Punch

Good evening, everyone! I'm Mr. C Reviewer, and tonight we'll be diving into the film Punch. I had the opportunity to watch the movie on Paramount. This movie originally premiered on August 24, 2023, and has a runtime of 1 hour and 21 minutes. It is rated for viewers aged 18 and older. Notably, parts of the film were filmed in East Sussex, England, UK. As someone on the autism spectrum, I found subtitles to be incredibly helpful, greatly enhancing my ability to follow the dialogue throughout the film. The film was both directed and written by Andy Edwards.

Summary: Frankie returns to her seaside hometown for a last night out with friends before heading to university, but their celebration is disrupted by Mr Punch, a menacing figure from local folklore, wielding a baseball bat.

Review: -The movie's opening was engaging; although the prologue was perplexing at first, its significance became clearer by the end of the film. The film effectively conveys a powerful commentary on the decline of seaside towns, the challenges faced by contemporary British society, and a scathing critique of authority, delving into the complex themes of domestic abuse and patriarchy, thus providing a thought-provoking narrative. Initial pacing felt somewhat sluggish, yet the narrative gained momentum as it unfolded. While the film presented some captivating sequences, it ultimately succumbed to a degree of repetitiveness and predictability towards its conclusion. The overall experience, though containing moments of genuine engagement, fell short of its full potential. The comedic aspects of the film felt somewhat contrived and lacking in humour, which was a missed opportunity for greater comedic impact. The movie does employ its humour through Mr. Punch's witty oneliners. The performances were a mixed bag, with Kierston delivering a compelling portrayal, fully embodying her character with remarkable authenticity and emotional depth. Alina also provided a strong performance, effectively conveying both terror and resilience. However, the supporting cast's performances were less impactful, which I found detracting somewhat from the overall experience. The dialogue presented a mixed experience; while occasionally engaging, it veered into the realm of the exaggerated and absurd, creating a noticeable disconnect between realistic conversation and the lines delivered. The narrative suffered from an overabundance of exposition, where information was explicitly stated rather than subtly revealed through action or context. Despite these shortcomings, the campy nature of the writing did offer a certain charm. The film's emotional resonance was significantly amplified by its score, which masterfully enhanced both the suspense and the overall tone; simultaneously, the sound design enriched the film's immersive qualities, establishing a palpable sense of place and atmosphere.

-The "Mr Punch" mask, while achieving a stark and unsettling visual, possessed a simplicity that, while effective, could have been amplified to heighten its unsettling nature. I found that the film's depiction of gore was somewhat realistic. I feel that by incorporating point-of-view shots from Mr. Punch's perspective, showcasing what he sees through the eye gaps in his mask, would heighten the tension and create a more immersive experience, making his presence feel more ominous and intense as he closes in on his targets. The cinematography played a pivotal role, with a diverse range of shots enhancing the storytelling and immersing the viewer. The film masterfully utilized its seaside location, leveraging the environment to cultivate a palpable sense of unease and amplify the narrative's impact. The gentle lighting established a nuanced atmosphere that I found appealing; however, while all the essential elements in each frame were distinctly visible, some parts could have benefited from additional brightness. Personally, I often adjust my screen's brightness for a better viewing experience, which proved particularly helpful during this film. The film's editing presents a generally positive experience, yet certain sequences could benefit from refinement, as some transitions feel somewhat abrupt. The impact of the party scenes could have been enhanced by a more judicious application of slow-motion techniques, which occasionally felt overused.

-I found the ending quite compelling and would welcome the opportunity to see it developed into a franchise, as I would certainly watch any future instalments.

I rate each film I watch out of 10 and for this one, I give it a 6.4 Remember this was what I thought about the movie personally and I suggest that you give it a go for yourself.

No pun intended - actually this has quite a few of those. It is not called punch for nothing .. though I reckon you could bat your life on something else too ... did I spell something wrong? I think not ... another pun might be something you just witnessed.

