The Lair

I was initially lured in by this 2022 action horror movie's cover/poster. Yeah, I am a sucker for creature features, so of course this movie caught my attention.

Sure, I hadn't heard about "The Lair" prior to getting to sit down and watch it, so I virtually had no idea what I was in for here, aside the creature's face showing on the cover/poster. But that was essentially also enough to get me interested.

Writers Charlotte Kirk and Neil Marshall put together a fairly okay movie here. I mean, it felt like a typical creature feature from the 1980s and 1990s, so if you enjoyed those kind of movies back in the day, then "The Lair" will prove entertaining for you. I enjoyed it actually for what it was, and it was like a trip down a nostalgic path. Sure, writers Charlotte Kirk and Neil Marshall weren't revolutionizing the horror genre with "The Lair", but they came up with an adequately enough movie that proved watchable and enjoyable for what it was.

The acting performances in the movie was good. I wasn't familiar with a single actor or actress on the cast list, but I will say that they actually put on good enough performances to carry the movie and make "The Lair" enjoyable.

Visually then "The Lair" was okay. The creature design was a bit too simplistic for my liking. And the fact that it was so painstakingly obvious just guys in rubber suits wasn't helping the movie. Sure, it felt like something from 1980s, but for a movie made it 2022, it was a bit too simplistic. Better effects would have lifted the movie up from the mediocre lane.

Watchable for what it was, "The Lair" proves enjoyable enough for a single viewing. And I do mean a single viewing, because there simply isn't enough meat on the bone here, pardon my French, to support more than a single viewing.

My rating of director Neil Marshall's 2022 action horror movie "The Lair" lands on a five out of ten stars.

The trailer was really misleading b/c a lot of the scenes went by too quickly. But when you actually watch this film, you realize it is really a low budget film. And that is a shame because it could've been a great blockbuster.

The story is pretty average and predictable, but that's alright as these type of films we're looking for action and scare. The lack of budget made it look a bit cheese feel which really ruined it right from the start. However, again if they could do it well in the trailer, I still think much of this is through the camera work.

What am I talking about? In some scenes of the monster close up, you can tell they spent a lot of money on the CGI and effects to make it look real, these are in the trailer. However, many scenes of the monster from afar, which are mostly action scenes, you can totally tell it is some guy in a cheap rubber suit. Yeah... it's that bad.

A lot of the explosion effects were really good, which again makes me wonder perhaps they spent the money in the wrong area of the film. Overall a good one time watch with friends but treat it like any other cheesy low budget B movie and you'll get a night of fun with your friends. Keep your expectations low.

5/10.

Those were some of the worst accents I've ever heard across the board and they were so distracting that I have no idea if the movie was any good.

The script seemed choppy and unconvincing but I'm not entirely sure if it was actually bad or if I just couldn't get past the atrocious accents.

The story was slow and dragged it'd feet, the monsters felt repetitive, the entire premise felt forced and had no natural flow to it.

But seriously, in case I haven't hit this point enough, couldn't they cast people with authentic accents if they were unable to find anyone able to convincingly deliver on them?

It is exactly what I expected. You know that a lot of the soldiers are fodder. And. That is okay. Good action sequences. Great creature effects. Not sure why there are so many negative reviews. It's a great time killer. And. As long as you know what your in for. You'll like it. Paced nicely. Good character development. If you like monster movies with practical effects. You'll enjoy this. Turn your brain off, to some extent. Has a few jump moments. Nothing major. The actors did a good job with the material they were given. Would love to see the material expanded upon. A sequel or prequel would be nice.

Basic premise is something we've seen countless times. Secret military base with monsters. Bunch of soldiers fighting for their lives. Same old, same old.

Nothing really new here. Pretty much by the numbers.

The special effects are just as average as everything else. Nothing too special. Not terrible, just your usual rubber suits and squibs.

The acting is... alright. The characters are all very one note. Everyone has their role, the muscle, the ass, the doc, the heart, etc... again, all as expected. The acting is serviceable.

The writing... meh. Tons of stupid decisions being made. Lots of nonsensical stuff and contradictions. The monsters are both nigh invulnerable and able to be knocked out by a punch. They can take countless rounds from high powered rifles, but a hammer to the head takes them out.

There's also a lot of magically teleporting moments. Like when a monster is there to grab someone when they weren't there a second ago. Or how there's a ton of them everywhere, then suddenly the place is empty, then it's full again when they need more action. Just very badly directed.

If you turn your brain off, it makes an adequate action flick to waste time with. But not really worth bothering with if you're looking for something beyond made for TV trash.