Ebert Did It Better: Gasbag Reviews
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The 7th directorial effort by George Clooney is a beautiful, boring, and predictable story that skips the exciting parts, instead focusing on dread, misery and fading hope in the light of humanity. It is the type of film designed to be called brave, but is more an exercise of muscles that are best left unflexed.
The film would be better if there were more characters like the dog The Beast. At least that character knows when to stay quiet and when to sneak up behind an idiot savage and push him off of a high place.
There are occasional good moments here and there, but overall, the skill is somewhat below local theater troupe making an even lower budget version of Home for Purim.
Fair or not, the film that results is worth one time through, and more if you can bear it. I had to stop on my second trip.
The best thing about the Never Hike… series is the way it takes its time getting to actual kills. It has confidence and is in no hurry.
This film will be more for those curious about the process of how we got from blood going down the drain in black and white in Pscyho to where film in the early ’80’s is so gross.
Of the three James’ inspired works, The Haunting of Bly Manor is the one that is truly inspired, even if it’s not as scary as we’d hope.
How one reacts to The Lie will depend on how far along they ride with its conceit.
Riley and company might create a compelling version of his story a few films from now. For now it just feels like something we’re supposed to learn, which is rarely funny.
There’s almost enough here to make a movie that’s not half bad.
There is no known full version of this film. If there were, it might take me a year to finish. It would likely be a lot better, though.
See it if you want to see the kind of film Cruise made before he completely took control of his career. It’s not worth sitting through otherwise, just to hum along.
Reynolds does his very best straight face through all of Jerry’s challenges. He’s completely hidden any idea that he’s in on the joke. Or even that it is intended to be a joke.
The dread / fascination with and of Krige feels more like a weekend spent with a widowed aunt who just can’t wait to tell you her recipe for fruitcake.
There isn’t enough here to qualify for halfway satisfying. If they had pushed a little harder to complete the circle, maybe. Not this. This is an incomplete scare handed off into thin air.
By the time they get to the third film, they finally make a good one.
Ebert Did It Better: Gasbag Reviews 