Speak No Evil

I have seen the original version by mistake! I started that movie in a boring day with a need of watching a movie, horror especially and i choose this danish horror: "Speak no evil" and i was really impressed by this flick! Lots of suspense, lots of creepy scenes, dark, gritty and in a final: brutal and upsetting!

Now, i have watched this at an avanpremiere here in my country waiting something similar(i mean, duuh, it's a remake) but i have noticed that this one has more minutes in it: the original have 1hour and 37 minutes length and this one 1 hour and 50 minutes thinking they put some new scene in it but noooo! Much more talking and the movie seems more easy take on violence and brutality! The original movie was much more brutal(at least the final scene), this one it's more like a hard PG13 than an R rated one! James McAvoy give us a top notch performance and even the little girl's acting along with the little boy are very decent..but the movie missing the type of tension(there is tension in this one as well) from the original! Not a bad movie, but a mediocre one with some changes from the original! 6.5 out of 10 from me!

No I'm not talking about McAvoy, but we'll get to that.

First act: The setup is masterful. Nothing big happens this entire act, yet I found myself smiling and intrigued. It's a perfect example of how you can still create intrigue without needing action, or even worse, without having an opening scene that spoils what happens later in the movie.

Second act: Okay, now the lack of anything big happening is becoming a detriment. We should be seeing some escalation, but it just feels like a lot more setup.

Third act: Escalation finally arrives, but not enough. The potential doesn't reach the heights to make it memorable. And there are a couple of idiotic character decision. One almost made me facepalm in the theater.

As for the husband played by Scoot McNairy, I'm not sure if I've ever seen a lamer husband in my life. I know it was intentional and it didn't hurt my enjoyment, but all I kept thinking is, "Man up, you little...."

Overall, this was a mildly enjoyable, single-viewing type of movie. The reason I feel disappointed is because it could have been awesome if they "went for it" more. But McAvoy is a beast.

(1 viewing, opening night 9/12/2024)

James Mcevoy stole the show. His performance blurs the lines between being charismatic and charming to unnerving and sinister. The remake of the Danish film with the same title follows in its footsteps for most of the film however, does differ in the final act.

The original film I believe takes it to a level that makes it different and memorable. The remake struggles to get to the unhinging and downright terrifying moments in the third act that they original created (Especially the ending scene in the quarry).

However, the remake it does offer a new twist to the original. A different setting on an English farm which boasts a different type of scenery from the original as well as an American family being the guests.

This movie provides some special moments where the viewers are cringing (in a good way) at the conversations that the couples are having. Definitely makes you feel uneasy, specially when you know the nature of the hosts intentions.

I just feel like the final act was a bit too Hollywood, in the sense of the families actions and ultimate conclusion to the film. However, I will say that the remake does enough to warrant enough for its creation thoroughly helped by a special performance by James and his fellow cast members.

Enjoyable :))

Speak No Evil is a 2024 psychological horror remake starring James Mcavoy as Paddy, a English father who invites a American family to come to their house and relax, however not everything is all it seems from the new Blumhouse feature.

While getting most of the aspects on point from the 2022 foreign film of the same name, Speak No Evil does create a good level of tension while exploding into a violent climax which is a good aspect regarding the film's strong point as a psychological horror flick. The American family are very likable and very realistic when it comes to some of the more tense scenes of threat, you do really sympathise with them in general and throughout most of the runtime you do also get to see some of what there views are on the other English family. At first they think it's a new way of bonding with their new home but as the film progresses there perspectives slowly change and it makes you think if they will ever recover from the horrific things they have witnessed so far which does add a level of clarity and dread to the film's dark tone and that's very good.

Acting-wise, very top notch for a Blumhouse feature nowadays as James Mcavoy really is quite terrifying but funny at the same time. He is very identical. He reminds me of Jack Torrance from The Shining, very maniacal and twisted figure that has his comedic elements scattered throughout, I thought this was quite a interesting thing that I might notice but I think Paddy was a little bit different though just because of his charming aspect rather than a downward spiral of Jack's character's.

Overall, while quite a solid entry into the Blumhouse library, the fatal flaw of this thriller is the lack of homage to the original film which really should be respected, but it seems like this entry does completely avoid some aspects which a remake shouldn't do unless it has a good reason to. But it's still a worthy, fun watch for a evening night.

Grade: A Next film: Big shark.

The Wicker Man (1973), The Vanishing (1988), Speak No Evil (2022) - three exceptionally good European horror movies with chillingly dark endings. All of them have been remade by American film studios and this is the latest. I'm trying to imagine the thinking behind the process: 1. This movie has been really successful but it's foreign. 2. Americans don't watch foreign films. 3. If we remake it as an American film Americans will watch it. 4. The ending though! It's really dark. We need to rewrite that and give it an ending people will enjoy more! - Wrong, wrong, wrong! I like James McAvoy and he's excellent in this movie, easily switching between charismatically charming and unsettlingly sinister. All the actors are good. The film is coherent. The plot holds. It's suitably tense with an undeniably exciting finale. On balance it's a fine film but it's been stripped of many of the elements that made the original a success. There was a time, notably the '70s, when America made genuinely outstanding original horror films - The Exorcist, Halloween, The Omen, Carrie - but those days seem long gone. I honestly can't fault this film and I enjoyed it but I'd urge anyone to seek out the originals and enjoy what made them different.