REVIEW: CRIMSON PEAK
What was I complaining about in the last post...horror films? Well, in the middle of October, as Halloween is just around the corner...we still haven't gotten a true horror movie. Crimson Peak comes close, but director Guillermo del Toro has described it more as a Gothic romance, a very accurate description, though many times throughout the film I did find myself squirming and jumping from anticipation or jump cuts...both fairly effective.
Something a great director (an Eastwood, a Kubrick, a Spielberg) most have is a particular, identifiable style. In that sense, del Toro is on his way. I've seen his Blade II, Hellboy and Pan's Labryinth, all dripping with his signature macabre and creative style. Hellboy is the most accessible and enjoyable out of those three, while PL is the best in terms of story quality. The man's been attached to so many projects it's hard to keep count: he was so close to directing the Hobbit trilogy (that would've been an interesting alternative), a possible Pacific Rim sequel, a Pinocchio reboot...the man has a lot on his plate. So instead of all this rehashing I've just listed off, it's nice to see something that is so plainly del Toro. Alas, even though we get something that is totally in his wheelhouse, we're still missing a wheel or two.
With a representative quartet of some of the best working actors today: Tom Hiddleston, Jessica Chastain, Charlie "I Wish I Was Christian Grey" Hunnam and leading lady Mia Wasikowska, I watched the trailer of Crimson Peak with frightened high hopes. And everyone here is game. The former Alice in Wonderland plays Edith Cushing, a young writer haunted by the literal ghost of her deceased mother. While Hunnam's charming doctor is always nearby, Edith falls for Hiddleston's British aristocrat Thomas Sharpe, who, along with his questionable sister Lucille, whisk Edith away to their enormous, Poe-inspired mansion. Hijinks ensue.
I'm not even the most devout of horror fans (I was forbidden to see them as a child) and Peak's plot already felt a little recycled to me. On websites you can find del Toro rattling off his influences for the movie: but where does the line get blurred between inspiration and mimicking. His Pan's Labryinth is frequently called a fairy tale for adults. When has another movie ever been classified as such? Crimson Peak is still a horror movie, but its bread and butter come mostly from the romance between Edith and Sharpe, and the ramifications of their marriage. In his first mainstream movie role since creating the current king of Marvel villains, Hiddleston works his effortless likability into rooting for a rather mysterious character you're not sure whether to love or be cautious of. Though Chastain eats a lot of scenery here, its Wasikowska you come back to for your anchor. She has a timeless look, perfect for the period pieces she is often typecast in. Here her fragile features work exceedingly well, creating a feisty woman who falls in love because she can, not because she should.
The movie has been advertised perhaps too much as a jump out of your seat thriller. It's not. It's a slow burning Gothic drama, with ghosts thrown in for good measure. While they add atmosphere, I'm among the majority of critics that voice that they are not 100% necessary. So don't come to be spooked. Maybe even don't come for the cast. Come for del Toro, because even when the predictable story fails him in certain spots, his style certainly saves the film.
Rating: 2.5/4 stars
Something a great director (an Eastwood, a Kubrick, a Spielberg) most have is a particular, identifiable style. In that sense, del Toro is on his way. I've seen his Blade II, Hellboy and Pan's Labryinth, all dripping with his signature macabre and creative style. Hellboy is the most accessible and enjoyable out of those three, while PL is the best in terms of story quality. The man's been attached to so many projects it's hard to keep count: he was so close to directing the Hobbit trilogy (that would've been an interesting alternative), a possible Pacific Rim sequel, a Pinocchio reboot...the man has a lot on his plate. So instead of all this rehashing I've just listed off, it's nice to see something that is so plainly del Toro. Alas, even though we get something that is totally in his wheelhouse, we're still missing a wheel or two.
With a representative quartet of some of the best working actors today: Tom Hiddleston, Jessica Chastain, Charlie "I Wish I Was Christian Grey" Hunnam and leading lady Mia Wasikowska, I watched the trailer of Crimson Peak with frightened high hopes. And everyone here is game. The former Alice in Wonderland plays Edith Cushing, a young writer haunted by the literal ghost of her deceased mother. While Hunnam's charming doctor is always nearby, Edith falls for Hiddleston's British aristocrat Thomas Sharpe, who, along with his questionable sister Lucille, whisk Edith away to their enormous, Poe-inspired mansion. Hijinks ensue.
The movie has been advertised perhaps too much as a jump out of your seat thriller. It's not. It's a slow burning Gothic drama, with ghosts thrown in for good measure. While they add atmosphere, I'm among the majority of critics that voice that they are not 100% necessary. So don't come to be spooked. Maybe even don't come for the cast. Come for del Toro, because even when the predictable story fails him in certain spots, his style certainly saves the film.
Rating: 2.5/4 stars
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