My dearest father...
"Apostle" opens up with Thomas' kidnapped sister's letter to their father, pleading for rescue. The kidnappers: a creepy cult. What they want? Ransom money. Wasting no further time with explanations, alongside Thomas, we are thrown in a quick journey to the island where the cult is situated. Away from
the heinous dominant civilization. Things quickly take a turn for the creepy (and not the worst, for now) when we learn of the devout's behavior. But it is too late to turn back. And Thomas has a mission to complete.
I'd say the movie is divided in 2 parts: the build-up and the resolution. The first part tries its best to create some sort of sympathy for characters, but fails miserably, for writing is not ours dearest Mr. Evans strongest suit. He should really just stick to directing. He's freaking good at that. Every single dialogue is terrible in this movie. It's not even that it feels... out of place, it is straight up a mess. It's incoherent, cliché, soulless and unnecessary. Lucky for us, there isn't a whole lot of dialogue. It really kills the story, because it impedes us from connecting with the characters, and them with each other. One bad guy is made to look good, and the other simply turns sadistic at random. Considering the "gadgets" the religious community had in store, I wonder why the hell the cult leader morally wavered at a certain point. The actors are great, but they have terrible lines. And they try. I mean, they have so much more to offer, and so does the director. It's a shame they didn't give the script to someone more knowledgeable in writing.
When the climax kicks in, all the mechanisms used to push this latter part of the movie forward weren't explored in the first segment. For that reason, the shift in tone feels drastic, also failing in sticking together beginning and ending. However, because the second segment unravels predictably, it maintains a good balance on both sides, succeeding in not losing the viewer midway through. It also helps that the film has a great atmosphere, thanks to the sets, costume design, make up and photography.
In short, the slow burning build up doesn't work. We don't get attached to the characters. But then the real horror starts. That's when the movie shines. In a mix of Outlast and conventional horror, "Apostle" delivers in a wildly violent and tense fashion everything we were hoping for. It does surprise a bit in how it goes about in doing so, but it's mostly a standard horror movie, beautifully gory.
I'd say the movie is divided in 2 parts: the build-up and the resolution. The first part tries its best to create some sort of sympathy for characters, but fails miserably, for writing is not ours dearest Mr. Evans strongest suit. He should really just stick to directing. He's freaking good at that. Every single dialogue is terrible in this movie. It's not even that it feels... out of place, it is straight up a mess. It's incoherent, cliché, soulless and unnecessary. Lucky for us, there isn't a whole lot of dialogue. It really kills the story, because it impedes us from connecting with the characters, and them with each other. One bad guy is made to look good, and the other simply turns sadistic at random. Considering the "gadgets" the religious community had in store, I wonder why the hell the cult leader morally wavered at a certain point. The actors are great, but they have terrible lines. And they try. I mean, they have so much more to offer, and so does the director. It's a shame they didn't give the script to someone more knowledgeable in writing.
When the climax kicks in, all the mechanisms used to push this latter part of the movie forward weren't explored in the first segment. For that reason, the shift in tone feels drastic, also failing in sticking together beginning and ending. However, because the second segment unravels predictably, it maintains a good balance on both sides, succeeding in not losing the viewer midway through. It also helps that the film has a great atmosphere, thanks to the sets, costume design, make up and photography.
In short, the slow burning build up doesn't work. We don't get attached to the characters. But then the real horror starts. That's when the movie shines. In a mix of Outlast and conventional horror, "Apostle" delivers in a wildly violent and tense fashion everything we were hoping for. It does surprise a bit in how it goes about in doing so, but it's mostly a standard horror movie, beautifully gory.