Freaks

'Freaks' is unlike any film of this genre you'll find out there at the moment. The film contains elements of 'Jumper, 'Room', and '10 Cloverfield Lane', yet it is unlike any of these films, and definitely not trying to be like anything we've seen before.

'Freaks' captured my attention from the very beginning - for being so different, and so mysterious. Well past the halfway mark it is still not clear what is actually going on, and this is what makes 'Freaks' so different and captivating. It grabs a hold of you to the point where you can hardly contain your curiosity any longer.

Lexy Kolker is excellent as 7-year old Chloe. My goodness, this girl can act!! She completely sold her character to me. She is sensational! For a sci-fi movie, there's not really much in the line of CGI - or obvious CGI for that matter - and that's a bonus. The subtle effects throughout the film are effective and stunning. 'Freaks' is a freakishly weird and brilliant movie that you'd want to watch again and again. Wow, this was incredible.

I almost switched this off after 10 minutes. Initially seemed to be some sort of muddled horror movie but ended up more a cross between Chronicle and Heroes. Decent storyline with solid performances and good effects. Recommended.

Freaks starts out (or so you think) as a film which promises to deliver some uncomfortable moments between an overprotective dad who may or may not be outright crazy as well as possibly dangerous, and his cute, socially-inexperienced, defenseless and mostly awkward little girl. If you know nothing about the film going in, like we did not, upon viewing the first few scenes, naturally, your mind can't help but run to all kinds of dark places, wondering where the filmmaker is going to take us.

Well, where it goes, although the ride hits a couple of small bumps, are dark and eerie places touching on the horror genre, and then surprisingly, it pulls back and takes an unexpected left turn into something completely different.

Much of the supporting cast is okay, but the real revelation is the outstanding performance by Lexy Kolker as the little girl, and just slightly less-so, although still great, her dad, played by Emile Hirsch. They pretty much carry the film. Bruce Dern also delivers, if not a riveting performance, at least a mentionable and memorable one. His role in their lives unravels slowly and is not completely understood until somewhere in the middle of the film. It takes a while to discern what his purpose truly is and for the viewer to see the entire picture. I enjoyed that.

I also liked that the film lets the viewer decide for themselves if what they've witnessed is abuse, trauma, or something else entirely. I also like that while I believe the characters are used as a stand-in or metaphor for discrimination, it isn't anything that is heavy-handed or overtly pushed.

All in all, I found Freaks to be entertaining, and that its concept had been well-executed and delivered. The journey, despite the twists and turns, was captivating, and the destination was 99% equally pleasing and enjoyable, if not 100% where I had expected to go.

I'm glad I didn't read anything about the story before watching Freaks, so it was all a big guessing what the hell was going on. You can't deny there is a lot of mystery in this story and that made it more than entertaining. There are no tons of action scenes, but the few ones are spectacular. The movie has it more from the suspense building and the intriguing story. The acting was really good, especially from Lexy Kolker, what a great performance for a nine-year old, she has definitely a future in the movie business. Her interaction with Emile Hirsch, who was also excellent in his father role, made Freaks stand out in this genre, it's slightly better than a good sci-fi movie. I wouldn't be surprised if one day they made a sequel, I would definitely watch it.

Yes the basic plot isn't particularly original, but it the way in which the story is told that has this movie stands out. Movies don't necessarily have to have original plots to be good, they just have to have something about them that is original or intriguing. This movie succeeds with its point of view and tone. It's also unusual to have young children under 10 as the stars in such films and boy does this little star nail her performance. We'll be seeing more of her as she ages I imagine. Worth watching just for her performance alone.