Azrael

Would have made a great short which seems to be the case for alot of these features these days. This film is massively padded out with dross that needs editing out. Found my eyes closing at a couple of moments during the film which is never a good sign, same was said for A Violent Nature. There's a reason no one has told the slasher story like that before and it's because it's a snooze fest.

This looks great on paper and like I said would make a great short but there is nothing in this feature that was new or unique. Mute cults... um sure, Valhalla Rising did this masterfully. Also I did not buy it. These people have supposed to be mute for a very long time yet they exhibit no real form of other communication. It all felt staged. A world not earned or lived in.

I think my biggest gripe is that this film lacks so much clarity. It presents a bunch of questions and answers none.

Some nice gory bits in it but that's about it.

Azrael starts with an intriguing premise: a post-apocalyptic setting where a woman, played by the talented Samara Weaving, is hunted by a cult. It seems like a horror film with potential, especially with Weaving, who's known for her solid roles in the genre. However, despite the promising setup, the movie stumbles in several areas.

The decision to have almost no dialogue is bold, reminiscent of films like A Quiet Place or Bird Box, but unlike those, Azrael fails to use this strategy to create the same level of tension or immersion. With only three lines spoken throughout the film, the narrative struggles to find clear direction, leaving many questions unanswered.

The biggest issue is the film's indecision about its genre. It tries to be a bit of everything: supernatural, slasher, psychological horror, and even a survival thriller. This mix of genres, rather than enriching the story, ends up diluting it, resulting in a film that lacks a clear path and fails to establish its own identity.

Still, there are a few positives worth noting. The chase scenes are well done and manage to build some adrenaline, though they fall short of reaching their full potential. The religious atmosphere in certain parts is also intriguing, but unfortunately, it's not explored as deeply as it could have been.

Samara Weaving, often associated with horror, delivers a decent performance, but it's far from memorable. Compared to her role in Ready or Not, which will soon have a sequel, Weaving feels underused in Azrael, as if the film doesn't give her the space to truly shine.

Overall, Azrael has good ideas, but it lacks the cohesion and depth needed to truly stand out. It's a film that entertains but doesn't leave a lasting impression, getting lost in its attempt to be everything at once.

I got what the film was going for by the end of the film but, seriously, would've been a lot less frustrating had the film actually told us a bit about what was happening before they decided to hit is over the head with it.

The only thing told from the beginning is that everyone is mute, because of the apocalypse and their sins of speech or something like that. That's all you get. Other than that, it's up to the audience to piece together the, once you figure it out, incredibly simple storyline. And it is just that, a simple film. Nothing note-worthy here. Just some decently staged gory moments, and some decent acting. The ending is incredibly predicable, to the point of you knowing what's going to happen long before you get there. It's pretty run of the mill horror here.

Overall, I couldn't recommend spending money on it. It was watchable and kept my interest, but if I had paid for it, I would've been pretty disappointed. It'll be on Shudder for free in no time, just wait for it til then.

2 relious cults out of 5.

I would like to describe how frustrating it is to watch a film like this but ... there are no words.

It's some post appocalyptic scenario (maybe) and there are people in the woods who seem to (maybe) worship some force of evil, embodied by zombie-like demons that lurk in the woods.

People run around in the woods and there are some fights between the maybe good and maybe bad guys until eventually it draws to a somewhat unambiguous ending.

There are some awesome gore effects and the movie is expertly made but why they wanted to go the silent route is bizarre. It is tedious and you just don't care about any of the no-name characters and the things they don't say.

I'm sure some will rave about this movie but for me it did not work.

There is only one positive thing about this film. The cinematography, but only a quarter of it. They reallly get you in the first act with this Resident Evil 4 aesthetic. After that, it's like they only had budget for a n00b of a camera operator.

However, the more we get into the story, if that's what you want to call it, the more comically ridiculous it gets.

For example, the whistling. That's really the next best way to communicate? There have been movies that I'm use sign language but it feels unnecessary to the narrative. But in this film, it is the perfect time to use some sign, and yet we are stuck with these idiots whistling at each other like some choo choo trains.