Orphan (US - BD)
Matt's definitely not looking to adopt after seeing Warner's latest thriller on Blu-ray
Film
Tragedy seems to follow nine-year old Esther. She was orphaned in her native Russia and her last adoptive family perished in a fire she barely escaped. But now the Coleman family has adopted her and life is good. Until a classmate takes a serious fall in the schoolyard. Until an orphanage nun is battered to death. Until Esther's new mother wonders if that tragic fire was really an accident and starts to believe that Esther isn't the bright, sweet little girl she pretends to be.
Orphan is the latest movie to enter into the 'Evil Child' sub-genre of horror films and thrillers, a sub-genre that has had plenty of hits and plenty of misses. The barometer I use when viewing these movies goes something like this-- 1956's The Bad Seed with it's chilling performance from Patty McCormack as Rhoda and Robert Mulligan's The Other are near the top and where all movies that enter this genre are judged. After that the original Richard Donner The Omen is somewhere in the middle, with 1993's The Good Son at the bottom of the barrel, but amazingly still right above Problem Child and Problem Child 2 who couldn't sniff the barrel to begin with.
Using that barometer, Orphan lingers right around the pseudo biography of Macaulay Culkin's childhood. If there was a cliche used in all of those previous movies that this movie didn't throw at me I must have missed it or nodded off during the picture's longer than it actually is 123-minute running time. The filmmakers even made sure to make good use of Rosemary's Baby when pilfering for ideas and giving the very capable Vera Farmiga all of the hysterical "this child's evil and no one will believe me" dialogue they could squeeze in without sounding too ridiculous. Actually, strike that. The dialogue is ridiculous and unintentionally laughable throughout most of the picture and from all involved, even when recited by such dependable actors as Peter Sarsgaard and CCH Pounder who try their best with what they have.
Originality and dialogue aside, this movie has a lot of other problems and is guilty of some large gaps in logic, having a glacial pace (did I mention this movie is 123-minutes long already?), and having nary a scare or thrill to be found. Having said that, I've enjoyed movies with far less technical polish, far less originality, and far worse actors spouting off scripts seemingly written on the fly and probably on restaurant napkins. Have you ever seen the 1980 evil child flick The Children? If you have you should know exactly what I'm talking about, and if you haven't you should seek it out someday.
My real problem with Orphan is deeper than what I've already mentioned and has to do with its cavalier attitude towards placing children in the situations it does, especially when it comes to the youngest child of the Coleman's who also happens to be deaf. In one sequence alone the innocent is thrown out into traffic, made to drag a near lifeless body from a snowy road and then cover up the crime after being threatened. Later during the film's climax she's shot at and ultimately fires a revolver, which makes Orphan not only guilty of being in extremely bad taste but of stretching plausibility well past its limits too.
Now I don't consider myself a prude--in fact I'm far from it and been told as much many, many times--and maybe it's the parent in me that makes me feel this way, but guns and kids in movies like this just don't mix. It's cheap and lazy of the filmmakers to place the two together in a movie that is meant to be nothing more than a pulp thriller and I can't see any excuse for it. Given that, the little deaf girl with a piece is just the icing on the cake as far as what the filmmakers make their child stars go through. Just wait until the picture's surprise twist comes at the start of the third act. I won't reveal it here, but if you're paying any attention at all you'll see it coming a mile away, and even then you still won't believe what you're watching. Repulsive.
Video
No matter what one might think of the film itself, no one can argue that Warner's video transfer of the film to Blu-ray isn't great. The 1080p VC-1 transfer is excellent, featuring deep consistent black levels, nice sharp detail in every frame and superb handling of the subdued, wintry color scheme as well as the frantic colors seen later in the movie and sporadically throughout. Being a relatively new film I didn't see any traces of artifacting from the source used, and didn't really notice any digital noise reduction, aliasing or other such anomalies in the video that would hinder one's enjoyment watching the film. Those looking for a true to theater experience are going to certainly get it as this is an excellent video transfer.
Audio
The disc's Dolby TrueHD 5.1 audio presentation is largely on par with the video and an effective one for a thriller such as this. Dialogue is clear from the center channel with sound levels in all channels balanced quite well. The surround channels are used to great effect in providing some jolts and delivering an enveloping experience, and the LFE channel has some heft to it when called for from time to time. Overall this is a decent track that supplies what it needs to--not exactly reference quality, show off your system stuff, but just what the picture needs.
