Malignant Movie Review & Comments

Casimir Harlow

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As ever with Wan, the dialogue is cheesy, the acting is sometimes questionable but damn, that man knows use to frame a shot and deliver a twist. I sat with a massive grin on my face for the last act as I couldn't believe I was seeing this in a mainstream studio film. If this had come out in the eighties, Arrow or Severin would be falling over themselves to give this a blu-ray release.

Full marks to Joseph Bishara for yet another score which does a lot of the heavy lifting with mood and atmosphere. I'd go higher, but I'm a horror junkie and it was great seeing some proper gore on the big screen. 8/10.

Full marks for the best lock up scene in decades, including a woman dressed as Cleopatra Jones for some reason.
 
Watched this last night - A very messy film for me that tries to evoke 80’s horror tropes but then turns slasher with a very insane twist (Twist is in the title). Apart from some nice cinematography, framing of shots and great use of the camera, I found this to be a very tedious film with multiple plot holes and for a horror, not quite as scary as Wan’s previous efforts. also - there were some plot devices that made no sense or never explained. Again, partly to do with the “accept it” 80’s horror tropes (Maniac Cop inspirations in this film for me...). The main thing though was the dialogue and performances were awful. Just couldn’t buy into the terror or the story because the facial reactions and dialogue were dreadful and idiot proof.

Also - the film score was just all over the place. I thought the Pixies were coming in at one point, then typical horror then action... plus 80’s/90’s type music on the radios made for a crazy attempt at infusing the film with pace but came off as messy.

4/10 - in another life, this would be a cult classic and I appreciate Warner taking a risk here - but felt like a tv show at times with a big budget.
 
I thought the Pixies were coming in at one point
You weren't wrong! A slow cover of Where's My Mind? was used in a couple of scenes.
 
You weren't wrong! A slow cover of Where's My Mind? was used in a couple of scenes.
I thought I was hearing things and leaned over to a friend and asked is this Where’s My Mind... he just looked at me and said this film sucks. Hahaha
 
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There needs to be a fundamental change in the way movies with a twist in them are reviewed.
Film reviewers of all levels simply need to stop saying this, but i know it will never happen.
Saying a film has a twist in it is an absolute spoiler, why cant they realise this?

Everytime i read that dreaded word in a film review or sentence i think " well, another film ruined".
I have not seen the film and i am not sure i will given the mixed reviews its been getting but even now i'm thinking what the film twist is in it.
 
There needs to be a fundamental change in the way movies with a twist in them are reviewed.
Film reviewers of all levels simply need to stop saying this, but i know it will never happen.
Saying a film has a twist in it is an absolute spoiler, why cant they realise this?

Everytime i read that dreaded word in a film review or sentence i think " well, another film ruined".
I have not seen the film and i am not sure i will given the mixed reviews its been getting but even now i'm thinking what the film twist is in it.
I'm tempted to agree as I'm glad I didn't know there was a twist when watching (which pretty much everyone is referring to now).

Although - in some respects, it's less a twist than a reveal. You know something's going on, which is not usually the case with a twist, the question is what.
 
There needs to be a fundamental change in the way movies with a twist in them are reviewed.
Film reviewers of all levels simply need to stop saying this, but i know it will never happen.
Saying a film has a twist in it is an absolute spoiler, why cant they realise this?

Everytime i read that dreaded word in a film review or sentence i think " well, another film ruined".
I have not seen the film and i am not sure i will given the mixed reviews its been getting but even now i'm thinking what the film twist is in it.

As @gavinhanly says, maybe it's not even a twist just a WTF element to the second half. And you can't really talk about the movie without that, it'd sound really derivative, badly acted and thoroughly un-scary.
 
I'm tempted to agree as I'm glad I didn't know there was a twist when watching (which pretty much everyone is referring to now).

Although - in some respects, it's less a twist than a reveal. You know something's going on, which is not usually the case with a twist, the question is what.
It's happened in the past to me many times, i don't even read the reviews to have things ruined both TV stuff and other movies, two big examples of films ruined; The Sixth Sense and Fight Club.

I didn't read the reviews of either it was word of mouth from friends about the films, the twist in The Sixth Sense i guessed correctly BEFORE i watched the movie and Fight Club a few minutes in.
Would i have enjoyed the films more if i did not know about them having twists?

Yes i think so, an example being the original Planet of the Apes which i watched as a child and the ending blew me away.
As i said before, i just wish reviewers stopped saying films have twists, its not hard.
 
It's happened in the past to me many times, i don't even read the reviews to have things ruined both TV stuff and other movies, two big examples of films ruined; The Sixth Sense and Fight Club.

I didn't read the reviews of either it was word of mouth from friends about the films, the twist in The Sixth Sense i guessed correctly BEFORE i watched the movie and Fight Club a few minutes in.
Would i have enjoyed the films more if i did not know about them having twists?

