is the encouragement from Cam's agent, Tom (Tim Heidecker), to pursue potentially filling the shoes of Cam's childhood hero, as Isiah White is considering retirement. Cam agrees to travel to a remote location to meet and train with White to ensure that he can be a worthy successor, and he's met with crazed fans who don't want him to replace White, seemingly led by a disturbed die-hard named Marjorie (Naomi Grossman). When things start, Cam's all for the idea of "all football, all the time" for a solid week of training. Still, he soon learns that to be a worthy replacement, things don't stop at heavy training; he will have to get a little deeper, a little weirder, a little more hardcore, and even a little more deadly. Not only are Cam's physical abilities tested here, but so are his mental skills, which don't simply boil down to different plays and strategies. To make matters worse, his brain is already a bit topsy-turvy after he suffered a fairly brutal concussion recently, with his head staples still holding things together. Getting into the criticisms first, the sheer fact of the matter is that this movie is just bizarre, and it's often easy to get lost in what's going on, especially when supernatural elements are introduced. By the end of it all, you kinda wonder what the hell they were smoking when they came up with this movie. It definitely falls under the category of "what the hell did I just watch?" and not even in a fun way. I get that there's some artsy symbolism here, but sometimes it hits you like a ton of bricks and leaves you confused. I know I was, but I did have my own takeaway, all the same. Points that I can give towards the movie go mostly to Wayans' acting (the guy can do serious) and, whether I liked the film or not, its overall originality. I can otherwise put in my own takeaway and say "I got it," but I also may very well not have gotten it at all. What I'm seeing throughout the film is the extremes to which someone will go to fill their hero's shoes. While some of those things are respectable, there are often dark things behind the scenes that no one talks about. On the other hand, this movie confused the living hell out of me, so take my "takeaway" lightly. 2/5  I've said it before, and many would agree; at this point, we are amid a horror Renaissance, where old and tired ideas and concepts are being either reimagined or done away with altogether. A whole new set of unique filmmakers has been taking the helm lately, and the genre has made a significant comeback. It takes a lot to give me a genuine scare anymore, and I'm constantly on the lookout for the next movie that will legitimately make me lose sleep, feeling that fear I once did in my youth.
Although what I'm looking for is still hard to find, I still enjoy a lot of what I have seen lately, and the more I think about it, the more I appreciate 'Weapons' here. Some of my peers helped overhype me for it, so I went in with my expectations a bit too high, which led to stumbling whenever I encountered something remotely irksome. However, we can chalk that up to a "me" thing, as I so often say, because aside from a few speed bumps, this was very entertaining. There was no loss of sleep on my part, but the film still managed to stick out. Narrated by an unseen child, the backstory is explained, as two years ago, in the fictional sleepy town of Maybrook, Pennsylvania, seventeen children from Justine Gandy's (Julia Garner) eighth grade class randomly get up out of beds, run out into the night, and never come back, save for one kid named Alex (Cary Christopher). The community's suspicion immediately points towards Ms. Gandy, and is propagated by a distraught parent, Archer Graff (Josh Brolin), who digs tenaciously for answers as to his kid's disappearance. While Justine tries to find answers in order to clear her name, despite the school principal, Marcus Miller (Benedict Wong) insisting she lay low, Archer does the same, despite the authorities seemingly not taking his requests seriously. But while these two offer the main perspectives throughout the film, several others are offered from supporting characters' perspectives, and the film is cut together in a style reminiscent of 'Pulp Fiction.' To the film's credit, it's interesting how all of the layers get peeled back one by one as all is eventually revealed. I won't go into much more detail, not so much in case I give too much away, but more that it's a matter of going in blind, being much more beneficial. I gave you the bare basics of the plot, but as things unfold, they get weirder and more unsettling, with interesting twists and turns topped with disturbing imagery that will stick with you. In both Justine's and Archer's cases, the horrific aspects of the film become all too real. Justine has to deal with a whole town suspecting her and hating her, and Archer copes with the very real and mysterious loss of his son - both terrifying things to deal with, and both very real and possible. The only real problems I had with the movie are few and far between, and probably shouldn't even be addressed as "problems" so much as "things I didn't get." As an example, dreams play a fair-sized part in this, and the imagery within the dreams is unsettling, so for that, the film wins me over. But with that said, I don't entirely get what the dreams meant in the movie. It's also a little slow-moving for some, but as a mystery, it's hard to criticize its pacing, especially when it adds to the eeriness of everything going on. In the end, I don't want to nitpick too much on this. The truth of the matter is that the film stands out very well as a horror film, playing on not just creepy imagery, but the psychological horror I prefer when it comes to a more serious horror movie. I went in overhyped, expecting too much, but in all honesty, it's one of the better modern horror films out there. It could be overly creepy to those with kids, though. Despite anything I've said critically about it, it still comes highly recommended to horror fans looking for a fresh take on an old idea (that idea being something I don't even wanna spoil). 4/5  When 'M3GAN' was released, I gave it quite a bit of praise. It felt like everything the 'Child's Play' reboot should have been, carried a dark sense of humour, and even struck a note or two that I found original, part of which does indeed include the rarely seen female horror baddie. Face it, we could stand to have a lot more of them out there who could potentially reach "Freddy/Jason" levels. 'M3GAN' showed promise as what I could consider one of the present primary horror villains - sort of a new type of Chucky.
