Patty

If you don’t like dialogue films or movies with timelines told out of order, this will not be for you. I really liked this film because instead of focusing on the trauma itself it shows what living with it is like, after it’s already moved into the walls of your mind, and skewed the perception of the world you once knew. Sometimes it looks as impulsive as a bottle of lighter fluid and other times it’s seeking shelter from a friend or stranger. Sometimes it feels like nothing at all and other times feels like everything at once. Sometimes it looks like talking to a baby when you just really needed to talk to yourself. There’s no right or wrong way to navigate such contrasts when your life was uprooted by one. There’s alot of really great quotes in this film, but my favorite is the passage of time, because unlike time, healing isn’t linear. “Well, that’s not that much time. I mean, it’s a lot of time, but it’s not that much time too.”

I absolutely love Little Nightmares I and II because they’re psychological thrillers (especially the second one), they both possess a unique dreamlike atmosphere with an unsettling eerie edge that only LN fans can appreciate. The second was my favorite because it built upon the original game’s strengths by enhancing tension building, storytelling and gameplay experience, and the bosses were literal nightmare fuel all while maintaining the immersive atmosphere this franchise is known for. Little Nightmares III? Was buggy, boring, and the bosses were easy and cringy as hell. It had repetitive puzzles and zero thrills, I actually felt bored. When the ending credits started rolling I thought “This is what we waited for?!” They played this way too safe! To make matters worse, this game was delayed by a year so that it could get “the care and love it deserves” is the care and love in the room with us now? The reason I gave two stars instead of one is because the glow doll was a pretty cool new feature, it’s clear that an actual thought went behind that. What a let down.

I really liked this movie and its thoughtful take on religion, but if you’re deeply religious I can understand why you wouldn’t. However, religious or not, I think each will feel a sense of vindication. The acting by everyone was phenomenal, there’s solid tension building, and it’s quite clever. This is more of a dialogue driven and psychological mystery so the gore is minimal. There are some scenes that feel a little clunky, but it delivers the overall message very well. If you enjoy philosophical content or thrillers in general, I’d suggest giving this one a try. =)

I really liked the first movie, but the sequel was disappointing. If you enjoyed the psychological thrilling atmosphere of the first movie (which is why I liked it) don’t bother, you’ll find none of that here. Nothing new is learned about the entity so it doesn’t move the story forward at all and the ending just sets it up for another typical Hollywood cash grab. It’s all jump scares, it’s very predictable, and the CGI was truly laughable.

The people giving this movie such bad reviews either truly didn’t understand the first film or simply didn’t give this sequel the chance it deserved. In the first movie Arthur clearly disassociates from his environment, his daydreams become more than unhinged fantasies to full blown delusions, that lead to violent episodes when he’s off his meds. The second film starts with him being in Arkham Asylum where he’s undoubtedly being given a heavy cocktail of drugs, all of which will have their own side effects that were most likely not even monitored. I think the musical piece was not only a creative way to show how Arthur could no longer discern daydreams from reality, but it gave us a glimpse behind the curtain into his own twisted reality. The musical pieces were meant to make the audience feel uneasy and I think it was a brilliant move! It’s unfortunate that the majority of people watching didn’t understand that this movie was a love letter to mental illness. For the record, I went into this movie believing I’d hate it because of all the negative reviews, but I ended up loving it! The acting was fantastic, Joaquin Phoenix did an amazing job (as always) and Gaga killed it. The first and second film were tied together beautifully and stayed true to its dark nature while setting the stage for future adaptations. I think we’re going look back on this movie and wonder why it received so much hate. In my opinion this sequel has earned its place among the franchise, and I’d challenge you to make your own conclusions versus allowing someone to make it up for you. After all, that’s the very essence of Joker. 🤡