Review: SCREAM VI (2023)

 

    Hello everyone, BlazinBlue's Review has returned once again with a new review. This is one that I know some have been waiting for. It's time to talk about Scream VI (or Scream 6). 

    When Scream '22 (Scream 5 or 5cream as the internet had decided to call it) released, it was very nostalgic. It was like coming home to a warm blanket that had just been taken out of the dryer. Cozy. It was an interesting re-quel. It was familiar. The first part was very much in the vein of the original film. But then when Dewey's Last Stand happens, the film hit differently. It showed and expressed that it wasn't afraid to not pull some punches. I know for me, I kept hoping that Dewey was going to come out the film on his feet. But then that scene, it knocked the wind out of me. And I wasn't sure what was going to happen next. I didn't know if any of the legacy characters were exactly safe. And that third act is still pretty great. 

    With Scream VI, I went to see it for my birthday. It's one of those times where the movie gods seemed to shine down as everything had lined up. I went into the theater with a large Root Beer and a medium popcorn. It's honestly something that I don't do very often anymore. Ever since the pandemic, theaters have kind of changed. But there was still that small little spark of being able to escape from the worlds problems and get lost in the story. 

    After that initial watch, I left the theater floored. I didn't know what I had just watched. Well at the very least, I knew it was a Scream film. But it wasn't what I had expected. I guess I was expecting something more in the vein of Scream '22. But Scream VI is far from in the vein of Scream '22. I knew it was going to be very difficult to try to express my thoughts. And it was going to take time and a few times of rewatching it to fully get it. It honestly put my brain on the back burner with movie reviews for a little bit. First time I had found myself a bit flabbergasted like this. 

    When first had heard that Scream VI was moving to New York, I was really intrigued. It's always interesting to see the filmmakers take Ghostface and move the story out of Woodsboro. As much as I love Woodsboro, there's only so many times we can have these things happen there. So seeing our survivors of Scream '22 in New York was pretty welcoming. Then there was mention of them being in college. Cool. It firmly established that Radio Silence was gunning for a Scream 2 to their Scream '22. 

    Then, something interesting happened. They completely subverted expectations. That's honestly one of the best things that Scream VI does, to an extent. It subverted expectations. The kids are going to be in college? Nah, it'll be there for a moment. But just don't let yourself get attached to the idea of seeing them in college. It's going to be set around Halloween? Sweet, nice throwback to Halloween '78 in a way. But don't expect anything too far out of a sequence here and there. Though, if one keeps a keen eye out, there are some small little glimpses that it's Halloween time. Do wish that there would have been more with it though. 

    The opening was something that definitely caught me off guard. It firmly establishes that this won't be the same type of film that Scream '22 was. Yes, we get Samara Weaving in a fun little homage to Drew Barrymore. She's a fish out of water in the big city trying to meet people. It's our first little play of the idea with the college trope as she's a professor. But then that final slash happens leaving us with Ghostface standing there and staring at what they'd done. At that point, we usually would have had our title credit. But it keeps lingering and then unmasking, were we going to get our first audience known Ghostface? I was very intrigued by this concept. Then the rest of the opening played out. 

    On a recent rewatch, the opening hit very different this go around. It felt a bit Hitchcockian. Think about it, the first part of Psycho establishes that we were going to be following Marion Crane then twists it with that shower scene. This opening played very similar to me. 

    The rest of that first act then is fast and loose with re-establishing characters and establishing the newer ones. One of the new characters that I found myself really liking is Danny Brackett, Sam's new love interest. He just felt like a really solid good guy. He understands where Sam's at with everything and wants to be there to help. He never felt like a red herring to me. Then there's "I had econ!" Ethan, Chad's quiet roommate. Ethan never left much of an impression unfortunately. I'm guessing that he may had left that in Econ as well. Quinn, Sam and Tara's roommate, was interesting as she was the embracing her wild side in a sense trope. Then there's Annika, Mindy's love interest. She sadly didn't leave much of an impression either, on me or the ladder scene. Oh, is it too soon? And then we have Detective Bailey. During that initial watch, I felt it too easy for him to be involved. In a sense, it still is but now knowing how the story plays out, it feels a little more natural now. Especially as he quickly lays out the cards in one scene, "You mess with my family. You pay.". 

