Mallari

I do not watch horror movies but I watched this with friends last night and we really enjoyed it. I loved everything about the movie.

Cinematography Story telling Plot Lots of minor surprises Learned some ancient Tagalog words

The writing is genius and the actors wow, Piolo Pascual and JC Santos grabe. Their eyes tell so much. To the Director, congratulations!!

This and the Gomburza movie I am so proud of.

One of my favorite part is learning about the main characters' ability.

I would definitely recommend for everyone to watch. Hence, I am writing this review.

It is best to watch with friends. Lol.

I was expecting a historical narration of what transpired 200 years ago, instead I got a crappy, delusional story that's literally all over the place. I hope the writer took the time to really research this thing, instead we got something inspired by Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. He might have come up with a great idea, then midestream decided, "heck, I don't have enough factual info I'll just swing by the fences and hope I hit gold. It's such an awful film I was embarrassed 30 mins in during movie night. Apologies to my family for dragging them to watch and waste 2+ hours of their time. FAMAS should be ashamed for giving the Best Picture award to this film. As Filipinos I'm sure we can come up with something better than this.

"**Mallari** is a promising film within the horror genre, offering a genuinely scary and creepy experience. The atmospheric tension is palpable, and the eerie settings enhance the overall sense of dread. However, despite its strong elements, the film falls short in delivering a seamless narrative. The storytelling feels convoluted at times, which detracts from the otherwise engaging experience.

The acting is commendable, with the cast delivering convincing performances that elevate the film. Additionally, the film's setting is well-executed, effectively immersing the audience in the haunting world of **Mallari**. While the presence of typical Filipino tropes might be seen as a drawback by some, I personally didn't mind them as they added a cultural authenticity to the film.

Overall, **Mallari** is a solid horror film with a lot of potential. With some refinements in its storytelling, it could have been a standout in the genre. Nonetheless, it remains an enjoyable watch for horror enthusiasts and a notable entry in Filipino cinema."

There are pros and cons to this film. It did remind me of a Made for Television Movie, and horror elements did come across rather B Grade. Because of the latter this film may not be for everyone. Certainly elements of it could be improved upon. In terms of horror, I personally find B Grade Slashers and special effects to be rather campy and fun. So this didn't bother me at all.

The reason I watched this film all the way through was 100% due to the plot to the film, I found it very interesting and well done. This isn't a perfect movie, but if you like a good story then I do recommend it. I thought it was very intriguing. I won't leave any spoilers, all I will say is that right at the end the plot caught me by surprise, which rarely happens when I watch movies.

I found the Character Development, especially towards the end of the film to be executed nicely. Two particular characters were very thought provoking.

Anywho, ultimately I recommend this movie for the story, and if you find horror elements that are more on the B Grade side to be fun. Lastly, I found the switching of time periods to not be confusing in this film at all. It worked smoothly in my opinion, it's actually one of the things I enjoyed the very most.

I could not understand the hype surrounding this film. I don't even think that this horror film was worthy of bagging the Best Picture trophy at the FAMAS Awards, which was the Philippines' Oscars counterpart. I really think that Piolo Pascual being the protagonist lifted the entire film to its heights. His performance was indeed one of the most excellent I've seen this year. Unfortunately, even his performance could not save the poor writing of the film. The scripts felt amateurish and second-rate. It was a wasted potential, and I wished the scenes were compressed to just one and a half hour running time.