The Ritual Review
By: Nik S
Director: David Bruckner
Producer(s): Jonathan Cavendish, Richard Holmes, Andy Serkis
Starring: Rafe Spall, Arsher Ali, Robert James-Collier, Sam Troughton
Production Company: Imaginarium Productions, eOne Films
Distributor(s): eOne Films (UK), Netflix (International)
Runtime: 94 minutes
The Ritual is a 2017 based off of the novel of the same name by Adam Nevill. The novel was originally published in October 2011 in the United Kingdom, and four months later in the United States under a different publisher. The film rights were originally optioned by Stillking Films, before it was passed to Imaginarium Productions. The film adaptation was released near the novel's 6 year anniversary in 2017, to which it was later released internationally via Netflix.
The film follows four friends who embark on a long hiking trip somewhere in Sweden in memory of their friend who was killed six months earlier in a convenience store robbery. After one of them trips and injures himself, the group decides to go through an alternative route through the woods that should cut their trip time in half. However, as they go into the woods they noticed a slaughtered elk and mysterious runes on the trees around them. When night falls, they run into a seemingly abandoned cabin, to where they find a strange effigy made from wood and antlers. When they decide to lay down for the night is when things go from bad to worse.
The trailer had me believing that this was going to be a witch movie, but it's more akin to a monster movie. One of the things this movie is best at is the buildup for its monster. The audience is left in this state of uncertainty about what the cast is up against. This is where the movie shines the most with a buildup that is neither too slow, nor too quick with its reveal. Without giving too much away about the "monster" it really fits the feel of the movie and has a surprise about its role other than killing off the cast.
The acting isn't the absolute best, but it's nothing that feels like it's taking a toll on the movie. The actors seem to have been given good direction. The characters aren't your super generic horror stereotypes, with one or two exceptions, so it makes the cast more relatable and easier to watch. There isn't much to complain about when it comes to the cast, since they fit their roles well.
The only complaints to be had with this movie lies on the cinematography and editing. Some shots lingered way too long to set up scenic shots, and other times it was the exact opposite. During the climax the camera was shaky, compared to earlier in the movie where it was rather still and clean. The editing made switching scenes feel clunky and uneven from scenes being just abruptly cut off. For example there was a shot zooming over the forest with a slow crescendo in the music, and right when the music built up it was just cut off.
The movie was interesting enough to keep me invested throughout, and the climax was one of the best parts of the movie. The whole setting had me unnerved and on the edge of my seat. If you can get over the shaky camerawork then you can delve into the unsettling nature that the movie has built up. You don't really see the twist coming, though it's nothing too major and just explains a few of the earlier mysteries. The very end of the movie is slightly generic, but it is rather fitting.
I really enjoyed myself throughout the movie. The only complaints I had about it was small little nitpicks that don't ruin the movie, but were just small annoyances. If you get the chance to watch this on Netflix I'd recommend it, especially if you're in the mood for a creepy horror movie.
Director: David Bruckner
Producer(s): Jonathan Cavendish, Richard Holmes, Andy Serkis
Starring: Rafe Spall, Arsher Ali, Robert James-Collier, Sam Troughton
Production Company: Imaginarium Productions, eOne Films
Distributor(s): eOne Films (UK), Netflix (International)
Runtime: 94 minutes
The Ritual is a 2017 based off of the novel of the same name by Adam Nevill. The novel was originally published in October 2011 in the United Kingdom, and four months later in the United States under a different publisher. The film rights were originally optioned by Stillking Films, before it was passed to Imaginarium Productions. The film adaptation was released near the novel's 6 year anniversary in 2017, to which it was later released internationally via Netflix.
The film follows four friends who embark on a long hiking trip somewhere in Sweden in memory of their friend who was killed six months earlier in a convenience store robbery. After one of them trips and injures himself, the group decides to go through an alternative route through the woods that should cut their trip time in half. However, as they go into the woods they noticed a slaughtered elk and mysterious runes on the trees around them. When night falls, they run into a seemingly abandoned cabin, to where they find a strange effigy made from wood and antlers. When they decide to lay down for the night is when things go from bad to worse.
The trailer had me believing that this was going to be a witch movie, but it's more akin to a monster movie. One of the things this movie is best at is the buildup for its monster. The audience is left in this state of uncertainty about what the cast is up against. This is where the movie shines the most with a buildup that is neither too slow, nor too quick with its reveal. Without giving too much away about the "monster" it really fits the feel of the movie and has a surprise about its role other than killing off the cast.
The acting isn't the absolute best, but it's nothing that feels like it's taking a toll on the movie. The actors seem to have been given good direction. The characters aren't your super generic horror stereotypes, with one or two exceptions, so it makes the cast more relatable and easier to watch. There isn't much to complain about when it comes to the cast, since they fit their roles well.
The only complaints to be had with this movie lies on the cinematography and editing. Some shots lingered way too long to set up scenic shots, and other times it was the exact opposite. During the climax the camera was shaky, compared to earlier in the movie where it was rather still and clean. The editing made switching scenes feel clunky and uneven from scenes being just abruptly cut off. For example there was a shot zooming over the forest with a slow crescendo in the music, and right when the music built up it was just cut off.
The movie was interesting enough to keep me invested throughout, and the climax was one of the best parts of the movie. The whole setting had me unnerved and on the edge of my seat. If you can get over the shaky camerawork then you can delve into the unsettling nature that the movie has built up. You don't really see the twist coming, though it's nothing too major and just explains a few of the earlier mysteries. The very end of the movie is slightly generic, but it is rather fitting.
Comments
Post a Comment