    I know that there have been quite a lot of people talking about the story. There are some gaps in logic and may be one or two small spots that feel misplaced. But for the most part, it plays things fast and loose. It hits the ground running and just doesn't look back. It's meant to be a fun thrill ride. It also hit me that the previous Scream films are firmly love letters to the Slasher genre. This film is a love letter to Giallo. It's very much evident with how the film plays against the audience's expectations. Radio Silence had a lot of fun with subverting expectations. This is also the first Scream film to have a lot of set pieces: (the Bodega, the Ladder, the Train, and the Shrine). Each one of these sequences are pretty damn memorable. I know, I'm leaving out Gale's sequence and the opening. While Gale's sequence is pretty great, to me it never felt like they could pull the trigger on killing her off. They were pulling their punch after killing off Dewey in the previous film. It'll be interesting to see if they bring her back and how this experience had effected her. 

    In this recent rewatch, the film didn't feel scary during that first act. It felt fun and lacking suspense. But then that apartment and ladder scene arrives, and the film switches gears amazingly. The tension and terror arrives in full force. There are two shots in that sequence where Ghostface felt so different to how he'd been shown in the film so far. The stabbing of the knife into the window sill before grabbing the ladder and the last look before walking away. Both of them are pretty incredible. With that first trailer, I honestly was shocked that they had decided to show part of the train sequence. I mean it makes sense as it firmly established we would see Ghostface in New York. But when the scene arrived, I was shocked cause for the most part it didn't play out like it had been shown. There was a lot more tension to it as we find our group separated. It may be one of my favorite, if not my favorite sequence, in the film. 

    The idea of the Shrine was one that I was all geared up for. It felt different than anything before. In one way, it's very operatic in its approach. It's bold and grandiose. It showcases so many easter eggs so naturally. It's very much a visual representation of the Scream franchise. I originally didn't know how it was going to be used. I just knew it was cool cause it gave us a lair in a sense. Upon rewatches, it's pretty cool discovering more of the easter eggs that originally missed. But by the end of the sequence, it kinda tears down what came before to establish something new. Something fresh. And shows that wherever the story takes us next, it'll be different. 

    When they revealed who was behind everything, I wasn't as surprised about at least one of the killers. But with the rewatch, it's very clear that wasn't the point. This sequence was more about the motive than anything else. I'd say that it's a great sister counterpart to Scream 2's reveal. It also further builds on Richie's backstory. Though one thing that's pretty interesting is how Bailey and Ethan's performances are. They both had some Stu-isms with how gleeful they were. It immediately reminded me of Matthew Lillard's performane at the end of the original, "I always had a thing for ya Sid!". 

    Scream VI definitely got better for me with some rewatches and time to think on it. It continued to be entertaining each time. Yeah, there may be a moment here and there that wish we'd get more time. More time with Gale. More time with some of these newer characters. But it plays lean and mean with the time it has. It further establishes the Core Four as well. And I anticipate that Scream 7 will further build on the character of Danny Brackett. This is a film that definitely felt like a reinvention of the films that makes it new and fresh. And I honestly look forward to seeing where they go next.

Rating: 4 out of 5. 

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Bonus Review: DASHCAM (2021)

Hello everyone and welcome back, I love when movies have the same titles. It's then a random game of chance sometimes when you are trying to find them. Which one are you going to find? If you don't put a lot of thought into it, the one your not looking for. 

