Isabel Dempsey

My friend and I went to the cinema and picked whatever movie we hadn’t seen or heard of and this was it. I hadn’t even seen an advert for it previously and just thought a good horror would be a fun way to end the evening. It started out quite decently and I found all of the characters to be likable enough and acted out quite well. I’ll also admit that ‘Walt’ was very charming and immediately the interesting spike needed as the film continued (as all wealthy young men from an old family seem to be). At times it was a bit too on the nose, though for the most part the families and interactions were pretty realistic. Victoria was arguably one of the biggest take backs in terms of characters and the story, just quite too obvious in being the cliche unwelcoming relative. Otherwise, I liked how the film was progressing and the first jump scare was pretty good, the others later on weren’t too bad either. However, from the banquet scene onwards everything went quite downhill. We had been guessing the families may be part of some old cannibalistic or otherwise horrifying cult. The turn it took, was very…surprising. I certainly wasn’t expecting vampires at all so it was a good plot twist at least. I had hoped for a horror filled climax but it was funny at least. We found ourselves laughing for much of the last part of the film so still a good night and entertaining experience, hence the 3 stars.

I always loved the original Top Gun, Tom Cruise, fantastic soundtrack, high speed action, dogfights, and of course Goose. When I heard about this sequel, I was concerned that it wouldn’t be up to par or would rely too much on the original material. To say the least, I was pleasantly surprised and absolutely loved it. Without any spoilers, it felt like jumping right back in to the original in the best way. The new cast was amazing and the plot was not lacking in the slightest. Miles Teller especially was very impressive and his role fit him like a glove, perfect casting. 100% worth going to the cinema to see and I’ll be going again just to experience it again. 5/5, for once Rotten Tomatoes got it right.

When the director said that "this movie was too dark for America", he was not exaggerating. I skipped over the reviews and went straight to the movie and it was quite good, not without its flaws, but an overall good film. The casting was well suited to each part with each actor/actress doing an excellent job. The plot itself was unfortunately not unrealistic, as horrifying as it was, it was fairly well executed and I felt that few corners were cut in regards to pacing despite no definite timeline having been established. It would appear that the author took a page from George R.R. Martin's book as well when it comes to killing off characters, and I do believe that the resulting emotional impact and significance they have on the character's development was well worth it. Overall, the film was very well done and I'd definitely watch it again sometime. While I do imagine that some of my American friends might find the film too dark and gritty, please don't let it stop you from watching. The end result and the experience is worthwhile.

I began watching this simply because Sebastian Stan was in it (which is reason enough btw) but was instantly drawn in by the plot and excellent acting. The characters were interesting, the stakes high, and the story well told. I really did enjoy watching this and quickly went through the six episode miniseries in two days. It was worth the watch and possibly even worth watching again sometime in the future. Overall, a fulfilling show that I wish had been continued.

Having not read the book, I watched this with no knowledge of what kind of movie this would be. It was by no means a bad film and the acting was phenomenal from all parts. While all of the characters had fairly well developed personas, I couldn’t help but hate Taissa Farmiga’s character despite her exceptional acting and perhaps that may have been the point. Of all of the characters, I was most disappointed in the way things ended for Charles simply because despite him clearly having plenty of issues of his own, he seemed to be the only one with a bit of sense to him. Overall, I think that despite not having read the book I can still assume the movie left out many important details that would have richened the story. It was a good movie, just perhaps not my cup of tea.

To start off, I certainly disagree with the Rotten Tomatoes score of 3% because while this is by no stretch of the imagination a great film, that’s just too harsh. I quite enjoy horror and thriller movies even if I’m not that hard to scare and this film had at least a moment or two that did make me pause in my personal commentary on the bad decisions of the characters. I’ll admit that the laundry room scene in particular when she is putting nails in the door got me a little bit, at least enough to be worth mentioning. Overall, the movie was definitely not the worst horror film out there and I actually found myself liking the female lead as she did not possess the usual, stereotypical, dumb blonde type personality found in many low budget horror films. Tom Felton and Sebastian Stan’s acting was not bad by any means but I feel as though they probably had a good bit of trouble with the overall lack of material to work with. To conclude, I don’t feel as though the film really deserves more than two stars in regard to plot, film style, or dialogue but it was a great weekday night watch after work and that’s good enough for me. If all else fails, just remember Sebastian Stan is in it and in more than one scene he is shirtless.

An artistically well developed film that will leave you thinking it over for days after. While the nonlinear method used in the storytelling can be a bit hard to follow at times, it’s not because there is a lack of story but rather a lot to mull over and connect. All of the actors and actresses in the film did an amazing job, although it was truly J.K. Simmons’ silent narration that held everything together so beautifully. The Schrödinger’s cat reference and connection to the ending of the film is brilliant enough in itself to easily make the film a must watch.

This film will always hold a special place in my heart. The acting itself is quite good as is the scenery, humor, and plot. While I may have watched this as a wee child and found it to be fantastic (the banshee a bit scary), it still deserves all the praise it can get as I watch it now as I’m older. It hasn’t lost even the slightest bit of it’s charm and I’ll continue to watch it every few years or so and enjoy it just as I did then. If you haven’t seen this film or don’t want to because it’s older, you are truly missing out.