Thursday, July 30, 2009

REVIEW: "Orphan"

I went into Orphan expecting a psychological thriller and was pleasantly surprised that we got so much more. It has an adult-themed plot with superb acting all around. The casting director deserves an award of some kind for sure, especially for the youngest member (Aryana Engineer). The effectiveness of the tense scenes is due in part to the great casting. Everyone handles the horrific elements with veteran experience. And there are definitely moments that drive home the R rating and push it into the horror category.

The movie is solid for sure, but I do have 2 complaints. 1.) The twist isn't that hard to figure out, especially for me, as I usually guess movies' twists/endings very early on. It's a gift and a curse. No biggie. However, I feel my other complaint holds back what could have otherwise been an unforgettable movie.

2.) The ending was a total cop-out. They set the stage for something truly unforgettable that would have made movie goers walk out of the theaters dragging their jaws on the ground behind them. They missed out on a chance to shock the hell out of us with good writing. Yet they chose not to. Instead, the movie is "good" and not "unforgettable".

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