Is an 8/10 a little generous?
Maybe.
But I just got back from seeing this one in the theater and it was the perfect summer horror film: bloody and funny and just plain FUN.
I really have very few criticisms about this film. Was it maybe a little predictable? I guess. But knowing where the story was going didn't stop me from enjoying the ride.
Samara Weaving did a great job in the title role. Unlike a lot of films of this type, she doesn't just go from wilting violet to gun-toting war machine in the blink of an eye. Her character really goes through a complicated series of emotions and encounters, and the film wisely gives her strong scenes with the characters of her husband, her brother-in-law, and her mother-in-law. Even the more secondary characters are given distinct personalities and motivations, and so despite the sprawling cast I knew exactly who each character was and it added some impact to the violent scenes when they arrived.
Adam Brody is really good as Daniel, the brother who reluctantly participates in his family's cruel traditions. I didn't even recognize Melanie Scrofano (I know her from Wynonna Earp) as the coked up sister-in-law, but she was hilarious.
Without venturing into spoiler territory, I found the film to be violent and bloody, but not cruel or depressing. A lot of the violence was darkly funny, and the actors are generously doused with blood and gore. It has some broad themes about what people will do to become rich or to stay rich--a criticism of both rich people and the non-rich people who are willing to do horrible things to climb the ladder. But the film isn't overly concerned with delivering a message, so the broadness of its themes didn't bug me.
Movies are always better on the big screen, but I would highly recommend this film as a rental--especially for a movie night with a group of friends.
Maybe.
But I just got back from seeing this one in the theater and it was the perfect summer horror film: bloody and funny and just plain FUN.
I really have very few criticisms about this film. Was it maybe a little predictable? I guess. But knowing where the story was going didn't stop me from enjoying the ride.
Samara Weaving did a great job in the title role. Unlike a lot of films of this type, she doesn't just go from wilting violet to gun-toting war machine in the blink of an eye. Her character really goes through a complicated series of emotions and encounters, and the film wisely gives her strong scenes with the characters of her husband, her brother-in-law, and her mother-in-law. Even the more secondary characters are given distinct personalities and motivations, and so despite the sprawling cast I knew exactly who each character was and it added some impact to the violent scenes when they arrived.
Adam Brody is really good as Daniel, the brother who reluctantly participates in his family's cruel traditions. I didn't even recognize Melanie Scrofano (I know her from Wynonna Earp) as the coked up sister-in-law, but she was hilarious.
Without venturing into spoiler territory, I found the film to be violent and bloody, but not cruel or depressing. A lot of the violence was darkly funny, and the actors are generously doused with blood and gore. It has some broad themes about what people will do to become rich or to stay rich--a criticism of both rich people and the non-rich people who are willing to do horrible things to climb the ladder. But the film isn't overly concerned with delivering a message, so the broadness of its themes didn't bug me.
Movies are always better on the big screen, but I would highly recommend this film as a rental--especially for a movie night with a group of friends.
