I liked The Conjuring. I was surprised how much I enjoyed it. There was something so wonderful about the way they bottled the style of the 70s and just let the story speak for itself. In some ways I don't even think of that movie as a horror flick because the best elements of it aren't even there to try and scare you... rather just to get you interested in the real life people who were supposedly involved in the incident.
So when the prequel, Annabelle, came out, I was naturally curious. It's not like we needed to know more about the doll, but a lead up to the first movie could have been somewhat interesting. Only problem is, Annabelle doesn't work. It's a %100 fictional concept of where this doll (what was really a Raggedy Anne doll) may have been before the events we saw in the first movie. And it completely missed the mark. The time period doesn't really come through all that well, and the characters are wishy-washy archetypes with no subtext or sign of growth.
The most flagrant misstep of the whole production is the semi-racist anticlimactic finale, wherein Alfre Woodard literally sacrifices herself for the white couple she's befriended. I don't think I'm reaching when I say that if a film only has one black character and that character decides his or her life is somehow less meaningful or important than the white characters', it could psychologically damage the minds of teens who are definitely going to see it. This is part of what I really disliked about RED, and it only continues to prove how some studios haven't wised up. With Exodus coming out, I feel race issues in film are about to reach a new head. Unfortunately for anyone involved in Annabelle, this flick could easily be thrown in with that pile... that's of course assuming anybody cares that it exists at all.
END SPOILERS AND THIS ARTICLE CAUSE THERE'S NOTHING ELSE TO SAY
No comments:
Post a Comment