K K
Spoilers.
Today, tonight, I was the most excited to see a movie in a long time. In early June, The Ritual will be released, or it is planned to be released. I found The Ritual while annoyed at SEEING SOME MOVIES BEING THROWN UP AGAIN ON THE BIG SCREEN, as my initial reaction was, "Let other movies get some airtime," and then I thought, "Even the wealthy get desperate for more money." Ok, my appalled reaction to The Exorcist: Deceiver being on the big, big screen AGAIN when I went to look, thinking it was The Exorcist (1973). OH, no, it was Deceiver! When the movie was just in theatre 18 months ago. Ok fine if the movie has not been in theatres in a while like Annabelle then put it back up but not when it just was on the big screen.
Who knows the reason for THROWING SOME OF THE MOVIES up again: ego, wanting more money? Or how much ego and airtime does one studio need? Regardless, I "discovered" (I often found something of use while drudging through cases that disgusted me in the rulings, so keep reading!) The Ritual, thanks to Halfway to Halloween: Annabelle, in that group. Thank you.
So let me be candid about this movie: Annabelle go see it. The acting is excellent, and there are creepy moments. Sure, there are a few overly melodramatic soap opera moments. Scenes that could have used some improvement to be more natural, intense and scary. Yet the story was fresh and well done.
This is a movie, Annabelle, that blends into subjects that I am partial to: the SPIRIT, beliefs of higher powers, and our SOULs. Annabelle (2014) came out soon after The Conjuring (2013) and was tied into the stories so that there was a flow and not any obvious defects that this does not fit or make sense. I don't like obvious "this doesn't make sense" moments in movies when one movie tied into another doesn't connect or, worse, has blaring contradictions. The Conjuring to Annabelle fit. We were given one more story about Annabelle that leads to Annabelle's Creation, and again blends well.
The camera, direction, sound, lights, edits, pacing and music all worked well enough for this to be a solid scary flick. Plus, this movie is not too gross, scary or violent, so it can be taken in by a wide range of audiences: families, date night, friends, solo....all sorts can enjoy this movie. Some points other raise are valid yet overall this is a solid movie due in part to the acting. Sure the elevator scene (who created and thought of this, it was great) and laundry scene with demon was fantastic. Wallis nailed being scared but not over the top or fake. Wallis is Mia.
The lead actress (Wallis) is skilled, plus Wallis leads the movie as the lead should! It was a surprise to learn her native tongue, as she had me convinced of her accent in this movie(yes I know Americans many don't think we have an accent but to people outside of America we do). Willis is one of those actors who I wonder, "Why in the world is she not in more movies??" But that could be by choice; who knows? Not I, nor am I interested in the personal lives of people, even if they take part in public spotlight jobs. Wallis's parts seem diverse (the range of characters played is not redundant or typecast), so trying to have an expanded range rather than GRAB anything is a possible rationale. Another British favorite of mine, Vivien Leigh, made 20-ish movies (while winning two lead Oscars in so few movies points out how skilled some British people become at acting, like these two, Leigh and Wallis. So yes I am saying Willis is getting up to the skill level of Leigh and hence why I used Leigh) by choosing to focus on plays and personal issues.
Woodard, of course, is excellent and one of the best actresses of the last 50 years. Well, why not just say one of the best actresses ever! Remarkable range, power in the parts, and an authentic believability that it's the character and not Woodard. Woodard also carries the fine line of being supportive of the leads without overtaking the leads. A powerful skill to hold in acting, understanding supporting to lead. Sure Woodard has been a lead and does is great but here Woodard gets the supporting part and key part, WOW the drama of sacrifice surprised me: what a hero. Thus, Woodard was a pivotal key support that allowed the lead, Wallis, to perform so well! Both had great chemistry together.
Horton had great chemistry with Wallis and Woodard, and Howe, Nelson, O'Malley, and Amendola (who nailed the priest) all delivered, as did all the other cast (dozens), a strong group of actors, and it was nice to see them all take part in a movie creation. A movie with plenty of actors giving a chance to show character's personalities which allows a deeper connection. For example Wallis character Mia interacting with neighbor kids, taught us something about her. Or Mia interacting with neighbors(loved how this was tied into The Conjuring)gave us clues and examples. These actors and parts can be so valuable to use in telling a story and we the audience are not being cheated out of full journey.
This movie is worth revisiting on the big screen for some of the reasons I mentioned.
I do not believe I saw it on the big screen but cannot recall. I have watched it numerous times on streaming. My apologies for not spoiling things and doing a book report telling about the movie, the premise, who the actors are in comparison to the characters, and what happened. Rather, I say go see it on the big screen and learn for yourself.
But keep in mind critics for sure and some of the public just don't like scary movies: biased. Thus the review scores! I have my own biases but try to be aware of them.
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
04/17/25
Full Review
thiago s
Filme fraco, o roteiro é fraco, o elenco é bacana, só que ninguém ajuda, o filme tenta trazer o terror igual ao invocação do mal, só que não consegue muito, tem a boneca alanzoka, a boneca annabelle que dá um pouco de terror para mim, e o que salva de ser ruim, e as cenas da annabelle são mais ou menos.
Rated 1/5 Stars •
Rated 1 out of 5 stars
03/18/25
Full Review
Sophya T
i like the doll desgin but the story is very good to a horror movie
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
03/16/25
Full Review
Audience Member
For horror film there isn't a lot of scares and horror-esque scenes to be found here. Mostly people just scared of a doll and things that go bump in the night making this film a dull movie night.
Rated 2.5/5 Stars •
Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars
02/24/25
Full Review
Suze V
The movie felt empty. It was missing the conjuring vibes, the scares feel cheap and the story was a little boring. I do like how it connects to the rest of the movies and it was well made
Rated 2.5/5 Stars •
Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars
02/12/25
Full Review
Alexander S
Annabelle, while the concept centered around this haunted doll is a solid idea, unfortunately, the film relies heavily on jump scares, making it appear desperate to be a horror movie in its own right. However, its purpose has been misguided, particularly evident in the fact that the Conjuring franchise was merely being exploited for its success.
Grading: D+
Rated 1.5/5 Stars •
Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars
02/11/25
Full Review
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