Extras
I was surprised to find so few extras on the disc, but I guess I can be thankful for small miracles. Included is a high definition, 15-minute featurette entitled Mama's Little Devil's: Bad Seeds and Evil Children which discusses the film's titular character and serves to remind you of other, better films. The other extra is an approximately 4-minute segment of deleted scenes and an alternate ending that really doesn't add much to the total package. Also included is a digital copy of the film so that you can torture yourself on the go, and the Blu-ray disc is BD-Live enabled.
Overall
If I only make one thing clear in this review, let it be that I hated this movie. And I don't mean I disliked it because it wasn't entertaining or thought it was bland, no, I really hated it. I could excuse Orphan for building its premise on and executing nearly every cliche in the 'Evil Child' genre as it's not like far better films haven't done the exact same thing. If that were the case all it would be guilty of is being an unoriginal bore that goes on for about 30-minutes too long. What I can't excuse it for is being morally reprehensible, especially in the third act when I was praying that the laborious 123-minute running time would come to an end.
Warner Home Video's Blu-ray disc is technically great and right along with their high standards featuring a very strong audio and video package, but the extras are light to say the least. Overall I can't really recommend Orphan to anyone except those who just can't get enough of watching children do very bad things, which I get enough of in my house as it is. Everyone else should move along and make their way over to Warner's recently released Trick 'R Treat instead, there's nothing to see here.
*Note: The images on this page are not representative of the Blu-ray.
Tragedy seems to follow nine-year old Esther. She was orphaned in her native Russia and her last adoptive family perished in a fire she barely escaped. But now the Coleman family has adopted her and life is good. Until a classmate takes a serious fall in the schoolyard. Until an orphanage nun is battered to death. Until Esther's new mother wonders if that tragic fire was really an accident and starts to believe that Esther isn't the bright, sweet little girl she pretends to be.
Orphan is the latest movie to enter into the 'Evil Child' sub-genre of horror films and thrillers, a sub-genre that has had plenty of hits and plenty of misses. The barometer I use when viewing these movies goes something like this-- 1956's The Bad Seed with it's chilling performance from Patty McCormack as Rhoda and Robert Mulligan's The Other are near the top and where all movies that enter this genre are judged. After that the original Richard Donner The Omen is somewhere in the middle, with 1993's The Good Son at the bottom of the barrel, but amazingly still right above Problem Child and Problem Child 2 who couldn't sniff the barrel to begin with.
Using that barometer, Orphan lingers right around the pseudo biography of Macaulay Culkin's childhood. If there was a cliche used in all of those previous movies that this movie didn't throw at me I must have missed it or nodded off during the picture's longer than it actually is 123-minute running time. The filmmakers even made sure to make good use of Rosemary's Baby when pilfering for ideas and giving the very capable Vera Farmiga all of the hysterical "this child's evil and no one will believe me" dialogue they could squeeze in without sounding too ridiculous. Actually, strike that. The dialogue is ridiculous and unintentionally laughable throughout most of the picture and from all involved, even when recited by such dependable actors as Peter Sarsgaard and CCH Pounder who try their best with what they have.
Originality and dialogue aside, this movie has a lot of other problems and is guilty of some large gaps in logic, having a glacial pace (did I mention this movie is 123-minutes long already?), and having nary a scare or thrill to be found. Having said that, I've enjoyed movies with far less technical polish, far less originality, and far worse actors spouting off scripts seemingly written on the fly and probably on restaurant napkins. Have you ever seen the 1980 evil child flick The Children? If you have you should know exactly what I'm talking about, and if you haven't you should seek it out someday.
My real problem with Orphan is deeper than what I've already mentioned and has to do with its cavalier attitude towards placing children in the situations it does, especially when it comes to the youngest child of the Coleman's who also happens to be deaf. In one sequence alone the innocent is thrown out into traffic, made to drag a near lifeless body from a snowy road and then cover up the crime after being threatened. Later during the film's climax she's shot at and ultimately fires a revolver, which makes Orphan not only guilty of being in extremely bad taste but of stretching plausibility well past its limits too.
Now I don't consider myself a prude--in fact I'm far from it and been told as much many, many times--and maybe it's the parent in me that makes me feel this way, but guns and kids in movies like this just don't mix. It's cheap and lazy of the filmmakers to place the two together in a movie that is meant to be nothing more than a pulp thriller and I can't see any excuse for it. Given that, the little deaf girl with a piece is just the icing on the cake as far as what the filmmakers make their child stars go through. Just wait until the picture's surprise twist comes at the start of the third act. I won't reveal it here, but if you're paying any attention at all you'll see it coming a mile away, and even then you still won't believe what you're watching. Repulsive.