This is exactly what happened to me when I was looking for Dashcam (2022). I started the film and the title came on and said Dashcam. Cool. Then I sat and watched the story begin to unfold. Huh, not much mention of pandemic exactly. Oh well, it probably not a big deal. But then I stopped for a minute and remembered that Rob Savage directed Dashcam (2022). I looked at the credits again and this was directed by Christian Nilsson. It also featured Larry Fessenden. 

It turns out that there was a film called Dashcam that was released in 2021. 

Now at this point, I could have said okay and turned it off. However, this was an extremely interesting rabbit hole I was finding myself in. The synopsis for Dashcam (2021) is as follows: A psychological thriller following Jake, a reclusive news editor, who is inadvertently sent secret dashcam video evidence that points to a possible conspiracy and cover-up involving high-ranking government officials.

Just like Jake found himself in this journey, I found myself deep into this rabbit hole as well. I had already became hooked into the story. I liked the characters. Each and every cast member delivers a solid performance. I loved the way the film is told. It's very much in the found footage feel that Host had inspired. So, I continued as Jake continued. This is an experience that I honestly can say I've never had with a film before. It allowed me to connect in a whole new way. 

The story is great. It has a lot of political overtones with side of government conspiracy. So it just turns the amount of tension through the roof. As the film continued, I found myself becoming more unnerved with everything as well. Whenever there was a creak or a sound outside the door, I found myself holding my own breath. It's just such an effective film. 

With one small mistake, I found something that I would not change for the world. It allowed me to see this film in such a unique way. And it probably helped a lot. 

Would I recommend checking this out? If you are searching for a good thriller, I would definitely. It's just something won't return to for multiple viewings probably. But do go in completely blind. 

Rating: 3.25 out of 5. (Solid memorable experience.).

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Whoever Wins, We Lose: AVP - Alien Vs. Predator

Hello everyone, hope everyone's doing well. Also if you haven't had a chance yet, go check out Prey on Hulu in the Comanche dub. I loved the film, but the Comanche is a whole new level of immersion in the story they are telling. And it should not be missed. 

So far, we have covered the Predator films - a ranking will be coming after I cover the Alien films. I consider all the films to be connected. So stay tuned as we will get to the Alien films down the road. But why not take a peek at the two films connecting Alien and Predator?

I am talking about 2004's AVP: Alien Vs. Predator and 2007's Aliens Vs. PREDATOR: Requiem. 

Now, crossover films are something that have been featured in films before. The Universal Monsters did it with Frankenstein vs. Wolfman and Abbot and Costello Meet Frankenstein. New Line Cinema did it with the long awaited Freddy Vs. Jason to success. So, it made sense that 20th Century Fox would do so with Alien and Predator. Especially as this had been featured in comics and games for awhile by this point. 

When I first heard about the film, I was excited. I hadn't had the pleasure of seeing either a Predator or Alien film in theater yet. So this would be my first time seeing them on the big screen. I remember the summer of 2004 very fondly as we had just switched our cable services and I had discovered TechTV, later becoming G4. That summer it seemed like every other commercial break was for Alien Vs. Predator. I could not help but be excited for it. 

I had heard that Paul W. S. Anderson was directing the film. By this point, I was already a fan of the first Resident Evil film. So I wanted to see what he would do with the film. Then word had gotten out that Alec Gillis and Tom Woodruff's ADI would be responsible for the Predator and Alien effects. Again, 16 year old me was excited. 

I even had tracked down the novelization and read it. It's still super solid even with its differences from the film. 5 Predators instead of the 3 we received. Like the Spider-Man novelization,  there were at least three readthroughs up to the release of the film.

On the opening day, my Dad and I went to see the film. It made absolute sense as we already watched the first two Predator films a lot while I was growing up. So it meant a lot getting to see it. 

