LIKES:
-Great Aesthetic -Haunting Music -Fantastic Use Of Light -Stalwart Line Presentation -Makeup and Prosthetics -Sydney Sweeney
Summary: Immaculate is loaded with techniques that elevate the scare factor by embracing the setting and ambiance of the film. The movie has a fantastic aesthetic with the Italian convent, with hallowed halls being tall and foreboding in the majestic European classic design. The way the statues and paintings mirror moods and tell stories further adds that touch of freakiness, supported by a ranged music tone that almost mirrors the terrified looks of the characters and memorabilia scattered about. Immaculate's lighting is a monster of its own, shadows that only turn the safety of the monastery into an illusion with the limited light of flames the only sanctuary from the reaching shadows of the walls. And sometimes, that's not enough as the safety of the light is lost to threats that care little about being seen. Throw in the stifling darkness and claustrophobia that comes at the end, and you get something uncomfortable and heavy.
Past the setting, the makeup department brought their A-game to the movie with fantastic visual effects. The movie is loaded with moments that maximize prosthetics and manual effects conveying true body horror and injury. The main character alone undergoes transformations that hold such realism which only adds to the disturbing context of the movie's plot and adds that element of horror that fans adore and some (like me) shiver at some of the things done in this film. Acting-wise, the cast is solid, a majority forming this aura of intensity that is a complex mixture of stern, safe, and scary at the start before the pieces start to sink in. The way they deliver their lines holds so much tension and emotion with their rich Italian accents that go with the motives and further deliver the deranged secrets of this movie. Sydney Sweeney in particular is the essence of the acting though, and practically carries the movie on her shoulders with her massive talent to pull this performance to incredible heights. The girl is a natural in this world, conveying fear and stress to shockingly amazing degrees and giving us her best portrayal of suffering. I was blown away by just how authentic her performance was and the balance she brought with every shot was incredible. Certainly, the best thing for me in this movie, she is the strongest part of this movie for me.
DISLIKES:
-Goes Too Far With Oddity -Story Elements Are Lacking -Predictable Plot -Mystery Is Dull -Character Elements Are a Miss -Becomes More Drama Than Horror -Excessive Screaming At the End -The Ending Is Bland
Summary Immaculate has that authenticity, but not the story to strongly support it in my opinion. The movie has material that is going to be hated and divisive, but putting that aside it's odd and sometimes crosses the line to the point where the odd didn't rub me the best way. Story elements become lacking and cliché, with a predictable plot that only has a slight twist to trip me up despite the same outcome. This movie relies heavily on a mystery to remain engaged when not tripped by the setting, but that mystery was dull and held little support to put this tale to the top. All of these elements lacking, perhaps character support can help it out, especially with the strong acting game I mentioned earlier. Sadly, this component is even lacking, many of the characters are removed far too quickly or diluted to stereotypical roles with only line presentation and costumes to help with the looks. There were some dynamics I was like, and their abrupt cessation and lack of follow-up led to disappointing story elements for this movie to continue to fail. What results is a drama more than horror at times, more soap opera theatrics and Lifetime thriller with a bigger budget and edgier graphics. Eventually, the story reaches a fun level that Sweeney capitalizes on, but the things I appreciated faded into more screaming to annoying levels. It works for the story, but when that's all it became, it just did little but illustrate Sweeney's talent as we got to the end of the exaggerated finale. And sadly, the ending was just bland, a great metaphor for the journey, but an abrupt finish that did little for me.
The VERDICT: Immaculate is a movie that was promising on so many levels and in ways delivered the promised spooks of a horror film. Fantastic atmosphere and lighting are the keys to the horror for me, with delivery, music, and special effects that truly bring the horror elements to life. With an alluring premise and performance that further support the atmosphere and provide Sydney Sweeney with a canvas to paint her magic on. Yet the actress' talents and dynamic range of emotions are not enough to save this movie from becoming another bland movie of oddities. The small twist to a familiar story does little to alleviate the predictability, and the ending's artistic presentation does well in one aspect but fails to leave any unique or haunting finish that I had hoped would be the memorable cherry on top. With lackluster characters or engaging story arcs for most of those characters, Immaculate just wasn't the mesmerizing piece that I think they were reaching for in this production. Therefore, this film isn't one to rush to the theaters for, but instead check out for the odd view at home. My scores for the film are:
Horror: 6.5 Movie Overall: 5.5.