Video
No matter what one might think of the film itself, no one can argue that Warner's video transfer of the film to Blu-ray isn't great. The 1080p VC-1 transfer is excellent, featuring deep consistent black levels, nice sharp detail in every frame and superb handling of the subdued, wintry color scheme as well as the frantic colors seen later in the movie and sporadically throughout. Being a relatively new film I didn't see any traces of artifacting from the source used, and didn't really notice any digital noise reduction, aliasing or other such anomalies in the video that would hinder one's enjoyment watching the film. Those looking for a true to theater experience are going to certainly get it as this is an excellent video transfer.
Audio
The disc's Dolby TrueHD 5.1 audio presentation is largely on par with the video and an effective one for a thriller such as this. Dialogue is clear from the center channel with sound levels in all channels balanced quite well. The surround channels are used to great effect in providing some jolts and delivering an enveloping experience, and the LFE channel has some heft to it when called for from time to time. Overall this is a decent track that supplies what it needs to--not exactly reference quality, show off your system stuff, but just what the picture needs.
Extras
I was surprised to find so few extras on the disc, but I guess I can be thankful for small miracles. Included is a high definition, 15-minute featurette entitled Mama's Little Devil's: Bad Seeds and Evil Children which discusses the film's titular character and serves to remind you of other, better films. The other extra is an approximately 4-minute segment of deleted scenes and an alternate ending that really doesn't add much to the total package. Also included is a digital copy of the film so that you can torture yourself on the go, and the Blu-ray disc is BD-Live enabled.
Overall
If I only make one thing clear in this review, let it be that I hated this movie. And I don't mean I disliked it because it wasn't entertaining or thought it was bland, no, I really hated it. I could excuse Orphan for building its premise on and executing nearly every cliche in the 'Evil Child' genre as it's not like far better films haven't done the exact same thing. If that were the case all it would be guilty of is being an unoriginal bore that goes on for about 30-minutes too long. What I can't excuse it for is being morally reprehensible, especially in the third act when I was praying that the laborious 123-minute running time would come to an end.
Warner Home Video's Blu-ray disc is technically great and right along with their high standards featuring a very strong audio and video package, but the extras are light to say the least. Overall I can't really recommend Orphan to anyone except those who just can't get enough of watching children do very bad things, which I get enough of in my house as it is. Everyone else should move along and make their way over to Warner's recently released Trick 'R Treat instead, there's nothing to see here.
*Note: The images on this page are not representative of the Blu-ray.
Review by Matt Joseph
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iconoclast
Member
Join Date: November 2006
Location: United States
Posts: 226
I always thought the movie looked too much like The Omen 4
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Quote: With that one paragraph, you proved you didn't pay any attention to the movie at all. In the scene where the mother gets a phone call from the guy at the Saarne Institute and he reveals the final revelation about Esther, the mother replies with "But we have her passport and birth papers!" - Which brings us to the conclusion that these papers must be forged. If Esther can can a forged PASSPORT then how is it so unbelievable that she would be able to get forged health/dental documents?
With all due respect, that is flimsy. And steeped in irony. Saying that she forged a passport and birth certificate isn't making this movie any more plausible, and your actually helping Matt's argument in a way. I think you guys just need to chalk this up to differing opinions and give it a rest. This movie isn't worth fighting this hard for.
With all due respect, that is flimsy. And steeped in irony. Saying that she forged a passport and birth certificate isn't making this movie any more plausible, and your actually helping Matt's argument in a way. I think you guys just need to chalk this up to differing opinions and give it a rest. This movie isn't worth fighting this hard for.
I am amused by the comments here. I love constructive criticism and comments. IMDB will never match some of the comments that are here at DVD Active. I'm still going to avoid ORPHAN because it looks bad from the trailer.
David Blackwell wrote: I am amused by the comments here. I love constructive criticism and comments. IMDB will never match some of the comments that are here at DVD Active. I'm still going to avoid ORPHAN because it looks bad from the trailer.
Just because it looks bad doesn't mean it is bad. For example, "Drag Me to Hell" looked like the most cliched, piece of tripe and the PG-13 from the end of the trailer just supports that claim. When I first saw the trailer, I thought it was a sequel to "A Haunting of Molly Hartley" or whatever that movie was. And then, people started liking it. You shouldn't judge a movie by its trailer. You'll miss a lot of good movies by doing that.