When I walked out the theater, I was pretty happy with it. Yeah, I understood that it was missing something.  The rating was PG13 after all. So, the action in the film did feel like it lacked an impact when it came to the humans. However, there was Alien and Predator blood flying everywhere. And that made me pretty happy. The cast all delivered pretty solid performances. Each and every one of them was very believable. When I compare it to Freddy Vs. Jason, I feel like AVP was a better film. 

For the most part, Paul W. S. Anderson did have a solid idea of the Alien films. On the Predator side of things, it felt like it could have used a little bit more work. 

AVP is a film that I would consider a comfort film. It's fun to throw on and have for background noise. It delivers a simple story. The action is pretty solid, could have been better. But when the Queen is let loose, it's pretty damn cool. Grid was an interesting idea to give us an Alien that was antagonist. And if I am going to watch any version, I'll be throwing the Unrated on. The Unrated Cut feels safely at home between both franchises. It also definitely leans heavily on the Alien elements.

Rating: 4 out of 5. 

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IF IT BLEEDS: PREY (2022)

Hello everyone, I hope you've had a good week. Here at BlazinBlue's Review, it's been a solid week. We have talked about a variety of movies and books. There's been some focus on the Predator films. And honestly, it's for good reason. If you didn't know yet, there is a new Predator film releasing on HULU today - PREY. 

I have had the chance to check it out. I have also spent some time gathering my thoughts on it. I have seen a huge amount of praise for the film. It's hard to not get excited when hearing all these great things. In the past, I will say that I've let that influence my thoughts. But I've somehow managed to let myself go in blind. 

PREY is an interesting experience. By now, you know that I love the Predator franchise. It's one that means a lot to me as it was one of my first action franchises I was able to watch with my Dad. And now, been able to share that love and introduce it to my son. At this point, you'll have seen three installments of GET TO THE CHOPPAH, my Predator Retrospective. I chose to hold off on the last installment because I wanted to do it after seeing Prey. 

When I first heard of Prey, it was just called Skulls. I knew that it was being made by Dan Trachtenberg, director of 10 Cloverfield Lane. It was mentioned that it would focus on a Comanche tribe's first interaction with something not from this world. With that very broad mention, I was interested. It had managed to just get my attention enough. And then there were small rumblings.

These small rumblings led it to be announced that it was a Predator prequel. I was excited and interested to see what that could entail. All we had seen of the Predator, so far, had been present day. But part of me was a little disappointed. There is a huge part of me that would have absolutely loved if it had more hush hush about the Predator connection. I would have been so down of not finding that out till was already watching the movie. Hell, that's part of the reason I applaud Split so much. It was kept so quiet about it being connected to Unbreakable. But again, it was just the studio not fully going all in.

For those interested in synopsis, here it is:

Set in the Comanche Nation 300 years ago, “Prey” is the story of a young woman, Naru, a fierce and highly skilled warrior. She has been raised in the shadow of some of the most legendary hunters who roam the Great Plains, so when danger threatens her camp, she sets out to protect her people. The prey she stalks, and ultimately confronts, turns out to be a highly evolved alien predator with a technically advanced arsenal, resulting in a vicious and terrifying showdown between the two adversaries.

Like I said earlier, Prey is an experience. It is something that turns a page on the Predator franchise. Total game changer. It's also so fascinating that it is the 1st film in history to be dubbed in Comanche. That is so cool to see. 

When I watched it the first viewing, I watched the English version. I wanted to see how the film would play out. Would it feel out of place seeing members of the Comanche Tribe speaking English? Honestly, I don't feel like it was. There may be some people that will say it was. Does it add an entirely new layer to the film to watch it in the Comanche dub? Hell to the yes. It transforms it into a whole new feeling. And I applaud everyone for making the film this way. 

