Malevolent (2018) Reviews

• I am not certain what movie others watched. This is a decent horror movie.

  the_hawk82018-10-06

  Maybe I don't expect to see a Citizen Cane level movie when I am watching a Netflix horror film. Some of the reviews make it seem like they watched a different movie. It is a decent horror movie. It won't blow you away, but the story is original enough and acting good enough that it is an enjoyable movie to watch. It's on Netflix give it a shot.

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• Malevolent: A real letdown

  Platypuschow2018-12-15

  Malevolent is a British made Netflix original horror title starring Florence Pugh and is more than a little of a let down. It tells the story of a brother and sister who run a sham medium racket where they pretend to exorcise houses of spirits but come across something real. It's been done before but it started promisingly enough, Pugh is a fantastic little actress who I hope goes far, veteran Celia Imrie is on point, the soundtrack/atmosphere works wonders and they even manage to get James Cosmo in for a cameo appearance. The stars were aligned for this to be a great little film but sadly the creators decided to take the Hollywood horror route of cliches, genericism and lack of originality. It became apparent about half way through that this was going in direction I'd seen too many times before and I was sadly correct. Malevolent isn't bad it's just exactly the same as hundreds that have come before it. The Good: Great soundtrack Florence Pugh The Bad: Mostly recycled Questions left unanswered Things I Learnt From This Movie: Horror as a whole needs a reboot

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• Had potential but annoying bad in the second half

  deirdre-759362018-10-07

  This film had all the ingredients for success. But the complete lack of urgency of the characters will have you giving out to your telly. Sure, I mean some real stupidity at the end there. The case of the character having an in-depth, heartfelt conversion with another victim instead of finishing off the bad one. Knowing full well the bad one was right be hide him. You can guess what happens next. The female lead having moments of reflection as she knows her brother is in a bad spot and the bad lot are looking for her. Boggles the mind so it does. Did they bother to screen test this?? The purpose of a film is the suspension of disbelief. In other words believable enough to keep you entertained. This fails miserably in the second half. Avoid the frustration. Watch something else.

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• A rather good watch, despite its obvious flaws.

  Sleepin_Dragon2018-10-10

  I really looked forward to Malevolent, particularly when I read the outline and saw that both Celia Imrie and James Cosmo were in it. The script is a really good one, the plot is clever, and is probably the film's biggest asset, the performances are good, and at least the film manages to surprise you, as you watch it, you think you know exactly the direction the film is moving in, you quickly discover you were wrong. It is definitely flawed, at times it seems not to make sense, almost as if scenes were cut, but it hangs together well, and after a pretty tame start it transforms into a much grittier, darker film. Fine performances, Ben Lloyd-Hughes and Florence Pugh were particularly good I thought, Celia Imrie is excellent as always, a great chance to witness just how wonderfully talented and versatile an actress she is, what a difference to her character in Acorn Antiques. It never looks high budget, but it's an enjoyable watch, 7/10.

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• Good horror flick with some flaws

  zack_gideon2018-10-06

  Overall a good movie. Good lead actress, she will be a star soon. The plot has holes and there's very little background given on any character. That's the main flaw. Also some scenes could have used better setup and writing. Given that I gave it an 8. The concept is really really good. The direction and cinematography is good. And again the lead actress is a talent. Watch it. I also like the combo of 80's and the vhs recordings. I think with a bigger budget and better backstory/character development this could have been amazing. Either way worth a watch during Halloween :)

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