Just because it looks bad doesn't mean it is bad. For example, "Drag Me to Hell" looked like the most cliched, piece of tripe and the PG-13 from the end of the trailer just supports that claim. When I first saw the trailer, I thought it was a sequel to "A Haunting of Molly Hartley" or whatever that movie was. And then, people started liking it. You shouldn't judge a movie by its trailer. You'll miss a lot of good movies by doing that.
I have to say that I'm on the one half that really enjoyed this movie.
And from your review and comments, Matt, I can't help but get the impression that your butchering of this perfectly good movie was solely based on your objection to the children/guns aspect of it. Your other criticisms were largely unfounded, and your example of the great gaping plot hole wasn't that great at all. As it was said before me, Esther forged her papers.
And yes, ultimately we can only chalk it up to a difference of opinion, and mine is that your review was unproportionally harsh considering the shortcomings of this movie.
And from your review and comments, Matt, I can't help but get the impression that your butchering of this perfectly good movie was solely based on your objection to the children/guns aspect of it. Your other criticisms were largely unfounded, and your example of the great gaping plot hole wasn't that great at all. As it was said before me, Esther forged her papers.
And yes, ultimately we can only chalk it up to a difference of opinion, and mine is that your review was unproportionally harsh considering the shortcomings of this movie.
What an awful review. This was not cliche at all and definitely not predictable. I made an account just to express my disgust for this review. You apparently had something stuck up your ass while watching this because this was one of the best thrillers of the year and one of the best summer movies. The fact that you think the twist can be seen from a mile away makes it even more laughable. This is a great movie. I also need to point out that you directed people towards Trick R' Treat instead of this! That movie was dreadful.
this reviewer seems like such a wimp.NEXT.
Dex309 wrote: I have to say that I'm on the one half that really enjoyed this movie.
And from your review and comments, Matt, I can't help but get the impression that your butchering of this perfectly good movie was solely based on your objection to the children/guns aspect of it. Your other criticisms were largely unfounded, and your example of the great gaping plot hole wasn't that great at all. As it was said before me, Esther forged her papers.
And yes, ultimately we can only chalk it up to a difference of opinion, and mine is that your review was unproportionally harsh considering the shortcomings of this movie.
This man has worded my feelings better than I ever could. It's clear that Matt's hate of the movie stems from the use of children with guns. There is absolutely nothing unrealistic about a child with a gun. I admit that the youngest girl firing a gun is completely implausible, but that ending was actually tacked on after production had finished. The original/alternate ending can be viewed on youtube, it's much different. But the fact is that you're original hate doesn't stem from the child firing the gun, but the child holding the gun in the first place, almost like you think the scene was written into the script as a mere gimmick. This is NOT gimmick though, and neither is it added for shock value, because to be perfectly honest...I personally (and everyone else I know) gain no shock value from simply watching a kid hold a gun that I know is a film prop anyway. Fact is that it is just common freaking sense that if you are a child and your mother is about to be stabbed, you WILL pick up the gun at your feet and TRY to fire it. Fair enough, the gun shouldn't be able to fire, but that's clearly neither mine or your own point. Your point is that the child should never pick up the gun in the first place because you think it's a cheap shock additive. That is completely absent minded especially since it's clear there is absolutely NO shock to be had from seeing a child pick up a gun. It clearly didn't shock you, me or anybody else on this site. I'm quite sure they knew that something like this wouldn't shock someone, so why the feck would they do it for that purpose?! It's merely used for the sake of narrative progression.
Once again, the review is just horribly written. Not ONCE do you talk about ANYTHING that constitutes towards a film's quality in a constructive manner. You briefly talk about the performances, but let discussing them dither past you almost as if you really don't have anything to say about them at all. You make a single example about the supposed "bad writing" that is unbelievably flawed by the fact that we KNOW Esther forged a PASSPORT. Do you honestly think that mere medical papers would be more difficult to forge than a freaking PASSPORT?! The fact that almost every single person on this site apart from the contributors agree that this review is horribly written (we're not saying anything against your opinion, we're just saying you have a horrible way of getting that opinion across), is a testament to this entire thread.
