Director: Gareth Evans
Year: 2018
Country: United Kingdom/USA
Alternate Titles: N/A
Genre: Cult
Plot:
Called out to a remote island, a man is sent to retrieve his sister from a pagan cult based on an island lead by a charismatic leader and tries to ingrain himself into their society in order to save her only to find that the cult may be more dangerous than expected putting his quest in jeopardy.
Review:
This had a lot to enjoy about it alongside some problems. One of the major forces to enjoy with this one is the fact that there's a great deal of creepiness for the community itself. The idea of them being isolated from the rest of the country where they practice their extreme religious fanaticism creates a spectacular setup to cross the border between that brand of religious fanaticism and just plain pure religion. With the difference between the two held in their own warped minds with the speeches glorifying the beauty of their existence and the lack of other proper religious treatment bestowed upon them, this community gives off the kind of appeal that would be enticing for some to look upon joining from the outset.
That setup then brings about the horrors later on when the full-on extent of their regulations are revealed. With the maddening manner that he has to keep his identity a secret through the time he's there on the island, including the chilling sequence of being forced to remain hidden while his sister seeking is being tortured in front of him in order to draw out the intruder they're unaware of is him, there's a fine suspenseful tactic to be had with the way this one continually allows him to escape the notice of the guards who are noticeably on his trail the entire time. From being forced to wade through a stream of sewage only to confront the shrieking being underneath the water to landing in the darkened cave full of creepy hieroglyphics on the walls to the absolutely creepy sequence in the creatures' catacombs that controls the island. With a stellar finale that incorporates plenty of these elements as well as fine folk-horror elements, there's a lot to really enjoy with this one.
The main issue to be had with the film is the overall length of this one as it's quite a lengthy and somewhat overlong effort. Most of that is due to the rather distressing issue of either running scenes way longer than necessary or just engaging in sideplots that aren't in the slightest bit pertinent to the story. While the idea of showing us his backstory is an important part of the film, there's no reason to include it as it runs on way too long to mean anything and the scenes of him sneaking around the island or the subplot with the young lovers being together only serves to highlight how corrupt their system is. These all could've been done in far easier and shorter setups than what was presented here.
Likewise, that length also means that far too much of this one manages to go unexplained or unexplored because it's dealing with areas that aren't necessary to be included. The idea of their religion as a whole is entirely undefined other than the worship of a pagan deity, and the fact that different creatures and figures start emerging later and later in the film is completely glossed over as to what they actually are or intend to accomplish which hurts this one greatly. The need to overthrow the system and what's at stake doesn't really amount to much as there's nothing about them or what they're doing to keep the different beings satiated or what overcoming them accomplishes. This is a big stumbling block and is what holds this back the most.
Overview: ***1/2/5
There's a lot to really like here as this one does manage to effectively conjure a great atmosphere and some solid action although it does find a few faults that lower this one. This is certainly worthwhile enough for those that appreciate the films more enjoyable elements or the overall style of the film, while those looking for more in their films considering it's flaws are still advised to check it out but should heed mild caution.
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