The cast in this film is fantastic. Amber Midthunder absolutely runs this film. Her performance as Naru is so damn good. The way she's able to portray the journey that she goes on the film is great. She's trying to be a hunter - something she knows she can do when everyone else says she can't. Everyone else doesn't believe in her. Honestly, I'd say her brother Taabe, performed by Dakota Beavers, does believe in her. He's also trying to do his best to protect and look out for Naru. Cause there's definitely a way that most of the tribesmen believe things should go. And that all comes to a head at one specific point in the film. Dane DiLiegro is great as the Predator. This is a creature that is similar in certain aspects to what has come before. Yet at the same time, there is a whole new primal feel to it and it's fantastic. 

The way that the film plays out doesn't feel out of place in this franchise. They are able to weave Naru's journey with the Predator's. Both are doing their best to try and prove themselves. And that's a pretty cool parallel. The action in the film is pretty strong. There were quite a few moments where I felt a lot of anxiety. There's a character in the film where I was like protect at all cost. The way the action sequences occurred in the film felt like something out of a comic. A kinetic energy that just propelled things into high gear. 

Yes, there are some small callbacks. However, they are recontextualized really well. I applaud the way they addressed hiding ones heat signature. That was really damn cool. There was also an egg surrounding the flintlock. If you are a fan of this franchise, you will know it well. It didn't feel shoehorned in. Though, I was a little sad that there wasn't more with it.

Overall, I loved Prey. Dan Trachtenberg and everyone involved were able to brilliantly reintroduce the Predator to a modern audience. Its a whole new chapter with limitless potential now. Honestly, if this is considered to be a reboot. That's fine with me as it handled things beautifully. This is a film that allows time to breathe, experience things with the characters, and end on a strong note.  I hope that we will be seeing other films in this franchise taking note.

Rating: 5 out of 5. (Strong New Beginning)

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BLADE: THE IRON CROSS

Hello everyone, earlier this week I talked about Nat Brehmer's Puppet Master Complete. A fantastic companion to the Puppet Master franchise the same way that Crystal Lake Memories is to Friday the 13th. If you get a chance, pick it up. While reading it, I was reminded that there was still more Puppet Master.

All this brings me to BLADE: The Iron Cross. This was the first time that Puppet Master would receive a spin-off. Not surprising is that it would focus on Blade, the poster child of the franchise in a way. There is another spin-off coming with Doctor Death. It's honestly a natural progression and evolution of the series. 

The story of The Iron Cross picks up after the ending of Axis Termination. Oh yes, we are still in the WWII Era - 1945. By this point, it could easily feel like a cash grab. I mean, in my opinion, the Axis trilogy wasn't necessarily a hit for me. Well at least, Axis Termination kinda fell off the mark. But we have Elisa Ivannov, who is now the keeper of Toulon's Trunk of Puppets, working with Blade. They seem to have a nice back and forth in a sense. Elisa is now a journalist and is investigating random series of murders. This leads them to an off shoot of Nazis still trying to take over the world. 

Honestly, this a solid simple story. It knows what it's trying to do. The fact that there is only Blade helps it immensely. It allows us to focus as well as being practical.  The downsides of the Axis Trilogy is the Puppets, unfortunately because of the crunch of production time. The way things are handled here was super solid. It easily allows this to surpass the trilogy and probably rank a bit high for me. One or the interesting things is that this was a film shot in 4 Days. That's something that is extremely commendable. 

The cast all deliver relatively solid performances. Tania Fox does a good job and that's huge considering it's kinda all riding on her shoulders. Vincent Cusimano is great as the Detective. He is exactly what you imagine when you think of 1940s detective. And the villains are a bit cheesy. But isn't that the point? 

I honestly could go into more. But this is a successful spin-off, in my opinion. It gives you what you'd like to see. Could there be more Blade? Yes. However, they do a good job with what we have. There is also some fantastic callbacks. There is a mention of Dr. Hess. For those that know, it's cool knowing that Hess inhabits Blade. So it adds a layer of a redemption story to it. I'm now at the point where I'm looking forward to Doctor Death, as that gets to explore modern day. This is a film that has me hyped again for this franchise. 

Rating: 4 out of 5. (Doesn't overstay its welcome.)

