I saw the film at a sneak preview a week ago and I have to say, I was very disappointed with it. I was prepared to LOVE it, and was quite surprised at how flawed I found it to be. I thought the performances and cinematography were excellent, and of course Cage is the standout, but overall I felt the film capitalized on gimmicky, trendy filmmaking that lacked purpose, dragged significantly in the second act and I agree with you, it's not scary (which wouldn't have been a complaint had the marketing of the film not leaned so heavily on this being the 'Scariest film of the decade'. Fake news!)
But my MAIN issue was how many clues or storylines were set up and never paid off. There are about 8 macguffins that Perkins never comes back to or addresses, yet it's implied that we the audience should have found significance in them. I thought I was maybe missing something, until after the film in the Q+A with Perkins, he said "Yeah, a lot of things in this film mean nothing. Isn't it great how things don't have to mean anything?!". The crowd was largely filmmakers and....that didn't get a very supportive response from the audience. My hunch is that line was possibly implied PR shaping to excuse away the lack of clarity or cohesiveness here.
The best filmmakers don't waste a single frame. Perkins wasted many.
Looks like I have to see this film soon. So many people have strong opinions on the film that’s either hate or love. Many were disappointed in its claim of horror. Hopefully it doesn’t disappoint me !! 🤞🏾
Thanks for this article!
I saw the film at a sneak preview a week ago and I have to say, I was very disappointed with it. I was prepared to LOVE it, and was quite surprised at how flawed I found it to be. I thought the performances and cinematography were excellent, and of course Cage is the standout, but overall I felt the film capitalized on gimmicky, trendy filmmaking that lacked purpose, dragged significantly in the second act and I agree with you, it's not scary (which wouldn't have been a complaint had the marketing of the film not leaned so heavily on this being the 'Scariest film of the decade'. Fake news!)
But my MAIN issue was how many clues or storylines were set up and never paid off. There are about 8 macguffins that Perkins never comes back to or addresses, yet it's implied that we the audience should have found significance in them. I thought I was maybe missing something, until after the film in the Q+A with Perkins, he said "Yeah, a lot of things in this film mean nothing. Isn't it great how things don't have to mean anything?!". The crowd was largely filmmakers and....that didn't get a very supportive response from the audience. My hunch is that line was possibly implied PR shaping to excuse away the lack of clarity or cohesiveness here.
The best filmmakers don't waste a single frame. Perkins wasted many.
Looks like I have to see this film soon. So many people have strong opinions on the film that’s either hate or love. Many were disappointed in its claim of horror. Hopefully it doesn’t disappoint me !! 🤞🏾
It's a hard movie to enjoy, but I hope you dig it. Thanks for reading!
Stephanie,
Thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts on the film!