Malignant

Starring: Annabelle Wallis, Maddie Hasson, George Young, Michole Briana White, Jean Louisa Kelly, Susanna Thompson, Jake Abel
Directed by: James Wan
Rating: R
Genre: Horror, Mystery
2021

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A woman (Annabelle Wallis) begins having visions of violent crime and soon suspects she is somehow mentally connected to the killer.

Review:

Tim: I'm still trying to process Malignant and I don't know if I will ever fully come to grips with James Wan's horror film. I definitely have a list of complaints about this movie, but you cannot deny that he combines so many different elements together into a package that's wholly unique. This isn't always effective, but it's memorable. Wan delivers a horror movie quite unlike anything we've ever seen.

What's impressive about this is that he does it by combining so many elements that are very familiar to horror fans. The film starts out with footage of scientists experimenting on kids, who show some kind of extrasensory powers. Seen that before. The film's protagonist is a blonde woman who has visions of grisly crimes and learns that they're actually happening in real life. She can see through the killer's eyes. Seen that before. There's two cops on the case who are initially skeptical of anything out of the ordinary. Seen that before. So much of this movie recycles things we've seen before. What's impressive is that Malignant feels completely different to most horror movies. Wan takes these elements and adds new ones to create a wholly unique (and messed up) film.

Now, I wasn't always a fan of throwing everything into this film. There's a scene in a police station that feels ripped from the most extreme action movie. It's completely unexpected to see such an action-forward scene in a horror movie. There's also elements that feel almost superhero-movie-like in their portrayal. Wan never lets us forget this is a horror movie, but the presentation is absolutely unique.

I also have to comment on the film's big twist, but I'll do my best not to make this a spoiler. Honestly, the twist is why you need to see this movie. It's so messed up, so disgusting that I barely have words for it. I had no idea what this movie was actually about and I cringed internally throughout the reveal. It's... hard to even describe how horrific this is. Wan deserves a ton of credit for telling such an extreme, unlikely story. I appreciated that a great deal. However (and this is hard to describe without spoiling it), I couldn't completely believe what we're asked to believe about this. I think Wan knew it, too. At one point, the movie completely abandons any logic or reason. You can almost see it make the decision- "Okay, this is going to be totally ridiculous, but it's going to be memorable and shocking, so let's do it!" If you're willing to go with it, you'll be one of the people who loved this movie. I couldn't quite get there. The plot asks a lot of the audience and it ultimately felt like too much to me. It was cool, it was fun, it was unexpected. And none of it really made sense. That's why I couldn't quite get to "I like this movie".

I like James Wan, but I don't think this film was his best work. It still suffers from many of the typical horror movie flaws. The main character is memorable, as are the two detectives. Everyone else kind of blends together. I was honestly confused about the Seattle Underground tour guide. Was she the doctor? Someone we're supposed to recognize? Eventually it makes sense, but the supporting characters all kind of blend together. I have to say, I'm not the biggest Annabelle Wallis fan. I think she did a decent job here, but I don't believe she is an especially strong actress. That shows up continually in this film. George Young gave a good performance as Kekoa Shaw (awesome name, by the way). The rest of the cast is pretty forgettable. I never actually cared about anyone in the cast.

Malignant definitely does a number of things right. I completely understand why this would be viewed as a "cult" film and it will undoubtedly have its supporters. Personally, I appreciated the twist but the story as a whole felt too flimsy for me. I mostly liked the movie, but the film's shortcomings really bothered me. In the end, I couldn't quite enjoy this film to the extent that I needed. It's a decent movie, but still a bit disappointing.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 6.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Saw, Insidious, The Conjuring, Annabelle