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Do You Hear It's Call: The Black Phone (2022)

Welcome back. In 2012, Scott Derrickson and Ethan Hawke teamed up a small horror film. It ended up doing really well from what I recall. It's hard to believe that in just ten years, some would consider Sinister to be a classic. I definitely would consider it to be one.  It definitely broke some ground and left a lasting impression with the Bughuul. Don't worry, I plan on revisiting those movies soon so stay tuned. 

When it was announced that Derrickson and Hawke would be reteaming, I was extremely interested. Their first film together was super solid. Could this one recapture the lightning in a bottle? Then I began to look more into the film and found it was an adaptation of a Joe Hill story. 

By this point, I had seen Horns starring Daniel Radcliffe. It was also a Joe Hill adaptation. If you haven't seen it yet, I highly recommend it. So I roughly had an idea of what to expect going into it. Especially considering that Joe Hill is the son of Stephen King, but he's written a lot of solid work. 

I made sure that I stayed away from any trailers for the film. I wanted to go in completely blind. Just let the story speak for itself. Besides the wonderful poster, that is exactly what happened. 

For those who would like to know more about the story of The Black Phone, the synopsis is as follows:

Finney Blake is a shy but clever 13-year-old boy who is abducted by a sadistic killer and trapped in a soundproof basement where screaming is of no use. When a disconnected phone on the wall begins to ring, Finney discovers that he can hear the voices of the killer's previous victims. And they are dead-set on making sure that what happened to them doesn't happen to Finney.

The Black Phone is a bit of an experience. It is a film that I would consider to recapture the magic that Derrickson and Hawke had provided in Sinister. While Hawke delivers a fantastic performance as the Grabber, each and every scene he is in is pretty captivating. There are a few different layers that one could see in the initial watch. Then with each subsequent view, people may uncover a little bit more. 

The big characters in The Black Phone are the children. Each and every one delivers a super impressive performance. Mason Thames is awesome as Finney. Finney goes on such an incredible journey over the course of the story. He goes from someone that is down on their luck to rising above it. Madeline McGraw is fantastic as Finney's sister, Gwen. She is quick to look out for her brother while also calling others out. The interaction between the two is incredibly key to the film. Honestly, I don't think there's a performance that falters in the film. 

This story is one that doesn't overstep its boundary. It allows the story to breathe and take us on an incredible journey. On a second rewatch, there were some layers that I hadn't discovered before - especially with the family relationships and interactions.  The Black Phone is a film that delivers and something I would highly recommend checking out.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5. 

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The Black Room (2017)

I miss video stores. I miss being able to go and rent a movie. Yeah, we have VUDU and Redbox. But none of that really hits like that used to. Being able to go to a Blockbuster or Family Video was something to do on the weekend. For someone that loves movies, those were some of the best times had growing up. 

It felt like direct to videos were something that wasn't exactly just a dime a dozen. It felt like there was some thought put into them before it became 'let's slap the film on the shelves and that's that.'. Nowadays, they are so common that it's hard to figure out the good from the bad. 

Well, The Black Room sounds Iike it could be a forgettable throwaway. At least on an initial glance. A married couple move into their dream home, however, it soon becomes a living nightmare after discovering that the basement is inhabitated by an evil and lustful spirit that conspires to destory the world.

When I first got wind of the film, it made it sound like it was going to be something else. However, this film was an experience. It was something that I honestly never expected nor saw coming. The Black Box honestly felt like it was from Charles Band and Full Moon. It is the type of experience you would have expected out of 90s Full Moon. It may not have been what the film was supposed to be. However, I applaud it for it. 

This is a film that just gave me so many memories of those 90s direct to video horror films you'd see at your local video store. Does it take itself seriously? Honestly, I would say no. It does make it so damn fun. Everyone seems to know what kind of film they were making. 

