A Review of “Smile (2022)”

Smile is a horror film directed by Parker Finn in his feature directorial debut. For someone’s directorial debut, this is very impressive.

There are deeply unsettling visuals and proper tension. The movie is reliant on jump scare and it can get tedious. However, there is a fair amount of jump scare with good build-up and payoff which did scare me. I also love the sound design in this film. The director uses it effectively to create a creepy feeling. The first 2 acts of the film are well done. We see our main character Rose (Sosie Bacon) slowly descend into madness as the ‘curse’ becomes more prominent. On that note, Sosie Bacon is phenomenal as the main lead. She gives a convincing performance of someone who is losing their mind.

Nevertheless, this film falls into a lot of the generic tropes of a horror movie. Its plot isn’t original, you’ve seen it in films like It Follows and The Ring. It has a lot of the same beat-for-beat elements you’ve seen a dozen times. Even the ending is something you have seen in other horror movies. The main character also says and does incredibly stupid things. There are also moments in this film that are unintentionally funny and silly but are meant to be serious moments.

Overall, it is a well-made horror film, especially for a director’s first film. Still, it never really goes beyond a generic horror movie. If you want something different in the horror genre then this is not it. I still look forward to what Parker Finn does next though because he is very promising!

Comments

A “QUICK!” Review of “Boy Kills World (2024)”

Bill Skarsgard in an action movie? Yes Please! The story is a generic revenge flick with an interesting concept of a mute and deaf protagonist. The main character has an inner voice which is voiced by H. Jon Benjamin of Archer and Bob’s Burger fame. This sounds interesting on paper but the problem is that the lines are so obnoxious and there are too many. It is always some kind of stupid quip or stating an obvious. It has a lot of comedy but most didn’t land for me. However, you are here for the action and it delivers on those. It has a lot of gore, gunplay, martial arts and over-the-top set pieces. It really shines in the 3rd act in both the story and the action. The final fight is a top-tier choreographed fight. In the end, Boy Kills World knows what it is and gives you exactly that. A bloody, fun action comedy!

A “QUICK!” Review of “Badland Hunters (2024)“

Ma Dong-Seok is one of the coolest dudes in Korean cinema. I do think the film is a little disappointing as the post-apocalyptic setting isn’t used in an exciting way. The plot is also nothing special. It is incredibly dumb and predictable while also having minimal explanation about anything. The characters are also very bland. There is barely any exploration of any of the characters including the main character. Due to this, they all come off as one-dimensional and this makes it very difficult to care about anyone. However, it has some incredibly well-choreographed and fun action sequences. Who doesn’t want to see Ma Dong-seok kick ass!

A “QUICK!” Review of “Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In (2024)”

When I found out after watching, that this was based on a Manhua (Chinese Comic book), it started to make sense. Characters that feel straightforward, the action scenes that defy physics in every way, the power of friendship, straight-up superpowered abilities, and countless flashbacks. The film suffers from juggling too many things. We have this fish out of water, self-discovery story with our main character. We have this gang conflict between those in the Walled City and the Triads. We have a revenge plot. We have a man dealing with his past—the growing of bonds. Unfortunately, the story is all incredibly predictable and lacks real depth. The constant talk about the past conflict sounded more interesting than the main plot. The ending is lacklustre and the final fight is so weird with the unexplained superpowers. However, if you like martial arts movies then there is certainly fun to be had here.

MovieWarfare

Search This Blog