Dorothy Jackson

I rarely turn a movie off completely, but I couldn’t finish this one. The pacing is really bad. It adds nothing to the original story. It is the same thing only with worse acting. Perhaps it was harmed by the terrible English voice actors who did the dubbing. The characters were wooden to the point of being comical, particularly the obese bald pizza guy. Revealing him to be a total coward within the first 15 minutes and then trying to push him as a convincing villain/tough guy/threat in the very next scene made me literally ask “wth?”out loud. I also have a strong dislike for movies that throw in the tired trope of the Black character who is clearly there just to serve as the first gruesome kill. This was lazy and uninspired.

This is by far the weakest of the trilogy. X was a solid B. Pearl was an A-. Maxxxine was a C. The final act really dragged it down. It was just sloppy and underwhelming. It also doesn’t really tie in well with what Pearl added or with where X left off. I LOVED the lawyer, though. He is the reason for the extra star, despite having a very small role. The hit man was also great in every scene he had.

This movie is REALLY bad. My friend and I kept glancing and checking in with each other to see if we were tripping or if the plot really was as confusing as we thought it was. It is such a letdown. I’m generally a Francis Ford Coppola fan. This movie also had a great cast with Adam Driver, Laurence Fishburn, the stunning Nathalie Emmanuel, Dustin Hoffman, Shia Lebouf (abhorrent person, but a good actor), and the always captivating Gioncarlo Esposito. The budget was also clearly there for this film. The writing and the plot is where this movie failed. It’s as if no one checked the script to make sure it conveyed a coherent story line and I HATED the way the characters spoke. It was like they were all communicating in riddles. There were times that I bursted out laughing during Fishburn’s voice overs that were supposed to explain what was happening but did the exact opposite. I also didn’t understand the relationship dynamics. Why was the mayor so anti-Caesar? Why did Julia suddenly fall head over heels for him? What really happened to his wife? Did the mayor do it? Why was everyone so opposed to a great idea for the city? I didn’t even understand WHERE this story took place. At first I thought we were in future Rome, Italy. But then I started seeing a ton of US references like our flag and even a rioter with a confederate flag. How did the protagonist get severely injured (LIKE THE MOST HORRIBLE ATTACK TO SURVIVE THAT WOULD CAUSE PERMANENT DISFIGUREMENT) in one scene only to appear perfectly fine at the end? I just didn’t get it. If someone were to ask me what this movie was about, I’d seriously struggle to explain it. I sat through it for 2 hours and still don’t know.

This isn’t a terrible movie, but it had an uphill battle from the beginning. The general public is very familiar with Rosemary’s Baby and part of what made that movie so terrifying was the slow reveal of the sinister threat and plot against the protagonist. By the time I reached the climax of that film, I was a wreck with nervousness and anxiety. The realization that so many people in her life were involved in the cult was nightmare fuel. It was an interesting idea to explore the story of Terri, previously known to us only as the houseguest of the Castevets that we met briefly in a laundry scene. I was curious and optimistic to see what more we learned from her story. Unfortunately, we didn’t learn much of anything new. We still have Minnie and Roman being the lead plotters. We still have Abe Saperstein as the evil doctor. We still have a “father” for the baby who is complicit. The movie retread the same things we’ve known for decades. So for me, it was a disappointment.

I really liked this movie. I’m a fan of quirky, uncomfortable horror that doesn’t hold back. This movie touched on so many themes. There’s the mid-life squeeze. Trying to raise or start a family while caring for a declining elder. A question of post partum vs true evil. Questions at times about unreliable narration. Economic pressures and the way they will make a person betray every value we hold dear—even our fear and safety. Racism in blended families. And even a question of how far is too far to save yourself from a threat you’ve allowed into your home. My criticism is that it relies a bit much on body horror and could have left things off on a more ambiguous note. I don’t think we needed that reveal. We could have left it with a question. Also, I love the older actress in her role, but her accent and dialect may be difficult to understand for those not from the south. Still, this movie is never dull or lagging. It’s worth a watch.

Definitely not for me. There was no plot. There was no real dialogue. There was no discernible character arc for anyone other than the journalist who has a slight coming of huge story. It was one really long music video with some intimate scenes sprinkled in between.

As a dark psychological thriller, it is ok. I’d truly give it 2.5 stars, but half steps aren’t allowed. It DOES borrow a lot from the dreadful A Serbian Film, but it has more of a story arch than that waste of a film. The lead character is not likable, but is a pretty accurate depiction of a person struggling with very severe PTSD. He was given a bit too much of a cartoony, anti-hero type strength. For an embattled, injured combat vet, he was way too strong and proficient in hand to hand fighting. That was hard to buy. The side kick made the duo more watchable and tolerable. He was a nice counterbalance to Jay who is throughly hard to root for as a protagonist. The twist at the end was a bit predictable. It is heavily foreshadowed at the beginning. Despite that, I like the ambiguity of the film. It doesn’t spoon feed the audience with a neat and tidy explanation for the chaos. That was done very well. Finally, there is one bit at the end that ruined it for me. The people in that scene should have made some noise or said something that would have brought it to a complete stop.