FirstBorn

Another reviewer already pointed out that this is uneven, but as he also said, it has quite some nice ideas. And it is shocking at the right places, and has some really nice visual effects too (for a low budget movie). We get treated with a fantastical story that seems to have way more backstory than we actually get to see. So there is even more in this or could be maybe in the future (?) ... although to be fair, I don't think this will happen.

Actors are doing a decent job overall and there is enough to hold the viewers attention. There are some decisions that may feel forced or wrong, but overall the movie does good in that department as well. So if you like to take a chance on a horror movie and don't mind a couple of bumps along the road ... enjoy

Am writing this short review as I feel I could have been misled not to watch this because of other reviews. I felt there was a hypnotic Gothic atmosphere (imagery and sounds/soundtrack), very good acting (Eileen Davies especially), it has both a drama/slice of life about parenting, responsibility and the "solitude of Being" I guess (even when you're a toddler..) and fear of the unknown.. themes flowing through.. the characters are three dimensional enough yet there is sufficient space left for your psyche to fill in in possible "blanks", a sort of impressionistic canvas.

I had not heard about "FirstBorn" prior to finding it in the horror section. I picked it up and read the synopsis and must admit that I was intrigued, so naturally I decided to give the movie a go. Doesn't really take much convincing, since I am a horror fan.

"FirstBorn" turned out to be a rather intense storyline which grabs the audience by the throat and takes you on a thrill ride, and it doesn't let go before the very end of the movie. I was surprised with the intensity of the movie, and had perhaps expected a more slow paced storyline. So it was pleasantly surprising to watch "FirstBorn".

The cast list was relatively small, so there was a bit of additional pressure on the casted acting performers to deliver solid performances. To which I must say that all actors and actresses performed quite well and each contributed well to the movie. I was surprised to see Jonathan Hyde in this movie, and would have liked it if his role was a more prominent one with more screen time.

For a horror movie of this particular type, then having a scary or visually impressive or disturbing creature is a must, and I will say that the special effects department managed to pull it off quite well here in the movie, despite it being mostly in quick flashes and fragments that we get to see the entity.

The storyline in "FirstBorn" was quite interesting and captivating from the very beginning. The movie starts out quite adequately, but it quickly escalates and intensifies, which I found immensely entertaining and enjoyable.

If you enjoy a good horror movie with roots in the old school type of horror movies, then "FirstBorn" is definitely well worth taking the time and effort to sit and sit down to watch.

A young, mixed race couple living in London become first time parents but their daughter seems to be a portal for an evil entity. Good job the girl's grandfather just happens to be an expert on the occult, how handy! Initial impression was that this could be a gritty British horror/drama, the acting was good as was the cinematography. Sadly it turned out to be rather slow, not in the least bit scary and lacked any plausible explanation. The demon, or whatever it was, could have been from any number of similar mediocre 21st Century horror movies. I have never heard of director Nirpal Bhogal before but could be a name to watch, given better material.

I'm a bit disappointed by this movie. Not that I had I hopes though after seeing the ratings it got, but sometimes you stumble on a good movie despite the ratings. But it's not the case with Firstborn. i guess for a low budget horror movie it isn't that bad as the acting is decent. The wrong things to me were the weak soundtrack, the slow story, but mostly the fact you have to wait way too long to have a glimpse of the demon that is actually not badly done. If they would have put the evil creature a bit earlier in the movie I would have rated a bit more. Another horror movie I will only watch once.