The film It Follows focuses on the character of Jay, who after sleeping with her boyfriend Hugh is informed by him that she is now haunted by a curse where she will constantly be followed by people who are trying to kill her. She is told that in order to stop herself from being cursed, she must sleep with someone else and pass it along to them. Although shaken from the experience, it's only until Jay starts to notice strange people walking slowly towards her that she starts to believe Hugh. She confides in her sister and friends, who all agree to help her try and put an end to the curse.
My overall impression of It Follows was a good one, and I was thoroughly entertained through the entirety of the movie. I do want to note that for me personally, this movie builds. After the opening scene of the film I was sitting in the theater rolling my eyes at the absurdity of it, but the movie markedly improved as time went on and the plot progressed. But despite the many positive elements that I thought this movie delivered on, it had its fair share of shortfalls as well.
Wanting to end this movie review on a positive note, I'm going to start by explaining what did not work well in It Follows. First, I feel that the overall plot of this movie fell a bit short. Although It Follows certainly delivers on presenting a unique plot that I haven't seen any other horror movie have, it could have been executed much better. Just the fact that this movie is entirely based on a curse that's spread by sex seems ridiculous, almost a bit juvenile. In my opinion it takes this movie down to a slightly lower level than what it had the potential to achieve. Another element of this movie that may be perceived as a negative to some is that It Follows was not scary at all. To me, I would almost classify it as a thriller instead of a horror movie for this reason. To me, a horror movie should make your skin crawl, and give you scares that will make you jump out of your seat. This was not at all the case for me watching It Follows. Although it had an eerie quality to it and could maybe pass for creepy, this movie is nowhere near the level needed to be scary.
Okay, now onto the positives, because there are actually a lot in It Follows. First up, I did appreciate that the plot was refreshingly different from other horror films. Although I think it could have been tweaked a bit to make a better movie, to a degree the unique storyline is a positive element of It Follows. Also, all of the actors were above par in the film, and I especially thought that the lead actress who plays Jay did a good job portraying the uneasiness and fear that her character has throughout the film. But without a doubt, my favorite elements of It Follows are both the visuals and the music. The whole movie has an awesome old fashioned vibe to it, and this adds a really unique filter to the film that somehow makes it seem a bit creepier. Adding to this, I think the decision to film It Follows in Detroit was a great choice. The establishing shots of the dilapidated neighborhoods that are rampant in the area just suited the whole feel of the movie perfectly. One last positive element of It Follows that I want to emphasize is the soundtrack. This was probably my favorite part of the whole movie, just because I've never seen a movie use music in the manner that It Follows does. The music, composed by Rich Vreeland, makes up a huge part of this film. It gets to the point where the soundtrack is in-your-face loud during certain scenes of the movie, but it works well. The music also carries a distinct 80's vibe to it, which perfectly suits the visuals of It Follows.
Ultimately, this movie would not be nearly as effective of a film without its soundtrack.
So to conclude, although I personally enjoyed It Follows I wouldn't recommend it to everybody. However, if you are a thriller/horror movie fan or are just looking to see a movie that's a bit different from most today, I would highly suggest you give it a watch. If nothing else, just go listen to its soundtrack.
Rating: R
Genre: Horror/suspense
Run Time: 100 minutes
Release Date: March 13, 2015
My Rating: ★★★☆☆
No comments:
Post a Comment