Battlecreek (2017)

5/10

A slow burning drama that just doesn't get going

flowerstardust197918 February 2018

I had high expectations for this. Though I wondered why, considering this movie was shot in 2014, it took so long to release. And that it was finally released when Bill Skarsgard rightfully got recognition for his role as Pennywise in IT. It could be to do with the fact that Battlecreek is a let down. I am a fan of most of the actors in Battlecreek. Bill Skarsgard has proved he has acting talent. Unfortunately, I felt the actors were let down by poor directing and what may of read well on paper, didn't portray so well on screen. It probably also didn't help that Bill and Claire literally had 5 days from being cast to shooting the movie, and the was lack of chemistry between the the two main leads, didn't help at all.

The movie didn't know what or where to go, it was drawn out and never got going, neither did it actually go anywhere at all. Was waiting for something to happen throughout, but there was no fuel to get it going. It lacked that punch. Then you ended up with a rushed ending, after half of the movie failed to pick up any pace.

If you are expecting a love story with warmth and heart, you may be disappointed. And it becomes apparent why this movie sat on a shelf for a few years.

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6/10

Part of this movie was filmed at my friend's house

madelineharper12 August 2021

I got to be behind the scenes for a handful of scenes, which was pretty cool. Eastwood seemed like a hard person to work for she stayed in her trailer with her cat most of the time. But my friend's house is an old Antebellum house in Mississippi and I guess it was in the budget but they repainted the house (inside and outside) and put in a new AC unit and let them keep a lot of furniture. Not to mention they put them all up in hotels for weeks and gave them a decent chunk of change for using the house.

Hate that of all the people I met I never got to meet Bill.

But a lot of movies get filmed in Canton, MS. My Dog Skip was filmed in a house down the road from their home.

The crew was cool but the movie was honestly boring. We all got a free copy and I don't think I ever watched it more than the one time.

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7/10

A Solid, Lovely Little Romance Thriller!

TharsheyN21 April 2024

Battlecreek follows a boy Henry who can't go out in the sun due to a skin condition he has. He insteads spends his evenings out and about around his small town. Everything changes when a girl, Alison gets stuck in the town due to her car breaking down. They soon become friends and eventually more all the while her past tracks her down. The storyline is pretty interesting and also decently paced so you don't end up bored or lacking something interesting happening on screen.

The casting is lovely with Bill Skarsgård doing a great job as Henry, the beautiful Claire Van Der Boom playing our mysterious Alison. We have Delroy Lindo playing Arthur, the local mechanic and father figure that Henry never had at home. We also have Paula Malcomson playing Henry's mother. So solid casting overall and good performances by them all.

The VFX and SFX are fine as well, nothing crazy in terms of VFX really but nice audio and soundtrack.

Overall a solid 7/10 from me, It's a nice little romance/thriller and is interesting enough though a bit slow at times. It has a solid main and supporting cast and good soundtracks.

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3/10

Not Much of a Battle

westsideschl20 March 2018

Almost without fail their are two signs of a cheap production. One is an opening prolonged scene of a car driving down a road. OK, that's out. The second is no subtitles - check; poor audio level & in this case it seemed to be dubbed in after the movie was filmed (hollow, distant sound) - check; poor enunciation w/added southern dialect to be slightly less understandable - check. Third is lots of camera focused talking heads time - check. Script - small town (w/the typical small town issues) local young male is introverted because of a slightly noticeable skin problem; falls for girl (when her car brake down in said small town) who's running away from abusive boyfriend. 95% of film run time is just talking heads until the final few minutes when old meets new love interest. At that point I'm script redundantly script bored and could care less about the outcome which, of course, is predictable.

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9/10

Great movie

tolso-6381619 October 2018

Came across this movie by accident took a chance and watched it thought it was going to be sh@t but was a brilliant storyline and acting was great fair play to the actors I never heard off job well done

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10/10

Bill Skarsgard is the best Skarsgard - I love him

tinabeckel22 September 2022

Warning: Spoilers

I guess I could relate to Bills character (Henry) a little too much. The relationship he had with his mom and finding out that things weren't as she had made him believe hit way too close to home for me. The connection I felt to this character gripped me from the start and never let go. Henry was a painter and I am as well, so it was definitely easy for me to become deeply attached to him. The kindness, love, affection, and appreciation he had for those in his life felt like gentle hands brushing against my head right from the start. The main characters (minus the mom) felt like the type of friends you consider more family than actual family and as the story progressed it was actually painful for me to watch Henry make his first adult decisions ever. Gosh, his soul was so pure! This movie poked very tender spots in my heart; places where I've developed some scar tissue and places that feel newly exposed. I don't know how to explain it, but this movie touched me. I cried at least the last quarter of the movie and Bills performance not only struck multiple chords ... it just proved to me why I hold him in such high regard.

This is a sad but sweet story of a young man that most certainly does not walk around like a victim ... it just took something/someone new to awaken what was already within him so he could "grab life by the throat."

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10/10

SUPERB MOVIE

grandeur7019 April 2018

One of the better films that I have seen recently. A great screenplay and the acting was superb .A slow burning film that keeps you glued to the screen right until the finale and with several gut-drenching surprises along the way. This is superb entertainment.

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Every bias and trope about people with disabilty.

VoyagerMN198620 February 2018

This film is mediocre in every way, and the only element it excelled at is pushing and exploiting stereotypes and clichés about disability. Anti-social, emotionally undeveloped and insecure, desperate, shut in, angry, all packed into the lead character. I am not surprised it has had to be re-edited over and over, for years. Really it is disgusting. The makers ought to be ashamed. The two twists and the end (I wont spoil them) are truly groan worth and patently contrived to try and button up the story.

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8/10

Superb!!!!

feev2 May 2019

Outstanding little movie.... Forget the few negative reviews this one is fun, exciting and keeps you guessing.....

Great Job, Ms. Eastwood 👍👍👍👍

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8/10

Excellent - give it a go

VinceGambini24 February 2020

Intriguing from the start, Battlecreek is one of those rare discoveries you make on cable TV every once in a while. Great casting, a wonderful atmospheric soundtrack and a story that makes you want to know more about what happened to the three lead characters.

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