Erik Zdansky

Phenomenal movie. It is intense and very gripping throughout the movie. The pacing and style of the movie makes you feel on edge and wanting to keep seeing what will unfold next. Great characters and acting. I watched it at home, but I wish I could it have seen it in theaters. Definitely a movie that will make you think about commitment to a craft/art and what that journey can look like, especially when someone devotes their entire life to it (with the neglect of the other aspects of one's life). It dives into the more toxic side of working your craft. Even at the denouement (or what one feels is a traditional unfolding of one), the story quickly pivots back to high tension to produce a wild and explosive second climax. The emotional exhaustion throughout the movie is appealing and draws you in and the music captivating. It has raw energy. Regardless of how one thinks or feels about how the main characters come to understand greatness, or to become "one of the greats", it's a powerful movie well worth watching and thinking about.

This movie had a lot of hype and really made you want to see it. It took me forever to finally see it. I'd see it as I scrolled movies to watch and it was something on my list. There was just something intriguing about it. However, when I got a chance to watch it last night, the movie was a big let down. The story centers around mental health, trauma, suicide, and the challenges of trying to communicate surreal/strange things to others who are not experiencing them. These themes are interwoven in a story that is otherworldly (i.e., curses, demons). It's definitely a movie I'd call a "theme park ride." It's not life changing or memorable after the fact, but it was fun for the moment. In this instance, it wasn't a good ride, though. It was a ride you might regret after waiting in line too long. At times it was boring, cliché, and or just cheesy. There was limited to no character development and no chances for us to connect with the protagonists. They definitely were trying for the occasional jump scare or grotesque image of death to get us in the mood of a horror flick. I'll admit, near the end of the movie I did turn on the lights because of sounds in the house that I couldn't explain and that made me connect it to the whispers or moments of the movie. That's probably the only reason I gave it 2 stars. Otherwise, a 1 star movie. Once the movie was over though, the entire experience of watching it was barely an afterthought. There was no being scared to fall asleep or questioning what is or could be 'out there.' It was just a movie finished. I saw it by myself. Maybe this might be more fun with friends/family. But that is more in a let's talk through it kind of way instead of watching it with others and it's so captivating you can't or won't talk because you're really into the movie. Give it a shot if you just feel like you want to watch something that seemed popular and you want to stay on top of horror flicks that come out. Otherwise, save yourself 2 hours and watch something else.

It was a good movie. Fantastic cinematography. Fun to watch with a spouse/friend...great cast...loved the theology theme...brings up a lot of interesting points about religion...however, it had a lot of missed opportunities in the plot to make it a great and memorable story. Sort of a good build up and then felt let down with a weak ending that was somewhat cliché. I was also wanting to see this movie for a long time and so that anticipation probably didn't help. There's still value in seeing this if there's nothing else on your list to watch. And, for what it's worth, I wouldn't say no to re-watching it again and give it another shot.