Categories: Movie and Series Reviews, Thriller

Oddity (2024) 4/5

Categories 4/5, Horror, Movie and Series Reviews, Thriller

Oddity is excellent at building tension and has perhaps one of the creepiest scenes I have seen in a movie. However, I can’t help but feel it would have benefited from telegraphing itself a little less. That being said, I think the story is strengthened by its patient telling through a carefully constructed atmosphere that chills.

I am also pleased by the handling of jumps and visual horror. I am not to keen on being startled but I felt like each was led into rather than cheaply surprised. I also find a lot of visual violence hard to appreciate, and so I enjoyed that only the aftermath is ever shown.

Ultimately, I am in a bit of a spot on how to rank this movie. I want to say Oddity is a flawless movie, but I find myself longing a bit more for the cards to be held a bit closer to the chest and for characterizations to be little less on the nose.

You will benefit a lot from skipping the trailer or synopses for this one, I know I did.

Fallen (1998) 2.5/5

Categories 2.5/5, Action, Crime, Drama, Fantasy, Movie and Series Reviews, Mystery, Thriller

Carried largely by an idea and a stellar cast, Fallen is unable to bear the weight of talent. People like to do hypotheticals about movies that could use a remake, and this is a high candidate in my opinion.

Despite its failings, its uniqueness make it still an enjoyable watch and I am a sucker for its vibes. If only it were a little tighter in its writing, rethought its camera tricks, and came across just a bit smarter.

Speak No Evil (2024) 3.5/5

Categories 3.5/5, Drama, Horror, Movie and Series Reviews, Thriller

The theme of masculinity runs through the film, and I can see a lot of people misplacing frustration at certain characters actions and missing the point. It is definitely more of a slow moving train, but its actors all do a job of carrying that pace.

Run Hide Fight (2020) 0.5/5

Categories 0.5/5, Action, Crime, Drama, Movie and Series Reviews, Thriller

I did not know what this was before going into it. I picked a random movie and just went. It took very little time to be know it had to be some politically driven film. Then it gets way worse with all the speeches.

I don’t care who makes the movie, but this was so in-your-face trying to stroke its hero complex to full attention. Uneven acting and poor direction add to the films problems. I see some people calling it Die Hard in a school, how dare you.

The biggest thing? For a movie that tries to be shocking, it really is dull.

Alien: Covenant (2017) 2.5/5

Categories 2.5/5, Horror, Movie and Series Reviews, Sci-Fi, Thriller

The ending, begging you to be surprised but just sucking all of the excitement out of the action packed air because you know what is coming, takes the movie down a lot. The start of the film was great, promising something that blended Prometheus and its philosophical side with a bit more horror. However, it all derails.

Additionally, you never get the sense of fear from daring stunts or horrifying sights that you would expect, like you got from the original Alien. You are seeing awful things and witnessing daring stunts, but the characters aren’t responding as if that is what is going on.

I’m really bothered by Covenant in a similar way to Prometheus, it is so damn uneven in its executions. What ultimately hurts the movie most though is the former, you cannot build suspense for so long on something that is so obvious.

I will say that the aesthetic of the franchise feels more realized here than in Prometheus. Plus, just like in Prometheus, there are a couple of scenes that are cool on their own.