When first seeing the trailer for this, however, I knew I was gonna be in for something a little different than last time, as this takes notes from 'Aliens,' becoming an action movie after a horror movie; 'Terminator 2' in the sense that the baddie from last time becomes good; and, amazingly enough, 'Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning,' as it's practically the same plot. In other words, and I cannot stress this enough, do NOT go into this expecting some kind of levelled up killer doll movie. This is a straight-up action comedy. As the film opens two years after the events of the first film, we learn that the US Army has managed to steal the technology that created M3GAN (Amie Donald/Jenna Davis) in order to create AMELIA (Ivanna Sakhno), a more human-looking android designed to be an assassin, because why else would the US government want deadly tech? During a demonstration of what she can do, she immediately becomes self-aware and escapes the control of Army Colonel Sattler (Timm Sharp), who heads a secret research division of the Pentagon, specializing in new technology. In the meantime, our former heroes, Cady (Violet McGraw) and her aunt Gemma (Allison Williams) are still living together. As Cady is now studying computer science, Gemma has become an advocate for AI regulation, warning of the dangers of AI after M3GAN once terrorized them by going rogue. Before long, Gemma learns about AMELIA, and M3GAN appears out of nowhere, saved on a backup in their smart home, and offers her help to stop AMELIA (having the advantage of understanding how she works) in exchange for a body. Gemma reluctantly agrees to the deal, but fist traps her in a much less threatening toy robot until she can prove she's trustworthy. The movie does admittedly get pretty entertaining with this when it comes to the back-and-forth between Gemma and M3GAN, as while Gemma has a hard time trusting her, M3GAN does a good job of reminding Gemma that she created her in the first place, and that her primary objective was to protect Cady at all costs. I give the film a lot of credit for that, reminding us that though its a cautionary tale about AI, it was humankind that created the AI. As the film continues, it proves to be a fun adventure, keep the sense of humour in tact from last time, and for some, it will be an intriguing change of pace from last time. I personally find myself more in the camp of wishing there was more horror involved in the process, but I can appreciate the route they took here all the same, and I don't hate it for not delivering what I wanted. If the series continues after this, it will be a matter of waiting to see where they take it. For example, it could be a case of trying out different genres, all while keeping that dark sense of humour. I'm going to say at this point, the film is passable for what it is, and there were some decent moments that got a laugh out of me, but I'm unsure if it will be something I'll want to come back to in the future. This may very well become another case of the first film standing alone well enough that nothing following it could compare, like 'The Matrix.' On the other hand, it could be something I wanna watch again after a character's development, like 'Black Widow' with Yulena after 'Thunderbolts.' I missed out on what I wanted, but not at all mad about it, and I think one can still have fun with this as long as they go in with the right mind-set. 3/5  Although this isn't gonna end up being one of my favourite horror flicks due to a lot of cliches and a lot of predictability, I can still give it some credit for what it represents - slasher horror for the next generation, and that idea seems abundant in this movie as it's quite literally about the generation gap between us 80s/90s Millennials, and today's now relatively grown Gen Z's. This film seemed to take the idea of 80s slasher horror and everything that came with it to create something for the "Zoomers" and Millennials to bond over.