And from your review and comments, Matt, I can't help but get the impression that your butchering of this perfectly good movie was solely based on your objection to the children/guns aspect of it. Your other criticisms were largely unfounded, and your example of the great gaping plot hole wasn't that great at all. As it was said before me, Esther forged her papers.
And yes, ultimately we can only chalk it up to a difference of opinion, and mine is that your review was unproportionally harsh considering the shortcomings of this movie.
This man has worded my feelings better than I ever could. It's clear that Matt's hate of the movie stems from the use of children with guns. There is absolutely nothing unrealistic about a child with a gun. I admit that the youngest girl firing a gun is completely implausible, but that ending was actually tacked on after production had finished. The original/alternate ending can be viewed on youtube, it's much different. But the fact is that you're original hate doesn't stem from the child firing the gun, but the child holding the gun in the first place, almost like you think the scene was written into the script as a mere gimmick. This is NOT gimmick though, and neither is it added for shock value, because to be perfectly honest...I personally (and everyone else I know) gain no shock value from simply watching a kid hold a gun that I know is a film prop anyway. Fact is that it is just common freaking sense that if you are a child and your mother is about to be stabbed, you WILL pick up the gun at your feet and TRY to fire it. Fair enough, the gun shouldn't be able to fire, but that's clearly neither mine or your own point. Your point is that the child should never pick up the gun in the first place because you think it's a cheap shock additive. That is completely absent minded especially since it's clear there is absolutely NO shock to be had from seeing a child pick up a gun. It clearly didn't shock you, me or anybody else on this site. I'm quite sure they knew that something like this wouldn't shock someone, so why the feck would they do it for that purpose?! It's merely used for the sake of narrative progression.
Once again, the review is just horribly written. Not ONCE do you talk about ANYTHING that constitutes towards a film's quality in a constructive manner. You briefly talk about the performances, but let discussing them dither past you almost as if you really don't have anything to say about them at all. You make a single example about the supposed "bad writing" that is unbelievably flawed by the fact that we KNOW Esther forged a PASSPORT. Do you honestly think that mere medical papers would be more difficult to forge than a freaking PASSPORT?! The fact that almost every single person on this site apart from the contributors agree that this review is horribly written (we're not saying anything against your opinion, we're just saying you have a horrible way of getting that opinion across), is a testament to this entire thread.
Wow! The only other thread this reminds me of is the one back from when 'The Passion of the Christ' was released on DVD. But back then the fuss was justified due to the nature of the subject.
I found 'Orphan' to be one of the most enjoyable movies of the year and I can clearly remember the flood of positive opinions on the DVDactive website back when the movie was first announced for Home Video release (this fuelled my expectations for it as the trailer was generic at best).
Finally, a few users have said that the twist at then end could easily be seen coming. I would really appreciate it (seriously) if you can point out what part gave that away cause I thought it was easily one of the best twists of recent memory.
I found 'Orphan' to be one of the most enjoyable movies of the year and I can clearly remember the flood of positive opinions on the DVDactive website back when the movie was first announced for Home Video release (this fuelled my expectations for it as the trailer was generic at best).
Finally, a few users have said that the twist at then end could easily be seen coming. I would really appreciate it (seriously) if you can point out what part gave that away cause I thought it was easily one of the best twists of recent memory.
Contributors vs. readers? Civil war? Exciting! Let me get my popcorn, sit back and enjoy watching this. Oh, and just for the record, I liked the movie too. There.
HorrorFreakX wrote: What an awful review. This was not cliche at all and definitely not predictable. I made an account just to express my disgust for this review.
And now you've lost it. I don't know why people think they have the right to come on here just to slag people off, but they don't. Debate is one thing, but insulting our reviewers for daring to have their own opinions is another. I've noticed that it's usually teenagers who make the most noise.
JohnKramer wrote: this reviewer seems like such a wimp.NEXT.
Again, joining just to insult the reviewer will not be tolerated.
Same goes for anyone else. If you don't agree with the review feel free to state your reasons for liking it, but do not resort to insulting Matt.
And now you've lost it. I don't know why people think they have the right to come on here just to slag people off, but they don't. Debate is one thing, but insulting our reviewers for daring to have their own opinions is another. I've noticed that it's usually teenagers who make the most noise.
JohnKramer wrote: this reviewer seems like such a wimp.NEXT.
Again, joining just to insult the reviewer will not be tolerated.
Same goes for anyone else. If you don't agree with the review feel free to state your reasons for liking it, but do not resort to insulting Matt.
