Happy Monday! Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. It's been a bit nice having some time for a breather around here. My partner, Mandy and I had the pleasure of getting to have date night this weekend. Our son went to his Papa's. And we were left trying to figure out what we were going to do. We tried seeing if our friends had plans, they did. Mandy was driving home and just wanting to do something besides going home. Typically for us, that's usually the plan.
So I made mention of let's go see a movie. It had been some time since they had seen a movie in the theater. For me, it was just a few weeks ago for Let There Be Carnage. Well, I went through what movies were available. Eternals - pass, that's more of a Bruce and I thing. Though, Mandy thought the trailer looked pretty cool. Last Night in Soho? Nah. Halloween Kills? Can see that on Peacock. And as I went through the list of movies, I came to Antlers.
I immediately remembered seeing the trailer when I went to see Candyman. It looked like it was going to be pretty interesting. Sounded like what the doctor ordered. So, we drove past our house and within five minutes at our theater. The next showing was in six minutes. Absolutely perfect timing with it all.
We sat in our seats. There were about seven or eight other people as well. It's a shame really. But again, kind of an art house small indie film is a hard sell these days. The trailers play and had some decent ones. The King's Man is one I'm pretty excited about. We also saw the Resident Evil trailer. Mandy hadn't seen that trailer yet so this was a cool experience for them. They were excited about it. So when that comes out, I'm sure you'll be seeing a review from me as Mandy is set to go when that's released.
Also I would like to give a huge warning. If you are someone who is photosensitive, Antlers has quite a few sequences where there are flashing lights. The film also included a warning for this as well. However, our movie theater failed to give any notification about this. Big disappointment in that. This was something that was very crucial to us. Mandy has a bit of photosensitivity. So there were times where they had to look away from the screen and I had to describe what was going on.
Now, the trailer for Antlers hadn't shown much. It set up a general idea for the film. A small-town Oregon teacher and her brother, the local sheriff, discover that a young student is harbouring a dangerous secret with frightening consequences. This was basically the jist I was ready for. Mandy hadn't seen that trailer but I gave that general sypnosis for it to them. So basically a pretty blind approach to going into a film.
I just knew it had Keri Russell and Jesse Plemons in it. Keri Russell is one that is sometimes a hit and miss for me. Jesse Plemons is one I remember from Friday Night Lights and American Horror Stories/Story. I was excited to see what he was going to do. Both of these performers delivers a rock solid performance for me. I wasn't bored or rolling my eyes - it had me anchored. Jeremy T Thomas also delivers an incredible performance as young Lucas Weaver. Literally this film could have easily fallen apart if those three performers weren't solid.
Holy crap. This film left me not knowing what was going to happen next. I couldn't help but be enamored with where things would go next. There are quite a few different ways this film could have played out. However for the most part, it felt like a drama mixed with some creature elements. Then it would just continue to ramp up on the creature elements. Some people may have issues with certain elements of the film. As a father of a child, the film felt like a gut punch at a certain point. If you have read this far and all this sounds interesting, go check out the film. I really don't think you will be disappointed by it.
Now I would like to dive deeper into the film, so there will be spoilers. It's something that I cannot stress enough. Do not spoil this film for yourself. If you proceed any farther into this review, you will spoil things for yourself.
3...
2...
1...
Are you sure?
Do you really want to spoil it?
Okay, you had your warning. Nothing else I can do to deter you from spoiling it.
Okay, earlier I had mentioned that there was a creature in this film. Now this is a creature that I have seen before in television shows like Supernatural. Wendigo. This is something that I honestly have not seen much of. Typically in this type of film, high chances are we would have seen a werewolf in it. But just having a Wendigo changed things up so much. It made the whole thing felt very refreshing. There were some aspects of it that could have been fleshed out a bit more. Like how exactly did Lucas's brother Aidan come down with it? Mandy had mentioned after the film that it seemed like the Wendigo infected as a pair. An adult would become a hunter and a child would become a decoy. This was something that I hadn't truly thought bout at first. The more that I think about it, the more I really dig that possibility. It also plays into the ending of the film so very very well.
There was also the whole Father subplot for Keri Russell and Jesse Plemons. This was something that wasn't necessarily at the forefront. Some aspects of it were shown. But overall, it felt a little light and didn't hit the right way it could have. Especially dealing with Jesse Plemons character, there's a scene where he talks to Keri Russell and says that she had no idea what their Dad had done either. It's a bit of a powerful scene. However, I wish we would have had a little more time that could have fleshed things out a little more. As of right now, it just feels a bit shallow as if only there for padding. Or to have some way for the characters to reach out to Lucas.
The tension in this film is a bit tense and heavy. Throughout the run time, there is always something haunting a scene whether it's the Father subplot or the actual Wendigo itself. Wherever I looked things just felt creepy or out of place. There is blood in this film as well as some of the acts of violence themselves. Holy crap.
I don't wish to give anything else away. There is a lot going on with this film. The sad thing is that it's probably one that will go under the radar for many. But it is so good and honestly if there is more to say with a sequel - I am down for it.
Rating: 4 out of 5.
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