Sunrise

Where to begin. Okay, let's start with the fact that the actors are not to blame for this debacle. The acting was fine. Although they must have had doubts at times with where the story was heading.

The real failure here must lie with the Director, or perhaps the producers who turned the work of the talented cast into a woke pile of refuse.

If it deserves an award, it would have to be for "most commercial b-roll footage". And it wasn't even symbolically relevant. I was expecting lead credits to be Getty images. Just to add filler imagery to make this film look artistic. Perhaps this was secretly an experiment to see what an AI directed film would look like. Because that is how I felt watching it. This film has absolutely no soul.

The only thing I found slightly compelling was the sympathetic depiction of "both sides" of an issue that really should be settled by now.

So much of the film didn't make sense, that I'm convinced someone either gave up on it or we just witnessed an experiment in AI generated production/editing/directing.

In the end, I walked away feeling empty, angry, and disappointed. For all the wrong reasons.

For some reason I decided to watch this movie without even looking at the IMDB rating beforehand which I rarely do. Man did I mess up and waste my time.

Guy Pearce was wasted on this film but I hope at least he got a decent paycheck out of it because he did try to carry the movie; but....that was too much weight to carry sorry. The rest of the cast was pretty forgettable and I can tell some of them tried but just weren't convincing.

Now for the plot and the pacing.....yeesh...I would attribute it to taking a M. Night Shyamalan movie with no twist or eeriness and combining it with a shoddy origin antihero story like Morbius or Kraven The Hunter. It felt weird and forced. It was boring at the best of times and wacky writing any of the other times.

Don't even watch this if you are bored; that's all.

The story is a bit of a riff on the classic vampire tail with some Stephen King elements thrown in. Racist small town terrorizes newcomer Asian family. A stranger crosses paths with this family. He may be friend or foe. His status is not exactly made clear through the film. What is clear is that the direction is awful. What is clear is that script is thin and threadbare but there is enough to make a decent movie with if you have a good director and acting talent. The direction is terrible. At times the film seems to try to have David Lynch moments. What you are left with is a series of shots of dear throughout the film that only add more confusion.

The lead actor is also beyond wooden. He walks around the entire film with a dead stare, which you could argue is part of his character. Except he also acts that way during a scene with someone close to him in which great emotion is expected. Guy Pearce (the reason I saw the film) is his usual great. But he does a lot while given very little and in the end can't carry the entire film or make up for it's shortcomings.

In the end, I'm not going to say not to watch the film, especially if you like Guy Pearce, but do not expect it to be a good one.

Based on some of the reviews here, I'm not sure if anyone actually watch the movie all the way through.

The subtleties of the theme and the nuances of the subject were spot on. Racism at its finest and the hero that chooses to step up and put himself in front of it.

Was it mistakenly put in the wrong thematic category? Yes. This was not horror in the slightest. This was more drama thriller.

Who cares if the writers chose to use a vampire as the hero. It's the writers prerogative to make their hero anyone they would like. They chose a vampire and took that subject into a different direction.

Guy Pearce and Alex Pettyfer were phenomenal as their characters, taking all the liberties with their characters and adding the depth of the subject and making it worth watching.

The flashbacks provided the understanding to Pettyfer's character and his reasoning for being the hero for this family. Just because they didn't focus on the strength and speed at every turn of the character doesn't mean that you didn't see it. It was there but it wasn't the main focus and that is why it made so fulfilling to see it when it did happen.

I was a bit confused by the ending but that was it. Overall, good atmospheric film. And no I don't have anything to do with the film, so my review is 100% my opinion.

"Sunrise" aspires to be a slow-burning suspense thriller, but unfortunately, the meticulously built tension fails to ignite in a satisfying way. While the film boasts ok performances, the pacing and underwhelming climax leave you feeling like you sat through a long build-up with nothing to show for it.

The film takes its sweet time revealing its secrets, and the suspense starts to wane with each passing scene. You find yourself yearning for some payoff, a jolt of horror, or even a significant plot development.

Unfortunately, the payoff never quite arrives. The big reveal, when it finally comes, feels underwhelming and will leave you feeling frustrated and shortchanged.