End of March Movie Reviews: Hellbender, Nightmare Alley, & The Worst Person in the World
It’s time to wrap up March by taking a look at three films I watched that all have really creative titles.
Hellbender (2021)
AMC Plus Horror, 86 minutes
Hellbender is an interesting take on a more realistic story about witches, centering around a daughter who lives on an isolated mountain with her mother. I like the idea of a coming-of-age story about a young witch and there are definitely some good ideas here, but the film is only somewhat successful in its execution.
Hellbender was made by a family of four (parents and their two daughters), who took turns directing the film and all star in it as its primary actors. I can definitely respect this family project, but at times the movie definitely feels not super professionally done. The acting here is just alright and, despite a short run time, the pacing still feels a little slow.
I’d be interested to see what future projects this family comes up with, but as far as Hellbender is concerned, I would probably only recommend the film to strong horror fans who don’t mind something less professionally done and a little out there.
Grade: 5.5/10
Nightmare Alley (2021)
Searchlight Pictures, 150 minutes
Nightmare Alley is a Guillermo del Toro film that I mostly enjoyed. It’s mainly a drama (with some thriller, crime, and maybe a little horror weaved in) about a carnival worker coming from questionable circumstances who becomes a renowned mentalist swindling wealthy people.
I really liked the aesthetic of Nightmare Alley and Bradley Cooper as our protagonist is really good in the role. While I liked the story overall, I also found the movie to be slow at parts with a mostly predictable ending.
I enjoyed Nightmare Alley way more than del Toro’s The Shape of Water (which somehow won the Academy Award for Best Picture), but I still think it’s been overrated by most critics. This film definitely isn’t on par with films like Pan’s Labyrinth or The Devil’s Backbone, both of which I think will stay with most viewers long after they finish watching them. Still, though far from a masterpiece, Nightmare Alley is a solid movie and well worth a viewing.
Grade: 7/10
The Worst Person in the World (2021)
Oslo Pictures, 128 minutes
This romantic comedy/drama focuses on a few years in the life of Julie, a woman in her early 30s, as she navigates her life, both in terms of her career and relationships. The Worst Person in the World is broken up into a prologue, twelve parts, and an epilogue. While breaking the movie up like this is a creative idea, I felt like it made the movie drag somewhat as I was waiting to see when another part would begin as signaled by white text across the screen.
I think the acting here is really good, but the characters themselves I didn’t find particularly interesting. If you’re looking for a foreign slice-of-life film you could definitely do a lot worse than The Worst Person in the World, as this is still a well-made and overall decent film. I think director Joachim Trier is a talented filmmaker, but I personally much preferred his 2017 horror-drama, Thelma.
Grade: 7/10