A Colina Escarlate

Guillermo del Toro is that kind of superstar director that brings audiences to the seats no matter the genre of film. Much like Nolan, Spielberg, and Tarantino, Del Toro draws fans to see the next visual spectacle he brings to the screen. Make no mistake about it, Crimson Peak is an awe to see on the big screen, especially in IMAX. Unfortunately I think the marketing team hurt Del Toro's film this time around. The trailers were centered around this house and the ghosts that supposedly haunted it. While I loved the trailers for what they were, they didn't properly represent the movie as it actually is, which is most definitely a Gothic romance.

The film stars Mia Wasikowska, Jessica Chastain, Tom Hiddleston, and Charlie Hunnam. We focus on Edith, played by Wasikowska as she deals with a recent family tragedy without anywhere to go and no one to stay with. Enter Hiddleston and Chastain, playing Thomas and Lucille respectively, who seem to target Edith specifically. As Thomas and Edith grow closer to each other, he brings her to his childhood house, which is conveniently miles away from the next home or any part of civilization. It also happens to have an issue with the red clay that stains the snow around the house and floods underneath during the winter. This gives the whole feel of the movie a bloody undertone.

While the film isn't really a horror film, it certainly has frightening elements. Edith is constantly haunted by not only the ghosts of Crimson Peak but her mother's for whom she basing a book around. The strongest aspect of Crimson Peak is the visual spectacle you're given. Whether it's the costume design, special effects, or the sets themselves, this film is gorgeous. So there's no denying that seeing it in theaters is the way to go. The problem is that the film itself isn't all that original, and the characters aren't all that interesting. The first act is rather slow but the climax most definitely makes the film worth seeing. The performances are all great, in particular Wasikowska and Chastain, which in some way make up for the lack of character development. Go see the movie if you want to see a visual spectacle, but not if you want a horror-ghost centered film.

+Visually stunning

+Performances all around

+Climax

-Not all that scary

-Starts slow

6.8/10

The storyline has good flow but is perhaps a bit predictable, acting is decent though the characters don't have much depth. But the winner for this film are the visuals. The house itself is stunningly haunting and the ghosts are almost ethereal. This movie doesn't have much substance but is a real treat to watch.

This was highly anticipated film. The director didn't succeeded in fulfilling the expectations of audience and not at all film-critics. Still this picture does not belong to the category of completely useless pictures that you wouldn't enjoy.

The art design including costumes, scenery, stylization, camera operating and everything made to satisfy the eye is perfectly done with detail. The topic for it's self must be the house of the Sharp family. The building has its own spirit, which the characters itself unfortunately lack.

And characters is the next important thing to talk about. There is quite a top actors basis. Mia Wasikowska representing a young Victorian woman absolutely fits. Tom Hiddleston as the wanted perfect man with dark secrets is a natural choice. And finally the amazing Jessica Chastain showed a perfect performance as the evil sister. She nearly stole the whole spectacle for herself. But still it does not work very well. The main problem is that the relationship between Edith and Thomas is not believable. They lack ''chemistry''. Some converging and strongly intimate scenes are missing. The other problem is Edith Cushing herself. When arriving at the house, she suddenly changes from an intelligent emancipated woman to classic scared horror virgin type who needs a protection and loses a good deal of sympathy.

The story itself is predictable, and so does not need to be focused on. Maybe the reason is that Guillermo del Torro planned to shoot this picture a long time ago and he simply lost the connection with the topic and focused on technical stuff. On the other hand, this is an opportunity to see a pure cliché, not meant in a bad way, horror- drama movie with all its attributes and great visual quality. The treatment with sounds for increasing the tension is comparable to The Woman in Black (2012).

It does not deserve to be strongly criticized nor praised, but since I'm fan of all three actors and Guillermo del Toro, I must say I enjoyed it quite a lot.

Visually the film is interesting, but in all honesty, it isn't very interesting beyond that. It is a decent story, and it seems interesting for a while. However the film dragged a little, and really offered nothing all that new by the time it's all said and done. While there were some good aspects, the film was far too predictable for how slow it was. Overall an okay watch, but I certainly wouldn't watch it a second time.

6/10.

Whilst it does have its problems, I would recommend watching it and forming your own opinion if you're on the fence about this movie. It wasn't scary for me, but it was creepy. The horror is peppered throughout so didn't become stale, but I also didn't feel starved of it. I would recommend if you like the idea, just don't watch it expecting a ghost story, it just has ghosts in it.

Crimson Peak is a spooky movie about a woman (Edith) who falls in love with a mysterious man (Thomas) who is trying to restore his mining business. Thomas has a dilapidated family home which is sinking into his clay mine.

Plot- The start of the movie was its weakest point in my opinion. Thomas' appearance felt forced to begin with but in retrospect fitted with the story. I'm not a fan of lengthy time skips (few days or maybe a month) and the start of this movie had a few. This led to the romance between Thomas and Edith mostly happening offscreen and felt rushed. Once the characters arrived at Thomas' house (crimson peak) my enjoyment of the movie skyrocketed.

I personally thought that the plot was quite simple, which isn't necessarily a problem but I was left wanting to see more of the house and the characters could've been explored further, especially Thomas. There was a good explanation for the ghosts but it was done at the wrong time and this is my least favourite part of the movie and what I think is the weakest scene.

Cinematography- The way this movie looks is excellent. It's gorgeous. The only criticism I have is the weak CGI. It's not terrible, but I could tell it was CGI.

Length- I thought that it was an enjoyable length for me and it didn't outstay its welcome, just a shame it left me wanting more.

Immersion- For me, what went on was believable in the context of the movie (or depending on your beliefs regarding ghosts.) The time skips at the start hurt my ability to get really immersed, but I never looked at my watch.

Soundtrack- The music was fine and wasn't distracting. None of the tracks apart from the main theme really stood out to me.

Would I watch it again- Yes, I plan on watching it again.