One thing I sometimes struggle with is how to begin a movie review. The opening, for reviews or books – or movies – is vital. A good opening draws the audience in from the get-go. A bad opening, well, it does not do that. And the opening scene to Halloween was one of the worst I’ve seen in a while. It introduces three supremely unlikable characters and devolves into a scene of pure nonsense. And unfortunately that tragically sets the tone for most of the rest of the movie.
Halloween goes on to bring in a number of other unlikable people. It’s not that you’re actively rooting for these characters to be brutally murdered by Michael Myers. But you certainly don’t care whether they live or die. I don’t really know what else to say. There is a very small number of characters that you can get invested in, but so many are just so terrible.
But above that, the movie’s real problems can be boiled down to two major issues. The first is that there are far too many call-backs to the original 1978 film. And when I say call-backs, what I mean is literal recreations of scenes from the (easily superior) earlier movie. A few would have been fine. A few would be acceptable, expected even. But with their frequency, they come off as a crutch, as though their weren’t enough good original ideas to fill out an entire movie.
But perhaps worst of all, there is next to no suspense. And there’s a very clear reason for that. I won’t go into too much detail to avoid potential spoilers. So all I’ll say is if you’ve seen the trailers, you’ve seen the movie. Take that for what you will.
And on top of all that, I simply cannot for the life of me understand where the fascination with Michael comes from. The two journalists and Michael’s doctor thinks there is so much to be learned from him. But as they tell us repeatedly, Michael has never spoken. Yes, that has to be a unique trait for him to have. That combined with his brutal past could lead to some interesting theories. But if he’s never spoken, how do they feel such a connection to him? How could they have any idea what his plans are, what he’s thinking at any given time? At one point, Aaron, the true-crime podcaster studying Michael’s case, tells Laurie he thinks she might be the one person Michael would talk to. Literally nothing happened that could have reasonably led him to that conclusion.
That being said, the movie is not without a few high points. First, there is John Carpenter’s theme, which is as good as ever. Though it could have been used more often, if you ask me.
Second, there is the easy highlight of the movie. Jibrail Nantambu plays Julian, a boy that Allyson’s friend Vicky is baby-sitting. The kid is electric and provided some genuine laughs.
But admittedly the best part of the movie was the ending. The last 20 minutes or so are legitimately great. But the question is, are the preceding 86 minutes worth it just for a good ending?
Oscar hopes: Nope
Oscar Watch
Best Picture
- First Man
- A Star is Born
- Eighth Grade
- A Quiet Place
- Avengers: Infinity War
- BlackKklansman
- The Hate U Give
- Black Panther
- Love, Simon
- Mission: Impossible – Fallout
Best Director
- Damien Chazelle – First Man
- Bradley Cooper – A Star is Born
- George Tillman Jr – The Hate U Give
- Bo Burnham – Eighth Grade
- John Krasinski – A Quiet Place
Lead Actor
- Ryan Gosling – First Man
- Bradley Cooper – A Star is Born
- Ethan Hawke – First Reformed
- Nick Robinson – Love, Simon
- John David Washington – BlackKklansman
Lead Actress
- Emily Blunt – A Quiet Place
- Lady Gaga – A Star is Born
- Amandla Stenberg – The Hate U Give
- Thomasin McKenzie – Leave No Trace
- Toni Collette – Hereditary
Supporting Actor
- Russell Hornsby – The Hate U Give
- Sam Elliott – A Star is Born
- Armie Hammer – Sorry to Bother You
- Adam Driver – BlackKklansman
- Josh Hamilton – Eighth Grade
Supporting Actress
- Claire Foy – First Man
- Jennifer Garner – Love, Simon
- Regina Hall – The Hate U Give
- Laura Harrier – BlackKklansman
- Tessa Thompson – Annihilation
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