The idea of my generation telling this generation, "This was the kind of stuff we grew up with," is not only a subject brought up quite a bit in the film, usually in a comical way, but also, cleverly, precisely what the movie is: an 80s slasher movie for today. The cliches of a standard 80s slasher are here, which some, like me, will appreciate. Some will think it has gotten stale, but where the film shines is its wonderfully cheesy sense of humour, pointing out "Gen-Z problems" in a comical way, like working a rotary phone in an emergency or driving a standard vehicle. Glenn Maybrook (Aaron Abrams) and his teenage daughter, Quinn (Katie Douglas), move to the small, sleepy town of Kettle Springs when Glenn is hired as the new town doctor. As Glenn is generally welcomed with open arms, Quinn seems to get a lot of side-eyed glances from the other adults in town, altogether feeling unwelcome until she befriends some kids at school who we learn the adults seem to have it out for. The handful of friends Quinn makes gets group detention on Quinn's first day, making the classic teenage argument of "they just hate me, I've done nothing wrong" a real thing and not just an excuse. Quinn discovers that her new friends have a YouTube channel where they post creepy videos of themselves getting chased or attacked by the creepy town mascot, "Frendo," the clown who terrorizes the town's youth and resides inside a burned-down factory. After one particular night goes awry for the group trying to show Quinn a fun time, she tunes into the group's YouTube channel to see some video they shot that night only to see a creepy new "Frendo" face in the background. Soon enough, the group realizes that their YouTube prank is quickly becoming a reality that turns on them. All in all, this is run-of-the-mill stuff for anyone used to 80s slasher movies. A lot of the kills are pretty easy to call as far as who will get killed and how; no reveals are really that surprising, and a lot of it feels very typical right down to the idea of a clown terrorizing people, which isn't only classic Stephen King material but imitates the character of Art the Clown from the 'Terrifier' series which has proven extremely successful in its evolution. You also know precisely when a character will be killed, as it's all signalled with a small clown music box that seems to "summon" Frendo (like a 'Hellraiser' light). So now that I've mentioned the film imitating bits and pieces of 'Hellraiser' and 'Terrifier/It,' it feels stylistically like a 'Friday the 13th.' At least one of the kills is lifted (albeit altered) right out of 'Nightmare 4.' So, with all of that in mind, it bears repeating that it feels like a movie meant to bridge the gap in generations, making all of this stuff old and cliche, but somewhat necessary for what the film is trying to accomplish. If nothing else, it does it all with a good sense of humour; it seems self-aware, and I can't be mad at any of it. It's refreshing for people these days to see a slasher movie that isn't just a remake of something old. This movie is an opportunity for a Millennial to catch a fun horror flick that can remind them of the good old 80s as well as share what was typical back then with a Gen-Z horror fan whose tastes are probably more recent and most likely more about hauntings, demons, the paranormal, etc. I can't entirely praise the film for being a true original, but it's a fun watch in its ways, and I can appreciate what it tried to do, although this isn't something I could see having a future several-sequel series of films following it. 3/5  I have a personal trend regarding video game-adapted movies in that I haven't played the game in about nine cases out of ten, and 'Until Dawn' is no exception. So, while fans of these games can poke at everything wrong with these movies, I can approach them from the other side. In other words, I can watch these and ask, "Is it just a good movie?" So, I go in with an open mind, and in this case, I was looking for a good horror movie, and I got a pretty decent one overall, all considered.
As with any video game adaptation, however, this one has been criticized for being unfaithful to the source material and the idea that it's a story that takes place in the same universe to "expand" on the game's lore. Being none the wiser, however, this was conceptually pretty cool, taking the tired concept of a group of teens going up against something horrific and trying to survive. But this took things a step further, even though it's using something that is slowly becoming a trope - the idea of "extra lives," which has been portrayed in horror before with movies like 'Happy Death Day.' That said, however, it seems to also be a part of the game. Sometime before the film's events, a girl named Melanie goes missing, prompting her sister Clover (Ella Rubin), along with her ex, Max (Michael Cimino), and friends, Nina (Odessa A'zion), her boyfriend, Abe (Belmont Cameli) and apparent clairvoyant, Megan (Ji-young Yoo), to retrace Mel's steps and search for her in the surrounding area, which starts with a stop at a gas station, where they meet Dr. Hill (Peter Stormare) who directs them to the sleepy mining town of Glore Valley, where "a lot of people go missing." The group heads towards the town when a violent rainstorm forces them to take shelter at a nearby town visitor's centre, which, oddly, seems to exist in a strange, dry bubble out of the storm. Before long, the group explores the seemingly abandoned visitor's centre, stumbling on things like a guestbook with repeated signatures, a wall of missing person