r/moviereviews

Other Mommy ended up being a lot bigger and more fantastical than I expected. Instead of a small, eerie doppelganger horror story, it feels closer to a twisted fairy tale packed with large-scale visual scares, CGI-heavy reality-warping sequences, and some surprisingly ambitious set pieces. The closest comparison I can make is IT (2017) and IT: Chapter Two (2019) (or even especially WELCOME TO DERRY) because of how grand and flashy many of the horror moments are.

That shift in tone will probably be divisive. Anyone expecting a contained straightforward uncanny horror film may be disappointed by how fantastical it gets, but I found it entertaining even if it was a bit of a mess logic & story wise. Since the story is told through the perspective of 8-year-old Bela, the pacing feels fast and abrupt, though I also got the sense that several scenes were cut, especially since quite a few moments from the trailers and marketing never appear in the finished film which was A SHAME (no bathtub scene, car ballpit scene was reduced to a shorter rushed scene, etc.)

While I enjoyed the surprises and spectacle, the ending felt predictable and I wish it had gone somewhere darker BUTTT some theories suggest otherwise....The scares are much more in-your-face and overt rather than anything genuinely creepy, which left me a little conflicted, but I'd still take this kind of wild, over-the-top horror over the recent wave of bland Insidious and Conjuring sequels.

Overall, I had a good time with it despite a lot of its flaws. It feels shorter than it should, but the creativity, visuals and big horror set pieces kept me entertained throughout. Think of this movie as like a spooky nightmarish haunted house ride come to life rather than anything too serious.

And yes, the movie actually does adapt a lot of things from the book but it does have a different conclusion to which I was not a huge fan of. The time loop theory sounds compelling though when applied to this movie

My personal rating: 7.8/10

(I was the only one at the cinema when I watched this btw, it was PEAKK. Though I might watch this again but with a crowd just to see audience reactions)

After her first year in college, Lucy heads back home to Hawaii and brings along a couple of friends for a nice vacation. Ben, a chimpanzee, is part of the family—but something’s wrong with him, and things start getting horrific.

I didn’t know what to expect going into PRIMATE, but man, they locked me in right from that opening scene. And yeah… we get some absolutely brutal moments. That’s definitely one of the movie’s biggest strengths.

The story itself is basic, but it doesn’t need to be anything more. Things are set up nicely and move the film along well. You’re basically just waiting for the next moment of savagery—and honestly, it works. There’s also a solid amount of suspense throughout.

I really liked the visuals, especially Ben. He’s all practical, and Miguel Torres Umba delivers a great performance as the chimpanzee. On top of that, the violence and gore look awesome. The rest of the cast does a solid job and really bring it.

PRIMATE was a fun surprise, and I’d totally recommend checking it out.

It’s a…
🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸
7/10

That first scene really set the tone!

On a distant planet, a woman wakes up with amnesia and discovers her crew have all been slaughtered. As things start coming to light, she uncovers something truly terrifying.

This one was a mixed bag for me. The plot isn’t anything new. It’s a typical isolation story with our main character not remembering anything, and there are kills. I wasn’t expecting too much, but it could have been a lot better.

The first half felt like it dragged and was a little choppy, almost like a lot of things were cut. It felt like it was missing something the whole time. And not just because our character doesn’t remember, but more on a story level.

Things definitely picked up in the second half. The action and kills absolutely helped in that department. Also, as our character starts remembering, things start making more sense. Obviously. But it really just solidified the fact that it felt like that first half had a lot cut from it to make the movie shorter.

The cast is good, and their performances are alright given what they had to work with. But the real star of the movie is the visuals. This movie looks amazing! It’s totally what kept me locked in throughout. The colors, lighting, wardrobe, gore, scenery, and landscapes all look fantastic. It gives the movie a great tone and an overall psychedelic vibe that really worked for me.

It’s a shame that the rest of the movie isn’t on par with the visuals. The music and sound design also add to the atmosphere, really cementing the movie’s look and feel.

With all that said, ASH was disappointing. If not for the visuals and psychedelic vibe, this one probably wouldn’t have worked for me at all. Should you check it out? If you’re a fan of stylish sci-fi horror and striking visuals, there may be enough here to keep you interested. At only 90 minutes, it’s a quick watch, but I think an extra 30 minutes of story and character development would have helped this movie enormously.

This one’s a…
🌌🌌🌌🌌🌌
5/10

I have so many questions.