Iconic horror movie director James Wan is back again with a new vision. Malignant is written and directed by Wan. It follows the story of Maddie as she tries to make sense of terrifying visions she has of a psychotic killer. Let’s break down the basic elements of the film with my spoiler free review of Malignant.
Plot:
James Wan himself said he wanted to create something different because he feels that “people are starved for something different.” And I agree. After all the horror movies I have seen, this is definitely different from anything else I have seen.
I went into this expecting a Conjuring type plot line. Without spoiling too much I can say it wasn’t. I cannot really even summarize the plot in a sneaky way without giving away some of the movies key moments. However, I will say that you will not expect the way the story unfolds. To me this was a good thing, even with some points I had minor details figured out. I didn’t have it entirely figured out.
Visuals:
Visually, this movie was stunning. There were visual effects and practical effects that created some visually beautiful scenes. So, if you are a nerd for this kind of thing, you will enjoy yourself even if the plot doesn’t hook you in. The way the movie looks and the way it was shot was enough to keep me interested. My favorite types of shots from this movie were all the birds-eye views and the way they represented the shifting between reality and visions, both pictured above.
Acting:
The movie has some actors I have not previously seen in other movies and I felt they really delivered on their characters stories. The main actor, Annabelle Wallis , who plays Madison did an amazing job portraying her situation and conveying what it would feel like in that moment.
Jake Abel, best known to me by his role as Adam in Supernatural appears in the movie briefly. His character was highly unlikable, however, it would have been interesting to see him appear in more of the movies plot line.
I have always enjoyed seeing actors I get to know through one role appear in different types of roles. So, as much as I disliked his role in this movie, I believe he had a great performance and look forward to any future roles he may take on.
Warnings:
While this is a horror movie, I do feel that it has to come with a trigger warning as it has within it extra sensitive topics. This movie has mentions of miscarriage, spousal abuse, child abuse, and rape. The movie also contains a lot of violent and bloody scenes. So, if blood makes your squirm, stay away from this one.
Final Thoughts:
This was most definitely something that I enjoyed watching. Going in I thought I knew what to expect and emerged with something totally different. Malignant was interesting and kept me hooked. While the movie did have some horror cliches; cue character going off to find answers into a creepy building alone, I feel that overall it was entertaining.
The ending of the film left it open to possibilities of a sequel, which I would like to see. There are many aspects of the plot and the story that could be explored as parts to a new cinematic universe. Maybe we will get that in the near future.
What did you think of Malignant? Let us know!
