Crimson Peak

Guillermo del Toro is a director and artist whose films fall into two distinct categories: big budget English language blockbusters like "Hellboy" and "Pacific Rim" and lesser known, low budget Spanish language horror films like "Devil's Backbone" and "Pan's Labyrinth". His latest film, "Crimson Peak" is what happens when these two worlds collide, in other words, a big budget English language horror film.

"Crimson Peak" is set in the late 19th century, first in New York, then in rural England. Edith Cushing (Mia Wasikowska) is a young budding writer who is intelligent, beautiful, and strong willed, refusing to allow Victorian sensibilities dictate what she can and cannot do, and as a result butts heads with those around her. Thomas Sharpe (Tom Hiddleston) is an English aristocrat and inventor who is in New York seeking financial backing for his mechanized clay mining business back home. When tragedy strikes, Thomas marries Edith and brings her to his home, Allerdale Hall in Cumberland, where his sister Lucille Sharpe (Jessica Chastain) is waiting. As Edith tries to fit into her new surroundings, she discovers that secrets abound and nothing is as it seems.

The visuals in "Crimson Peak" are so glorious, they are almost overwhelming. The sets are spectacular visions of beauty and decadence in decay; costumes are intricately detailed and gorgeous; the lighting and over saturated color bring depth and meaning; the ghosts are grotesquely beautiful; and, of course, the del Toro trademarks of insects and clockwork gracefully found their way into the story as well.

Because "Crimson Peak" is a rather large studio production, it is being marketed to a large audience. I believe this accounts for some of the lackluster reviews I have been reading. If one is not familiar with del Toro's prior Spanish language films, they may not understand his unique cinematic perspective. For some, this will mark the beginning of a journey into del Toro's fantasy world, for others it will be a disappointment. For me, it was almost everything I wanted it to be.

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.

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.

I hate skipping plot summaries when I write one of these, but I think it's probably best when discussing Crimson Peak. The plot here isn't all that important. Crimson Peak is one of those "style over substance" movies. The plot takes a backseat to the cinematography, lighting, costumes, sets, special effects, and just about anything else you can list that makes a movie look good. And what plot there is in Crimson Peak is so filled with holes, I fear that dwelling on it will only make me like the movie less. I'll just say that the plot left me with more questions than it answered.

If films are art, Crimson Peak belongs next to the Mona Lisa. It is one of the most stunning pieces of film I've ever seen. Every frame looks like a painting. I'm not sure I've seen a film this beautiful since I watched House of Flying Daggers over ten years ago. The colors, the shadows, the lights - gorgeous. My absolute favorite image (and I'm not alone based on what I've read across the internet) is the ceiling-less grand hall in the rotting great house. It's amazing. Another element that really helps the images come alive is the atmosphere. I may not care for Guillermo del Toro's plot, but there's not denying his skill as a director. He mastfully fills the film with atmosphere so thick, you could cut it with a knife. Combine the atmosphere with the visuals and you end up with a movie I'm going to enjoy on some level despite its other flaws.

The acting in Crimson Peak is hit or miss. Normally, I feel that Tom Hiddleston outshines his co-stars, Here, however, he's completely over-shadowed by Jessica Chastain. She acts circles around everyone else in the film. Her role is the smallest of the three main characters, but she dominates everything - even the scenes she's not in.

Overall, if you're a fan of gothic romance/horror/mystery (although the horror elements don't come to much and the solution to the mystery is all too obvious) you owe it to yourself to check out his gorgeous film.

Having been a fan of Guillermo Del Toro for some time now, I had expected 'Crimson Peak' to be his next great masterpiece. Although the film didn't meet my expectations, I can't say that it disappointed them either.

Near the end of the 18th century, aspiring author Edith Cushing (Wasikowska) meets a struggling inventor by the name of Thomas Sharpe (Hiddleston). The two quickly fall in love and move into Sharpe's dilapidating mansion - which is also inhabited by Thomas' sister, Lucille (Chastain). Once there, Edith slowly realizes that not everything is what it seems and decides to dig deeper, in spite of the growing dangers.

First, 'Crimson Peak' is not a horror film; it is a 'gothic romance' (with some horror elements thrown into the mix). The genre hasn't been visited upon for decades, yet Del Toro does a fine job of offering his own take on it. The film also contains plenty of blood and gore - so if you don't have a stomach for that kind of stuff, your chances of finishing this film are nil (for there are far more disturbing aspects).

The story constantly switches in tone. I get that its a 'gothic romance' (two genres that can't be any further apart from each other), but it can get confusing for some people very quickly. One scene might seem like it was from a romantic period film while the next might seem like something out of a thriller! I think Del Toro and Robbins did a fine job of balancing the pacing, but they could have certainly tweaked a few things and cut the runtime down by an extra ten or fifteen minutes.

That being said, the plot is pretty straightforward - up until the last third of the film. Again, there are some disturbing details that both Edith and the audience discover. It took me some time to connect certain things, but I eventually figured out the bigger picture. Nevertheless, the very nature of this film will undoubtedly shock you - and will do it in a way that no other film released this year has.

Both Wasikowska and Hiddleston give good performances, but Chastain is the standout. Her role as a cold-hearted, manipulative aristocrat is done with sheer excellence; you can't help but suspect of her something. She allures your attention with her mysterious persona, yet you can't help but hate her for who she truly is.

Just like in any other Del Toro film, the visuals in this film are amazing. This time, instead of the visual effects (like in 'Pacific Rim'), the main focus is on the production design and costume design. Every set, prop, and article of clothing not only have their own unique design but are also very telling of a scene's or character's given mood (now that's some good attention to detail). I would honestly be shocked if this film wasn't nominated for Best Prod. Design nor Best Costume (although I also wouldn't be surprised as the Academy usually forgets about films like these).

Despite its narrative problems, 'Crimson Peak' is a grand visual experience that needs to be seen on the big screen (notwithstanding the blood and gore). Del Toro's directing has not faltered one bit, and he truly has come up with an original concept that we haven't seen in a very long time. And although I didn't completely fall in love with this film, I will say I'm glad I watched it in theatres.

My actual rating for this film is 7.5/10