For the cast, there's a few that I recognized. We have Lin Shaye, Natasha Henstridge, Lukas Hassel, and James Duval. 

Now, Lin Shaye is someone that is extremely well known nowadays from the Insidious movies. However, she's always been part of the genre. Don't believe me? Go check out Nightmare on Elm Street. It seems she loves acting in the genre. And it's pretty much always a pleasure. 

Natasha Henstridge is definitely someone we should know. Species. If you've never seen it, go check it out. She does an incredible job in it. Plus it had some interesting effects with a side of Giger-ness. 

Lukas Hassel was someone I hadn't really seen before. But looking at his credits, he was in the short Slapface. Yeah, the short that led to the film you can find on Shudder. He was also in Art of the Dead. Stay tuned for that one as it is in the Dollar Tree backlog. However, he does a fantastic job in this film. 

And then there's James Duval. This is someone that just has such a recognizable face. When he first appeared, I was like oh shit? It's the dude from Independence Day. My partner looked at me and I explained that he was Randy Quaid's son in it. It was fantastic seeing him again. He was an interesting addition but just wished for more. 

I won't go any deeper into the plot. It's something that I will not spoil. But if you are looking for something in that shlocky 90s horror vein, well you are in for something. The effects were pretty solid though.

Rating: 8 out of 10. (It was a fun throwback.)

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Umma (2022)

Hello everyone, welcome back to BlazinBlue's Review. Its been awhile since our last review. I hope everyone's been doing well. It's been a bit busy and such with farm life.

 I was hoping that I would be able to make these reviews a little more structured. However, that's not in the plans just yet. So bear with me for the formatting as this is done by phone. 

Now earlier this year, Umma was released. It was a film starring Sandra Oh, Fivel Stewart, and Dermot Mulroney and directed by Iris K. Shim. It was one that I don't exactly remembering hearing a lot about. I didn't see any of the trailers. So I honestly had no idea what to expect going in. And then I heard it was quickly released to Netflix. 

The synopsis is as follows: Amanda and her daughter live a quiet life on an American farm, but when the remains of her estranged mother arrive from Korea, Amanda becomes haunted by the fear of turning into her own mother.

Reading that synopsis, I wasn't sure what to expect. I kept an open mind as it sounded like a ghost story. By this point, there have been a lot of ghost films. What could this one do that was different from all the rest? 

Umma is a very eerie Korean ghost story. It has some moments that were a bit creepy. It did establish some fantastic use of what I can imagine as Korean imagery. At one point, we see a nine tail fox. That was pretty unique and different.

Sandra Oh does a pretty solid job as Amanda. This is a character that has a pretty big arc. The opening of the film gives a small glimpse into what trauma she has experienced. But beyond that short moment, it feels a bit light. 

Fivel Stewart does a good job as Chris, Amanda's daughter. The dynamic between Chris and Amanda is a great one. We get to see how much they care for one another. They have a beekeeping business that is becoming successful. However, we are also given small glimpses of Chris wanting to go out into the world to find herself. 

The parallels between what I can imagine young Amanda as and what Chris is going through would be similar. It's an aspect that I wish we were given more time with. The more I keep thinking about the film, the more I realize is that's hampered by its short run time. It's an extremely brisk 1 hour and 23 minutes. It moves very quickly. So much that by the time it was over, I was wishing there was more. 

Dermot Mulroney plays Danny, a store owner that has been helping Amanda and Chris. He's an extremely likeable character. I kept hoping that Amanda and him would end up together in the end. Honestly, it probably would happen. What's the downside though? I don't feel like the film utilizes him enough.  

Umma has good characters. It gives us a decent set up. But the run time hampers it all and makes it feel a bit shallow. There are a few jump scares. And thankfully those aren't played to the 'loud noise must accompany it' trope. I feel like if there had been more depth, the film could be more effective. 

Rating: 6 out of 10. (It's okay for a watch, but probably won't revisit it.)

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