I will do my best
not to reveal any spoilers as this movie just came out a couple of weeks ago. So
this will probably be a short review!
The basic story of Demigod is this: After Robin’s grandfather dies, she and her husband, Leo, return to Germany, where she was born and lived as a small child. There they find a dark secret waiting for them.
It seems jumping on the pagan/witch bandwagon is a thing now. It was a huge trope in the sixties and seventies, where the witches worshipped Satan, killed babies, and put hexes on people. Then the nineties gave us movies like The Craft and Practical Magic which, at the very least, gave us some accurate basics of witchcraft and paganism. And then The VVitch came out and threw the witchcraft trial victims right under the horse cart and perpetuated the untruth of witches worshipping Satan and killing babies.
Fucking trolls.
At least the people of Demigod have returned to the more basic truths of paganism and witchcraft, and wrapped them in the folklore of Germany, specifically the Black Forest. Think deep dark woods, hunting, horned god, sacrifice, etc. You see where this is going?
That’s all I’m going to tell you because any more would really give away too much. So let me talk about the good aspects of the film.
 |
| Is there something on my face? Here? This side? Did I get it? |
• The
cinematography and location shoots are gorgeous. Atmosphere fits each scene and
situation well. I never felt pulled out of the story because something was off
in the surroundings.
• Pacing
is just right. There is a good buildup with character introductions, backstory
building, scene setting. Then at about the halfway mark, the shit hits the fan.
•
Acting is excellent. I only
recognized one actress (Rachel Nichols, who played Robin) but everyone else
matched her skills. I was personally impressed with the child, Rachel Ryals,
who played Amalia, and Miles Doleac who played Amalia’s father, Arthur. What
really impressed me is that of the actors playing the German natives, only ONE
was born there. Maybe she helped with dialect and accents but whatever the
case, I really thought German actors were hired for this movie. Good job
everyone!
•
I did really like a few lines
of dialogue: “The night has come to kill the day. Sleep well.” - Arthur (okay,
thanks for creeping me out, dude). “I’m nobody’s servant.” - Robin. She ended
up being pretty strong, not as bad ass as Amalia, but that line gave me
goosebumps.
 |
| Da fuq did you just say to me? |
And now for the bad.
•
The actual demigod, Cernnous (I
think that was the name - honestly, they called him a dozen different things)
looked straight up like a guy running around in a bull mask. Bad CGI for his
mouth movement, random use of glowing eyes, and a rambling speech near the end
about ritual and servants and blah blah blah.
•
Either too long establishing
shots (walking up a path or whatever) and some long speeches about traditions
and ritual and blah blah blah pulls the viewer out of the experience.
•
Robin is a relatively smart
character but it takes a lot of her asking “What?” “What do you mean?” “I don’t
understand” before the story can progress, while the rest of us are waiting for
her to catch up.
•
Glomming onto the witch trend,
making them evil and murdery (even if it’s explained as for a ‘higher’ purpose)
still pisses me off to no end.
So aside from these few issues, overall the film is entertaining and interesting. I don’t think it was released in theaters but you can rent it on Amazon. Maybe you should check it out!
3 hatchets (out of 5)
Get books, comics, graphic novels and more at bunny17media.com. Use the code CHC at checkout for 15% off your purchase!
Follow Cinema Head Cheese:
Website: cinemaheadcheese.com
Facebook: /cinemaheadcheese
Twitter: @CinHeadCheese
You can support Cinema Head Cheese and Abnormal Entertainment on our Support Us page.
No comments:
Post a Comment