A perfect failure example of demon-disguise-as-child horror flick would be an understatement to this film. To summarize it, I would say it’s a combination of ‘Drag Me to Hell (2009)’ and ‘The Orphan (2009)’ but just much worse than either of them.
The beginning of the story plot was ok and successfully creates an aroma of mystery. However, the story line became kinda boring when it failed to break from the typical flow which is:
1. The main character(s) found a child who is supposedly adorable but with a mysterious background.
2. The child (demon or whatever) shows signs of evil and the protagonist starts to be afraid of her.
3. Protagonist investigates the reasons and past of the child.
4. After several failing attempts, the protagonist eventually successfully/unsuccessfully kills the child.
Apparently, the plot of this story is a recycle of things that others already used (many times) in the past. So, do not expect anything else but poorer plot.
Well, without much hesitation, I’m gonna reward the casting members for screwing up even more the story. Renee Zelweger’s acting was poor and too surface comparing to my expectation from the ‘The Bridget Jones’s Diary’ actress. Moreover, Jodelle Ferland is definitely unsuitable for the role as the demon-disguise-as-child character, despite her good acting in ‘Silent Hill (2006)’. Jodelle’s acting; I would say it’s more irritating than horrifying. First of all, she looks more mature (taller) and less adorable comparing to similar actor/actress in ‘The Omen’ and ‘The Orphan’. Second of all, I can almost see her desperation to put up an evil smirking smile that I found it annoying (no wonder she wasn’t featured in the promotional poster). The only character that helped me bear with the movie was Bradley Cooper, though his character was totally insignificant at all.
No long lasting terrifying scenes from the movie. A copy cat of ‘Drag Me to Hell’ by using bees (instead of flies) but … there’s nothing to be horrified of – at all. I have to warned you that many scenes in the movie that try to shock you but turn out to be something dumb and not related to the story – they may annoy you. So, please, don’t go in with popcorns.
There’s nothing worth watching about this movie at all – really. My piece of advice: save your time in the cinema queue and re-watch ‘The Orphan’ or perhaps ‘The Omen’ (I mean the classic one) will even be more enjoyable.
THE RATING:
Story – 3.0 stars
Casts – 2.0 stars
Cinematography – 2.5 stars
Effects – 2.0 stars
OVERALL – 2.5 stars
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