But enough of my weirdness, let's get into the weirdness of the movie. That plays with its location - a friend of mine was raised in a small town like the one we see here. And I reckon there could be more movies like this one - even from the same director. And maybe some of the cast - as in sequels, prequels and all that (not sure about going to space, which was suggested during the Q&A at the Frightfest screening I attended) ... or Ibiza .. though I imagine it would be fun to shoot there and would be quite the different take (again no pun intended).

The actors were nice - well I think good would be a more apt word/description. There is a darkness here and it is not so much the time of day (night) it was shot. Can you dig what the movies does? And where it ends up? That actually may be the biggest issue with the movie ... or its biggest draw ... depending on how you feel about it .. it won't leave you cold (another pun?) that's for sure ...

Trying to move on with her life, a teen returning to a small town with her feuding family and old friends tries to catch up with them about what they've been doing since she's been away, but when the festivities are crashed by a masked killer has to find the reason for the rampage and stop him.

This was a fairly fun slasher that does have a few drawbacks. What works rather well here is the somewhat intriguing setup that provides a great small-town folklore for the resulting shenanigans. The initial story about the childhood interactions with the figure offers a touch of the local lore in the area with how they first encountered the story of the mythical figure offers a fine way to wrap this localized figure around the secondary story about the struggles of the family and meeting up with her old friends still in town. These are fine enough at presenting the traditional returning towns member who's trying to catch up with the comings and goings of her old crew about how much they've changed since she's been away storyline while still keeping just enough of a focus on the killer running around the outskirts of the situation to make the traditional slasher setup worthwhile. There's also a rather fun series of immensely fun encounters where the imposing killer takes to the random friends and townspeople she crosses paths with. The initial encounters here, whether the confrontation with the harbinger under the pier or the stellar confrontation with the drunken bride and bridesmaid out on the town, provide a strong starting point to get to know the brutality of the killer here. As it takes far more increasingly brutal and graphic confrontations later on such as the rampage in a neon-lit nightclub or a series of bashings that take place at a seaside gathering, the action here becomes incredibly fun with plenty of atmospheric stalking, brutal kills, and some enjoyable one-liners to add some comedy to the proceedings. Combined with the frantic finale where the reveal of the killer comes across rather nicely with a fleshed-out backstory alongside some standout chases, there's quite a lot to like here. The film doesn't have much wrong with it but there are some issues. One of the main detriments is the rather British context for what's going on here that can get lost in translation. This is quite important as it includes why the killer dons the specific mask or how it ties into the motivation for everything at the end which is a bit too localized to have much universal appeal or recognition. Those that will get it won't have an issue here, while an equally problematic and more accessible one is the irritating ability to always have the killer attack others in pairs which results in one standing around watching as the killer takes out one of them. It happens several times throughout here and is equally frustrating everytime it occurs here, and alongside the somewhat sluggish first half setting up the plotlines to come that are necessary for everything even in this context are what hold this down slightly.

Rated Unrated/R: Extreme Graphic Language, Graphic Violence, Brief Nudity, and drug use.

The visuals in the movie are actually good, but the rest is so bad it doesn't matter by the end. Killer is hard to understand at times with the electro-voice box, characters don't react as they should to events in front of them, and the kills are all boring except for the one with the redhead on the dock. Ending was puzzling and an attempt at a twist I guess. The twist was it didn't make sense or work at all. End credits say 'Mr. Punch will be back' so the makers seemed pretty confident they made a franchise starter. Um, no. It's nice that the friends of the crew gave the movie 8s out of 10, but watch it and you'll want to have a little talk with them afterwards. In the end, I watched this on Tubi, so free streaming. I still want my money back.

Saw this today at the Bournemouth horror movie film festival "screams by the sea" Loved it. I wont spoil it other than to say it builds into a fantastic movie with some great twists along the way. I thought the cinematography was spot on, some great drone shot and performances by the actors. It showed a very bleak looking dying northern seaside town and the reality of living in a place like that. The killer was genuinely disturbing, my only negative, the way the audio was mixed (or maybe it was the speakers at the venue) you could only understand about 30% of what the protagonist was saying. Recommended.