Xian Tianhan wrote: Once again, the review is just horribly written. Not ONCE do you talk about ANYTHING that constitutes towards a film's quality in a constructive manner. You briefly talk about the performances, but let discussing them dither past you almost as if you really don't have anything to say about them at all. You make a single example about the supposed "bad writing" that is unbelievably flawed by the fact that we KNOW Esther forged a PASSPORT. Do you honestly think that mere medical papers would be more difficult to forge than a freaking PASSPORT?! The fact that almost every single person on this site apart from the contributors agree that this review is horribly written (we're not saying anything against your opinion, we're just saying you have a horrible way of getting that opinion across), is a testament to this entire thread.
How can you get on Matt for making generalizations when you're going to make them? '
And 'almost every single person on this site apart from the contributors agree that this review is horribly written'? You might want to re-count. I count 4. Mostly it's just
This just comes down to a continuing problem of readers not understanding or appreciating the point of criticism. I complain about it all the time, but it's not something specific to DVDActive. In fact, discounting exceptions like this thread, DVDActive readers are actually pretty understanding, level headed people. A visit to the imdb or rottentomatoes message boards is enough to make you cry. People take opposition so personally they can't appreciate the value of a different point of view. There are plenty of professional 'critics' that write fluff pieces for studio kudos, but such homogenization is boring, not to mention dangerous to real film art. Voice your opposition everyone, by all means. I can't speak for Matt or any of the other reviewers, but I appreciate genuine discussion. It's the fun of being a film fan, and the fun of meeting other film fans over the internet. The s**tty thing is the faceless, anonymity the internet allows. This leads to the personal attacks people would never defer to if they were forced to discuss such things face to face.
How can you get on Matt for making generalizations when you're going to make them? '
We're
not saying anything against your opinion...'? You're speaking for two pages of childish attacks spiked by a few honest opposing opinions? This is almost exclusively about Matt's opinion.You're
attacking his opinion by claiming it's based on his biased against gun use. If you agreed with Matt there's no way you'd be spending this much time telling him he'd made writing errors. And no one is reacting to Matt's attempts to explain his opinion, they're just attack him personally.And 'almost every single person on this site apart from the contributors agree that this review is horribly written'? You might want to re-count. I count 4. Mostly it's just
you
writing it over an over. There are a couple more people disagreeing with Matt, but they don't mention anything about his writing. This is about opinions, not writing skills. Let's pretend you actually give a s**t about his writing ability. Reviews are opinion pieces, or editorials. It's not necessary to use 'in my opinion' or the like because it's implied that this is the critic's opinion. It's also not necessary the critic take the time to list more than one example to back up his or her opinion. Reviews that delve too far into examples end up a 3000 word monstrosity like my Wolverine review. I'm also think you don't understand the word 'constructive'. Would you prefer Matt tore the thing apart for a couple dozen paragraphs? He makes it clear that he's seen more evil child movies than most of us, does he really need to point out plot point by plot point what bits were taken from other films you've never heard of?This just comes down to a continuing problem of readers not understanding or appreciating the point of criticism. I complain about it all the time, but it's not something specific to DVDActive. In fact, discounting exceptions like this thread, DVDActive readers are actually pretty understanding, level headed people. A visit to the imdb or rottentomatoes message boards is enough to make you cry. People take opposition so personally they can't appreciate the value of a different point of view. There are plenty of professional 'critics' that write fluff pieces for studio kudos, but such homogenization is boring, not to mention dangerous to real film art. Voice your opposition everyone, by all means. I can't speak for Matt or any of the other reviewers, but I appreciate genuine discussion. It's the fun of being a film fan, and the fun of meeting other film fans over the internet. The s**tty thing is the faceless, anonymity the internet allows. This leads to the personal attacks people would never defer to if they were forced to discuss such things face to face.
