The Amaranth

For once, I agree with the overall Imdb rating of this movie; it was palatable. An interesting, if unoriginal story, unfolds with enough mystery to keep you watching until the end. Melora Walterns was a new face to me, but she held up her acting part with skill. Jeffery DeMunn has one of those unpleasant faces that would make a great villain, but in this movie he just looks senile and demented. IMO Christopher Denham's heart-shaped face doesn't convey enough malice for the role, so not a good casting choice, but he did a decent job nonetheless. Brandon Scott was a good choice for the role, and he was great in it. I enjoyed the story twist at the end, as it's more realistic, with none of that pretense of a happy ending that most Hollywood movies end with.

This film is just ok but it will not make you wish for your time back, which a lot of offers on streaming will make you do ! The story is very predictable but passable. At least it is set in not too far fetched reality vs some sci fi future. I found the acting good all around except for the acting of the two "harpy" type country club women, too over the top obnoxious. I haven't seen the female lead since she was in the HBO series "Big Love", so that was a nice surprise. I didn't care for the lighting or coloring throughout, maybe it lent to the "sinister" ambiance, but it was just too muddy. . If its a rainy cold day, and you have nothing else to watch, not a complete waste of your time.

Overall, I felt this was a very good movie. You do not have to be an A listed male or female actor to give an extremely good performance; you just have to have the opportunity to do so. But, as I sat though the viewing of the film, my mind drifted back to the 1970s for an oddly similar movie and the only one I could come up with was the original Stepford Wives.

While it seems like it's going to become a melodramatic, supercilious Lifetime type movie, it ends up treating a dicey subject a pretty objectively, giving the viewer an opportunity to form their own opinion, which I find refreshing in an era when every movie and TV show seems like imperious operant conditioning for convicted thought criminals.

Not a masterpiece but a very decent mystery thriller with excellent acting and a very good cast. A little slow and moderately predictable but was worth watching till the satisfying end. With who we have as president and the way society is going I see this story as very plausible and in the very near future.