So, a lot of us have seen James Wan's latest horror thing (FOR FREE!!!), and there are thoughts aplenty squirting around the web! Bloody Disgusting hailed it the best horror movie so far this year. Others have declared it a hyper-focused intentionally goofy niche masterpiece deserving of its own franchise alongside your Freddys, your Jasons, and your Leprechauns.
Others, however, consider it a big ol' pile of bloody shit.
But what do we the community think? I know we have a mix of horror fans, movie snobs, and horror fans who are also movie snobs, and I think a thread to discuss this thing would be fascinating given its crazy polarizing reception.
I'm just kidding, obviously. The forums are dead and no one's going to see this shit! *faaaaaaaaart*
For what it's worth, I can see both sides of the argument. Malignant is punchy, bloody, and pretty damn thrilling at times (mostly the ending). The weapon and costuming is cool. The design and concept behind the slasher is interesting. The idea of watching these waking nightmares of people being murdered before your eyes is disturbing. The sets are a Gothic funhouse of Victorian homes, underground ghost towns, Silent Hill-esque fog, and secret research facilities. It's gleefully bonkers from the start with a doctor aiming a gun at some monstrous experiment and saying "It's time to cut the cancer out." It's crazy, wild, and wastes no time.
That said, it's also incredibly stupid and poorly constructed. The script feels like a first draft with characters just flat-out saying the themes and dumping exposition. The photography is surprisingly ugly for a James Wan movie. This guy know how to frame a shot, and yet most of the shots here are flat and one of the main reasons there's little to no tension in the film. It doesn't help that it's edited like a straight to DVD flick from 2005, either. The whole waking nightmare angle is pretty well ruined by this. It also doesn't help that the cop drama bits feel like a throwaway NCIS knockoff. Beyond all that, Malignant is a mess of CGI. Like, holy hell is there too much. CG blood oozes everywhere undercutting the impact of Gabriel's violence, and the best action sequence of the movie has shots that I'm certain don't contain a single human body.
EDIT: Every time I think about this movie my opinion on it changes. Please, someone help me have an opinion. I feel like I simutaenously love it and hate it, and I can't decide which it is.
What do you think? Love it? Hate it? Somewhere in between? Do you have any interest in a sequel?? Feed me your opinions!!!!
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