-Great Aesthetic -Haunting Music -Fantastic Use Of Light -Stalwart Line Presentation -Makeup and Prosthetics -Sydney Sweeney
Summary: Immaculate is loaded with techniques that elevate the scare factor by embracing the setting and ambiance of the film. The movie has a fantastic aesthetic with the Italian convent, with hallowed halls being tall and foreboding in the majestic European classic design. The way the statues and paintings mirror moods and tell stories further adds that touch of freakiness, supported by a ranged music tone that almost mirrors the terrified looks of the characters and memorabilia scattered about. Immaculate's lighting is a monster of its own, shadows that only turn the safety of the monastery into an illusion with the limited light of flames the only sanctuary from the reaching shadows of the walls. And sometimes, that's not enough as the safety of the light is lost to threats that care little about being seen. Throw in the stifling darkness and claustrophobia that comes at the end, and you get something uncomfortable and heavy.
Past the setting, the makeup department brought their A-game to the movie with fantastic visual effects. The movie is loaded with moments that maximize prosthetics and manual effects conveying true body horror and injury. The main character alone undergoes transformations that hold such realism which only adds to the disturbing context of the movie's plot and adds that element of horror that fans adore and some (like me) shiver at some of the things done in this film. Acting-wise, the cast is solid, a majority forming this aura of intensity that is a complex mixture of stern, safe, and scary at the start before the pieces start to sink in. The way they deliver their lines holds so much tension and emotion with their rich Italian accents that go with the motives and further deliver the deranged secrets of this movie. Sydney Sweeney in particular is the essence of the acting though, and practically carries the movie on her shoulders with her massive talent to pull this performance to incredible heights. The girl is a natural in this world, conveying fear and stress to shockingly amazing degrees and giving us her best portrayal of suffering. I was blown away by just how authentic her performance was and the balance she brought with every shot was incredible. Certainly, the best thing for me in this movie, she is the strongest part of this movie for me.
DISLIKES:
-Goes Too Far With Oddity -Story Elements Are Lacking -Predictable Plot -Mystery Is Dull -Character Elements Are a Miss -Becomes More Drama Than Horror -Excessive Screaming At the End -The Ending Is Bland
Summary Immaculate has that authenticity, but not the story to strongly support it in my opinion. The movie has material that is going to be hated and divisive, but putting that aside it's odd and sometimes crosses the line to the point where the odd didn't rub me the best way. Story elements become lacking and cliché, with a predictable plot that only has a slight twist to trip me up despite the same outcome. This movie relies heavily on a mystery to remain engaged when not tripped by the setting, but that mystery was dull and held little support to put this tale to the top. All of these elements lacking, perhaps character support can help it out, especially with the strong acting game I mentioned earlier. Sadly, this component is even lacking, many of the characters are removed far too quickly or diluted to stereotypical roles with only line presentation and costumes to help with the looks. There were some dynamics I was like, and their abrupt cessation and lack of follow-up led to disappointing story elements for this movie to continue to fail. What results is a drama more than horror at times, more soap opera theatrics and Lifetime thriller with a bigger budget and edgier graphics. Eventually, the story reaches a fun level that Sweeney capitalizes on, but the things I appreciated faded into more screaming to annoying levels. It works for the story, but when that's all it became, it just did little but illustrate Sweeney's talent as we got to the end of the exaggerated finale. And sadly, the ending was just bland, a great metaphor for the journey, but an abrupt finish that did little for me.
The VERDICT: Immaculate is a movie that was promising on so many levels and in ways delivered the promised spooks of a horror film. Fantastic atmosphere and lighting are the keys to the horror for me, with delivery, music, and special effects that truly bring the horror elements to life. With an alluring premise and performance that further support the atmosphere and provide Sydney Sweeney with a canvas to paint her magic on. Yet the actress' talents and dynamic range of emotions are not enough to save this movie from becoming another bland movie of oddities. The small twist to a familiar story does little to alleviate the predictability, and the ending's artistic presentation does well in one aspect but fails to leave any unique or haunting finish that I had hoped would be the memorable cherry on top. With lackluster characters or engaging story arcs for most of those characters, Immaculate just wasn't the mesmerizing piece that I think they were reaching for in this production. Therefore, this film isn't one to rush to the theaters for, but instead check out for the odd view at home. My scores for the film are:
Horror: 6.5 Movie Overall: 5.5.