STAR RATING: ***** Brilliant **** Very Good *** Okay ** Poor -* Awful
Agent Levi (Miles Teller), a man with deep personal scars, is summoned to a meeting with Miss Bartholemew (Sigourney Weaver), who offers him a special assignment. He must perform guard duty on a secret 'gorge' in the middle of nowhere, on a designated side. After a while, he spots the guard on the other side, Drasa (Anna Taylor-Joy), a firm headed French national with her own issues to deal with. After forming a bond and coming together, the pair are thrust into a devastating final battle with an unimaginable life force.
The Black Phone director Scott Derrickson's latest feature offering appears to have arrived on Apple TV+ with little in the way of fanfare and in turn any sort of anticipation. Luckily I stumbled across it whilst skimming for my Saturday night film, and now the connection with the man at the helm of that most wonderful horror flick is all the more pleasing. And while nowhere near the standard of that film, what we have is a curiously pleasing work indeed, an extraordinary cross between Love, Actually and Resident Evil, with a touch of The Lord of the Rings thrown in. Yes, you read that right.
Derrickson opens his project with a dark, moody tone that isn't entirely consistent with what is to follow. While the dim lighting and oppressive cinematography are fairly enduring, the script chirps up midway through, with a lively soundtrack added to the mix that helps lift the proceedings. It's really not the best plot, pretty thin and piecemeal, and all rather outlandish and far fetched, but the insanity of it makes it all the more fun. Performances wise, Teller is a convincing straight tough guy with some clear internalised demons, while Taylor-Joy delivers a commanding tough girl whose front cracks at the right points. Weaver is also cold and unfeeling in her supporting role.
It really is a zany, unconventional piece, not unforgettable in any way, but a fun and wild ride while it lasts, and you'll be pleased you took it. ***
Agent Levi (Miles Teller), a man with deep personal scars, is summoned to a meeting with Miss Bartholemew (Sigourney Weaver), who offers him a special assignment. He must perform guard duty on a secret 'gorge' in the middle of nowhere, on a designated side. After a while, he spots the guard on the other side, Drasa (Anna Taylor-Joy), a firm headed French national with her own issues to deal with. After forming a bond and coming together, the pair are thrust into a devastating final battle with an unimaginable life force.
The Black Phone director Scott Derrickson's latest feature offering appears to have arrived on Apple TV+ with little in the way of fanfare and in turn any sort of anticipation. Luckily I stumbled across it whilst skimming for my Saturday night film, and now the connection with the man at the helm of that most wonderful horror flick is all the more pleasing. And while nowhere near the standard of that film, what we have is a curiously pleasing work indeed, an extraordinary cross between Love, Actually and Resident Evil, with a touch of The Lord of the Rings thrown in. Yes, you read that right.
Derrickson opens his project with a dark, moody tone that isn't entirely consistent with what is to follow. While the dim lighting and oppressive cinematography are fairly enduring, the script chirps up midway through, with a lively soundtrack added to the mix that helps lift the proceedings. It's really not the best plot, pretty thin and piecemeal, and all rather outlandish and far fetched, but the insanity of it makes it all the more fun. Performances wise, Teller is a convincing straight tough guy with some clear internalised demons, while Taylor-Joy delivers a commanding tough girl whose front cracks at the right points. Weaver is also cold and unfeeling in her supporting role.
It really is a zany, unconventional piece, not unforgettable in any way, but a fun and wild ride while it lasts, and you'll be pleased you took it. ***