Assassination Nation

I didn't really know what to expect when I watched this but I looked up ratings before and set the bar low. I was pleasantly surprised that I really enjoyed it. I can see how some people wouldn't like it from the dialogue because it is very modern but I think that it depicts a real view of how most teenagers and young adults think and talk in 2019. Also, another thing I see people talking about is the fact that it's unrealistic. It's a movie. It's fiction. It's an imaginary world. That's what makes movies so cool, am I right? But I don't see how people can deny the fact that 1. The acting is great. Like I said, I set the bar low going in and I was looking for things that made it a bad movie. But I can honestly say that the acting wasn't cheesy and unconvincing at all. 2. The cinematography was done very well and there were some standout moments where I was like, this has its own unique style. I was impressed. 3. It was gory and shocking as hell and I think that it's hard to pull off that level of shock factor nowadays. 4. The message! I loved it. And I think a lot of people could benefit from hearing it and thinking on it and applying it to their own life. For the last half of this movie, my mouth was on the floor. I definitely recommend.

Didn't know what to expect when I saw this at a sneak peek tonight. My friends and I enjoyed it! Some unexpected storylines coupled with the director's use of close-up shots and bass created a sense of claustrophobia throughout the movie, which worked well with the script. Had a great take on current internet culture that felt real and not like some 50 year old executive's take on "being hip". Only gripe was the last 15 minutes or so seemed crammed together. Would have gladly sat through another 10 minutes to wrap up some things they skillfully built throughout the movie. Overall I enjoyed it and would watch again. The older people in the crowd were not pleased at all, however. Lolz! (You'll better understand that last bit after the movie.)

This movie left me not knowing how to feel about it.

Stylistically, it's a masterpiece of modern day music and cinematography. The soundtrack and visuals do an amazing job of setting and maintaining the mood throughout the entire film. It definitely gets an A++ in that category.

The plot itself is also pretty good, with many poignant observations on the internet era we live in. Cyber bullying, meme culture, sexting and the inherent lack of privacy of today's world are all covered. Plenty of unrealistic moments but I don't think this movies point was to be deep or hyper realistic so that's okay. It gets a B- in this category.

Where things start to fall apart are the actual characters themselves. While all the actors do a great job in portraying their respective characters, you won't ever really care too much them or see any real character development. Everyone in the film is just a plot device to move the story along including the main characters. Plus when you add how incredibly vapid the main cast is written to be, it ends up making it somewhat difficult to empathize with any of them for the most part..

Finally, we have the final and biggest problem in my opinion. The moral leanings (or lack thereof) of the movie. After making such great observations on internet culture, this movie is incredibly ambiguous when it comes down to society itself. For a movie that starts with a literal trigger warning about toxic masculinity which it contains plenty of, the movie doesn't really examine the Mean Girl levels of toxic femininity displayed throughout. Instead choosing to go in a direction of a nihilistic faux female empowerment fantasy that may ultimately do more harm than good for the young, gullible and uninformed viewer who are most likely to enjoy this movie

All-in-all the movie was incredibly watchable and may even be good for a re-watch or two. This was a movie that the director could've been made into a cult classic. But instead he just made it for the lulz.

I understand why some people struggled with the subject. But the film is original and engaging. I would recommend to anyone looking for something different

Assassination Nation is a "modern" take on the Salem witch trials, which, coincidentally takes place in Salem. Once a hacker starts exposing deep secrets from the townspeople ranging from the mayor to the principal to the students, all hell breaks loose. And when main protagonist Lily along with her 3 girlfriends are blamed, they find themselves fighting for their lives. I loved every minute of this film, the cinematography was not only stylish but necessary, avoiding borderline pretentious arthouse that leaves you feeling robbed. If you are going in for the violence, you won't get much of til half way into the film, but when it does come, it is a very satisfying and adrenaline filled rush. That's not to say I didn't feel exhausted from this film by the time we reached the last 5 minutes, but only because this story took quite a bit to spiral out of control that by the time sh*t hits the fan, you are left feeling quite full with what you are fed in the final act. I say this because if you are expecting those 4 girls to absolutely obliterate a whole mob of angry people, you will be disappointed to hear that the film ends before we see that carnage, but what you do see is fulfilling enough to forgive that cliche copout, which is why I take one star away from an otherwise perfect film. If you are the type of person that thinks 4 girls talking about male genitals and whose nude pictures they have on their phones, you might be a bit annoyed with our leads. But as for me, I loved every second they were on screen. Not to mention the polarizing use of modern trap music and the booming bass constantly playing in-between scenes and in the background that compliments the 4 girls aesthetics, whether they are simply walking down the school halls or doing something mischievous that will ultimately have consequences by the time things start going south. I ask you why you are on iMDB because, it's not that this movie is some "snowflake" SJW horror film trying to bombard you with the words "trigger warning" but that it is very political and seeing how the Purge movies are received, I highly doubt this movie won't take a beating from a few bothered people. Enjoy this movie for the hilarious and disturbing outcome of what happens when a paranoid town resorts to gory violence. You may walk away feeling pleasantly surprised