posters, and, most bizarrely, a big clock with an hourglass. As everyone does their separate thing, they don't realize that they've just become part of something sinister. Almost immediately, the group gets killed off, one by one, only to have the clock with the hourglass in it flip over, reset, and bring everyone back to their respective "starting points" to try again. However, with each attempt to survive the night, each person becomes increasingly wounded and deformed, slowly becoming a creature. If they don't get out of this, they'll fully transform into "Wendigos" and "become part of the night." I don't know what's accurate to the game and what isn't, but I had fun with it. In some ways, it reminded me of 'The Cabin in the Woods,' showing how your choices can ultimately lead to your doom. However, this brings it to the point of being afraid to do anything. I won't spoil it, but I will say that one particular night, the group does something incredibly mundane, leading to an almost hilarious kill sequence. I don't want to sound too sadistic, but I did laugh out loud. One thing that worked for me in this movie was that there was a sort of self-awareness that was funnier than I thought it might be. As a straightforward horror flick, this works out well, even if it recycles a trope or two that we've seen repeatedly and becomes somewhat predictable. Fans of the game should probably go in with lowered expectations because it seems the kind of adaptation that veers away from what the fans of the source material are used to, aside from some of the bare basics. I could give it more credit if I saw more positive reviews from the game's fans. As much fun as I may have had with it, accepting it for what it was, I still firmly believe that true fans should come first and keep demanding better. 3/5  While it could be said that the vampire thing has been done time and time again and is old news at this point, I think it could also be noted that this is an interesting and unique twist on the genre, once again showing that if only a bit of imagination is put behind these things, they don't have to come across as "typical." I suggest this isn't entirely a vampire movie, so much as some extension of blues lore. That's right. It's a music movie. And let's face it - music and horror are not realms often dabbled in together.
Let's start with a quick recap of Robert Johnson, a blues singer and songwriter. Legend has it that with his desire to become a great blues musician, he met up with the Devil himself at the crossroads near Dockery Plantation at midnight and sold his soul to succeed with a guitar. Although this story has no direct relation to that legend, it feels like a curt nod to it, as a LOT of it has to do with the combination of great music bringing in terrible evil. On top of that, we're talking about a similar time and place; 1930s Mississippi. Identical twins and war veterans, "Smoke" and "Stack" (both portrayed by Michael B. Jordan) make their return to Clarksdale, Mississippi, after working in Chicago with hopes of opening a joke joint for the black community, using a generous sum of stolen money to purchase a sawmill. They also bring their cousin, Sammie (Miles Caton), into the mix, as he wishes to play for them and show off his incredible talent with a guitar, going against the wishes of his pastor Jedidiah (Saul Williams), who warns of the supernatural element of what music can do. After a recruitment process that involves bringing in pianist Delta Slim (Delroy Lindo), singer Pearline (Jayme Lawson), Smoke's estranged wife Annie (Wunmi Mosaku) as a cook, shopkeepers Grace (Li Jun Li) and Bo (Yao) as suppliers, and a big guy named "Cornbread" (Omar Benson Miller) as a bouncer, the opening night eventually gets underway. Stack also reunites with his ex lover, Mary (Hailee Steinfeld), who isn't here quite as much as one might expect by the trailers, but I will say that this is one of her better acting jobs, overall. The party goes into the night, and Sammie gets to perform, playing and singing his soul out. At this point, the film takes an incredible opportunity to show us a musical evolution as the camera pans through the sawmill, and we see a massive blend of music genres mashed up together. It's the best scene in the movie, contributing a sense of how, after all these years, music can bring together community in an almost supernatural way. That's what I got out of the scene. It's random, but it works incredibly well. Back to the story, briefly, Sammie's music breaks the supernatural barrier, drawing a band of hungry vampires towards them, led by Irish immigrant Remmick (Jack O'Connell). In many ways, the situation turns into 'From Dusk 'Til Dawn' as a group of survivors, after the vampires show up, lock themselves in the sawmill and do their best to survive until morning. That sounds simpler than it should be, though, as it's when the vampires show up that the film takes off. Until then, it's a slow burn. Any valid criticisms I have about the film are few and far between and, as usual, nit-picky. This is another one that will likely grow on me over time. Overall, I found it a little slow-moving, and when comparing it to 'Dusk 'Till Dawn,' it's the less action-packed of the two. However, I give the film full credit for trying something different with the vampire genre and entertaining me in many ways I didn't expect. So don't watch it just as a vampire movie because there's so much more to it regarding the music of the time and the characters involved. It was intriguing, to say the least. 4/5 |
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