The Wasp

In dark Bath-based British dramatic-thriller "The Wasp" middle-class Naomie Harris is stuck in a loveless marriage to douchey Dominic Allburn, so reaches out to pregnant old school-bully 'friend' Natalie Dormer with an indecent proposal... but as the two discuss details etc together, it becomes apparent that all ain't what it seems. For his debut screenplay Morgan Lloyd Malcolm adapted his own play (it has the clear feel of being based on a play) which Guillem Morales brings modestly home (with its various flaws) as his first English-language film as director. It's original, and decently engaging, though it lacks the strong stinging edge that woulda made it great.

Usually, i recommend movies only if they are >6.5/10. Except for horror movies, a 6/10 horror movie is recommendable. THE WASP is on the verge of recommendation : It's a good movie, i kinda liked it but i cannot recommend it because there are better movies to watch. Too many movies, too little time. Of course, if you are a fan of this genre, you're gonna like it.

This is something like a drama movie with mystery/thriller elements. It felt like a stage play. At some point, it became an one location movie. Story was interesting, i was somewhat invested, and it got really dark after the first hour. There were some nice twists (nothing mindblowing though) and i should say that this is a movie which respect its viewers : Nothing felt out of place, it was cohesive and kinda made sense.

But i can't rate it higher because, even though it kinda made sense, still it was not that convincing. Especially the ending. I was not convinced about what happened in the ending. Too far fetched and unrealistic. Had it ended better, it would have been easily a 7/10 movie.

Both actresses did a very good job.

And the final scene was touching.

No pun intended - the movie has some strong and stellar main performances! It also has some strong and not easy to watch scenes - for a thriller it does quite a lot right ... on the other hand it also relies heavily on chance, convenient timing and luck ... not to mention certain things that do not make sense at all .. or rather should void the plan in and of itself.

If you've seen the movie you understand what I mean - if not you may scratch your head while you are watching this. I reckon memory can be strange - we do forget things from our childhood ... on the other hand those things are touched upon ... and it doesn't seem to gel ... so it suspension of disbelief is quite high ... this really bets on the viewers not caring too much about logic ... and just being entertained by the story and the twists that come along the way ... what will it be for you then? Don't hold it in for too long.

Follows Heather (Naomie Harris) and Carla (Natalie Dormer), after being childhood schoolfriends, meet after not having spoken in years. Heather has done well in life, while Carla has a gambler for a husband, 4 kids and struggles to make ends meet. Heather makes contact with Carla and has a surprising proposition to put to her that could change their lives forever.

Harris and Dormer are the two main actors in this taut thriller, and they do very well too. I've never actually seen Dormer act in anything (I never watched GOT) but she carried this role really well and was totally believeable as Carla. It's got lot's of tension, lots of unanswered questions along the way, lot's of misinterpretations by the viewer and a few twists to boot. All in all it has the ingredients of a good film and while the directing and cinemaphotography are not ground breaking or outstanding, they're both more than equal to the task. Unusually for me I sat and watched from start to finish without a break and never once felt bored. There was some interesting and thought provoking questions raised too, about revenge, guilt, forgiveness and shame, and it made me think of my childhood and how it affects my adult life. I absolutely loved the ending, even though it was totally unexpected. Overall a great thriller with fine performances and I give it a solid 7.

Ladies and gents, what we have here is a well-acted, well-written, well-cast, well-directed, psychological thriller. It works well, it keeps you offguard, and the time passes very quickly indeed. These sorts of films were all the rage in the 1940s, a time when the industry was still transitioning from the static feel of a stage play (few backgrounds, lots of dialog) to the more kinetic medium of film. The only unusual thing about it is the fact that some big-name critics went nuts for the project, saying it was the best thing they had ever seen. Not really. But it does hold the attention. ((Designated "IMDb Top Reviewer." Please check out my list "167+ Nearly-Perfect Movies (with the occasional Anime or TV miniseries) you can/should see again and again (1932 to the present))