Kindred Spirits

Entertaining in a lifetime TV movie kind of way - kind of silly, questionable acting. There are moments that are tinged with that distinctive Lucky McKee vibe but this is definitely not his best. Enjoyable enough if there's nothing else on, just don't take it too seriously.

MarVista Entertainment makes a lot of the movies shown on Lifetime. They tend to be very formulaic, all following certain thematic elements. It's almost like there is a checklist the movies follow, making them very predictable. This movie is no different, having a character with an obsession that the main characters don't see until the end, as is common in most of these movies. And then of course the movie ends quickly, with a resolution that leaves many plot points unresolved. Again, typical for these movies; after the last commercial, you get a quick ending that is often illogical in the way it comes about.

I gave this movie 7 stars only because of the performance of Caitlin Stasey as the sister, Sadie. She is excellent in her role. So much so that I am going to seek out other work she has done to see if she is as good in them, too. This movie, while so very stereotypical, is worth seeing just for her performance.

As an aside, MarVista also makes many of the movies shown on the Hallmark Channel. They, too, follow a certain formula, one that is entirely different from the one used for Lifetime movies. Anyone who has seen any Hallmark movies knows what I mean. Each channel has its own audience, I guess, and the movies are made to satisfy the types of audiences drawn to either Hallmark or Lifetime. Or both; I don't doubt there are people that enjoy both channels and the types of movies each channel features.

Right, well I wasn't expecting "Kindred Spirits" to be the kind of movie that it turned out to be. I saw that it was a mystery horror/thriller, so of course I was interested in watching it.

But the movie was more of a drama thriller, I think. Not really much of a mystery in the movie, nor were there any proper elements of horror. Now, don't get me wrong, because that does not mean that "Kindred Spirits" was a bad movie. Actually it turned out to be an entertaining enough movie and one that definitely was surprising.

The storyline in "Kindred Spirits", as written by Chris Sivertson and directed by Lucky McKee, started out adequately enough, but it quickly took a turn for the more odd and somewhat disturbing. And that twist to the plot and storyline was something that I enjoyed, and it made for a good movie in my opinion.

"Kindred Spirits" has some good acting performances by the casted actors and actresses, but especially Caitlin Stasey stands out as being the most memorable of the cast, and she really carried the movie a great way with her individual performance.

When you sit down to watch "Kindred Spirits", keep in mind that this is not a run-of-the-mill horror movie, so you shouldn't be expecting a proper horror movie. However, sit down to watch the movie with the intention of watching a movie with a storyline that is somewhat offbeat and disturbing.

My rating of "Kindred Spirits" lands on a six out of ten stars. I was genuinely surprised with this movie and I was most definitely entertained by the movie.

Apart from the ending. And don't mean I would have liked it to go a different direction, it just seems to take the easy way out. It seemed to built up something really good (or bad) and then ... ah well you can't have it all, now can you. The acting is ok for a thriller of this kind and while you know where this is heading, Caitlin is quite a tour de force.

No matter what you think of her character (and there should be only one way you should feel about her), she carries the movie. Charismatic and at least at the beginning enigmatic too. So if you like thrillers in general, this will be right up your alley - try not to be to dissapointed in the end ...

Ultimately, it's _just_ okay. But I'm writing this review solely to give major kudos to Thora Birch for her most natural on-screen performance to date. Watch this one, if for nothing else, than to see what time and maturity can do for your craft.