I had been following Hex Studios social media for awhile and was intrigued by this film's story and concept. I donated to the cause and received my BluRay in a timely fashion. The packaging and contents are great and well designed; the disk had no problems on playback. They do a really good job on marketing and packaging.
The film is a good example for anyone wanting to see moody lighting in a cool baroque location. Unfortunately that is the only thing this film offers; it feels like the team's main focus was creating cool shots with Dario Argento colors in Ridley Scott smoke. The initial advertised story, of a haunted automata, is lost in a series of odd scenes between every other character but the automata.
I feel they realized too late in the game that the amazing Alexandra Hulme could expertly mimic the movements of the automata but her beautiful skin would never come across as a doll. They would need CG to flatten her skin to complete the illusion. A strong script would have allowed the audience to suspend disbelief and buy this amazing actress as a doll. Unfortunately they did not believe in the script so we see very little of the automata. (Her "turning scene" is amazing.)
So we are left with scene after scene of confusing conflicts between characters with no through line or satisfying conclusion. (Hex Studios has released scathing reviews of Ari Aster's work recently - they would do well to learn basic story structure from his films.). Even the mysterious backstory is overly confusing. Honestly it is hard not to fast forward this movie. There is zero tension or scares.
A for effort, D for execution. I will not be supporting another campaign from Hex Studios. I will check out their offerings on my streaming services if they come out hoping for more growth and tighter stories. Good luck, writing is rewriting - you can't fix a bad story in post.
The film is a good example for anyone wanting to see moody lighting in a cool baroque location. Unfortunately that is the only thing this film offers; it feels like the team's main focus was creating cool shots with Dario Argento colors in Ridley Scott smoke. The initial advertised story, of a haunted automata, is lost in a series of odd scenes between every other character but the automata.
I feel they realized too late in the game that the amazing Alexandra Hulme could expertly mimic the movements of the automata but her beautiful skin would never come across as a doll. They would need CG to flatten her skin to complete the illusion. A strong script would have allowed the audience to suspend disbelief and buy this amazing actress as a doll. Unfortunately they did not believe in the script so we see very little of the automata. (Her "turning scene" is amazing.)
So we are left with scene after scene of confusing conflicts between characters with no through line or satisfying conclusion. (Hex Studios has released scathing reviews of Ari Aster's work recently - they would do well to learn basic story structure from his films.). Even the mysterious backstory is overly confusing. Honestly it is hard not to fast forward this movie. There is zero tension or scares.
A for effort, D for execution. I will not be supporting another campaign from Hex Studios. I will check out their offerings on my streaming services if they come out hoping for more growth and tighter stories. Good luck, writing is rewriting - you can't fix a bad story in post.