I dont mind a review that offers opinions, but when it contains outright bashing and warnings to viewers not to invest in a film is not what I really consider a fair review. This movie is far from being perfect and there are quite a few things I did have a problem with at least from a technical point and plot point of view. I think that the boundaries that are pushed were well done without having them be extremely morbid. I mean, this movie could have shown a lot worse things and I have seen worse things in a movie that go way beyond the moral boundaries. The acting was a little over the top, but it wasnt enough to ruin the film in my opinion. I think that Isabelle Fuhrman did an outstanding job with the role considering she was only 12 years old. I agree with the statement made about the fact that after leaving the theater you cant help but feel uneasy and perhaps a bit disturbed. I think this comes from the moral issue that the viewer is faced with...I work in a movie theater and have talked to many people that saw this movie. This is a movie that you will either love or hate. I think this is because of the way the movie makes you feel. The character build up is the key element here. You are made to be attached to each character, even Esther. At the end of it all, I couldnt help but feel somewhat sorry for Esther as I feel her "illness" made her evil. Think about it..try to put yourself in her shoes...can you honestly say you think your life would be anything resembling normal? I dont think so. But all this doesnt excuse her evilness, so in there lies the moral problem the viewer I think is faced with. Which in turn is what gives this movie a massive "creepy" feeling to it and you are left with this "bowling ball in your gut" feeling after watching it.
I personally thought this movie was brilliant as long as you are not trying to find something wrong with it, cause let's face it...you can find something wrong with any movie. It's entertainment...not a retelling of how life really is. I think this movie is quite different than most "horror" movies out there. There are a lot of elements that are used that has been used before, yes...and the "evil child" thing has been done to death, yes. But I feel this movie uses all of that to its advantage and while you expect a lot of what happens and even if you know what the twist will be at the end, I think it still leaves you with a sense of supsense and a feeling of undeniable discomfort. Which in my opinion is the purpose this movie was trying to strive for.
I would actually love to see a movie that shows us Esther's past and how she became the way she is..and that alternate ending in the dvd...that definately should have been put into the theatrical version as it adds to the over all creepiness of the movie. Just my two cents worth. This review was way too harsh to be taken as constructive critism. If you want to see a truly horrible movie..watch War of the Worlds II...I can almost guarantee you'll want to gouge your eyeballs out after watching that one. :p
I personally thought this movie was brilliant as long as you are not trying to find something wrong with it, cause let's face it...you can find something wrong with any movie. It's entertainment...not a retelling of how life really is. I think this movie is quite different than most "horror" movies out there. There are a lot of elements that are used that has been used before, yes...and the "evil child" thing has been done to death, yes. But I feel this movie uses all of that to its advantage and while you expect a lot of what happens and even if you know what the twist will be at the end, I think it still leaves you with a sense of supsense and a feeling of undeniable discomfort. Which in my opinion is the purpose this movie was trying to strive for.
I would actually love to see a movie that shows us Esther's past and how she became the way she is..and that alternate ending in the dvd...that definately should have been put into the theatrical version as it adds to the over all creepiness of the movie. Just my two cents worth. This review was way too harsh to be taken as constructive critism. If you want to see a truly horrible movie..watch War of the Worlds II...I can almost guarantee you'll want to gouge your eyeballs out after watching that one. :p
this film is awful. overlong CLICHED nonsense with possibly the worst 'twist' ending ever. please do yourself a favor and seek out don't look now instead ( if you haven't already ). for those that use critic scores/views as justification for your own feelings please remember that some of the greatest films where critically panned on release, only to be reappraised years later to be works of art, in-fact the only critic i would listen to is mark kermode and im guessing he didn't even go near this piece of tripe.
Quote: I dont mind a review that offers opinions, but when it contains outright bashing and warnings to viewers not to invest in a film is not what I really consider a fair review.
I stopped reading here. Warning viewers not to invest in a film based on the critic's opinion is the point of the exercise.
I stopped reading here. Warning viewers not to invest in a film based on the critic's opinion is the point of the exercise.
Guys guys guys....relaaaaxx......
IT's only a movie...
IT's only a movie...
this one suks, a childs movie comone!!
This is a bloody brilliant movie with excellent performers
Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian
Disc Details
Release Date:
27th October 2009
Discs:
1
Disc Type:
Blu-ray Disc
RCE:
No
Video:
1080p
Aspect:
1.85:1
Anamorphic:
No
Colour:
Yes
Audio:
Dolby TrueHD 5.1 English, Dolby Digital 5.1 English, Dolby Digital 5.1 French, Dolby Digital 5.1 Spanish
Subtitles:
English, French, Spanish
Extras:
Mama's Little Devil's: Bad Seeds and Evil Children Featurette, Alternate Scenes & Alternate Ending, BD-Live, Digital Copy
Easter Egg:
No
Feature Details
Director:
Jaume Collet-Serra
Cast:
Vera Farmiga, Peter Sarsgaard, Isabelle Fuhrman
Genre:
Thriller
Length:
123 minutes
Ratings
Amazon.com
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