Yes i think so, an example being the original Planet of the Apes which i watched as a child and the ending blew me away.
As i said before, i just wish reviewers stopped saying films have twists, its not hard.

So, in order to show how easy it is not to mention that films have twists, you just "spoiled" three movies by saying they have twists? Good job. Yes, clearly, it's not hard.
 
So, in order to show how easy it is not to mention that films have twists, you just "spoiled" three movies by saying they have twists? Good job. Yes, clearly, it's not hard.
Apologies, i think i have made my point. You can't make an omelet without breaking a few eggs.
 
I don't know, you guys. Unexpected things happen in movies. To say that halfway through an unexpected thing happens is like saying "there is a romance in this movie." They're just storytelling mechanics.

A film is (or should be) more than just that. If your enjoyment of a particular movie was destroyed simply because you knew there was a plot twist, I'd say what you have there is essentially a bad movie.

My advice is, if you don't want to read anything about the plot devices used in a movie, don't engage with people talking about that movie. Especially if those people are expressly trying to explain whether those plot devices contribute to whether or not the movie is good.
 
It's happened in the past to me many times, i don't even read the reviews to have things ruined both TV stuff and other movies, two big examples of films ruined; The Sixth Sense and Fight Club.
With these two the twist is not overtly telegraphed so it all comes as a very big surprise. For example, knowing there's a twist in the former makes it much easier to spot as they're really trying to hide it in plain sight. That's what I would call a classic twist.

As mentioned, this is more about trying to work out what's actually going on (along with the protagonists) and you're just waiting for (and trying to work out) the reveal.

Still a very big WTF moment, though.
 
Maybe i wasn't making myself clear in my original post, when i watch a new movie and i have read that it has a twist in it, unfortunately i am thinking what the twist may be or what it is and not enjoying the movie instead, it's just the way my mind works.
 
Maybe i wasn't making myself clear in my original post, when i watch a new movie and i have read that it has a twist in it, unfortunately i am thinking what the twist may be or what it is and not enjoying the movie instead, it's just the way my mind works.
I totally agree with you on that, TBH. I just think with this movie particularly, that's part of the intended experience.
 
I don't know, you guys. Unexpected things happen in movies. To say that halfway through an unexpected thing happens is like saying "there is a romance in this movie." They're just storytelling mechanics.

A film is (or should be) more than just that. If your enjoyment of a particular movie was destroyed simply because you knew there was a plot twist, I'd say what you have there is essentially a bad movie.

My advice is, if you don't want to read anything about the plot devices used in a movie, don't engage with people talking about that movie. Especially if those people are expressly trying to explain whether those plot devices contribute to whether or not the movie is good.
A twist in a movie doesn't make it good or bad but knowing a film you have not seen yet has a plot twist in it is a spoiler and can ruin the reveal/surprise.

It's not easy looking at a score of a film and then deciding whether or not i should watch it and finding something about the film i didn't want to know, it's easier said than done. I don't read reviews about films i have not yet seen and never will.
 
So does this film have a twist or a WTF moment?

I'm lost :D
 
Bonkers! I was laughing so hard by the end.
It reminded me of a character from the hitchhikers guide’ lol 😆
I can’t say I didn’t enjoy it though, he really knows how to ramp up tension & scares especially at the beginning, when he’s lulling you into a false sense of security of what the film is.
it also looks totally gorgeous every shot is so beautifully lit, composed & framed. Sometimes breathtaking.
6/10
 
mmm i scored this a 5 was not really sure what to make of it, the visuals were great and the camera angles, but i found it incredible difficult to get into. The ending was kind of a comic book feeling and i suppose was made to be kind of a B movie.
 
Not sure where to start with this, I mean it’s legitimately terrible, but everyone involved knows it’s terrible. It’s so over the top, so silly, it almost works, it definitely doesn’t though. Wan is desperately trying to invoke the iconic characters of horror past, even nicking Jason’s theme, Gabriel is so outlandish, so hilariously bonkers I couldn’t get behind him as a legitimate threat.
The acting is atrocious, the writing is dismal (I did laugh at couple of good lines however most of the laughter was at it), the music overbearing and all over the place. Wan’s trademark camerawork is fun but again way over the top. At nearly 2 hours far far to long.
Part of me wishes I had more fun with it, I just can’t though, it’s ridiculous and not in a good way.
5/10
 
The dummest film I’ve seen in a while. Surprisingly badly acted in places. Some nice visuals but it’s just bad. On the upside has some memorable quotable lines. Don’t waste your time on it. Yes a wtf moment and the point where you want to give up.
 
I thought it was utter shite - relatively boring, utterly derivative and bog standard modern horror fare. 4 for me.
 

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