There are some films that simply have to be reviewed using spoilers. I don't like to do it, but on occasions like this it is simply unavoidable. I take extensive measures to know as little about a film before going into it as possible (I even avoid trailers wherever possible). 'Ghost Stories' was a film I knew almost zero about other than that Martin Freeman was in it and it was classified as a drama/horror (whatever that means). Very early on in the film we meet a character who is supposedly an old man. Being quite familiar with him as an actor I said to myself that is Martin Freeman in heavy make-up. Sure enough it is revealed later in the movie that that was indeed the case. Now I'm not sure whether the make-up was supposed to be intentionally revealing, but I very much doubt it. I feel I would've enjoyed the reveal much more when it came around if I hadn't already suspected it over an hour ago. I can only guess the make-up budget wasn't quite high enough to pull it off properly.
This is very much a retrospective film. You are asked to look back and reconsider everything you've seen. That element to it I really liked. The ending is unquestionably the strongest part. The three horror stories told through the middle are on the other hand of the mixed bag variety. There are very strong moments in each of the stories, but ultimately they were a little tedious and forgettable. They were of course serving a purpose for later on, but I still feel they could have been done with a little more creativity - particularly the second one.
Martin Freeman is a breathe of fresh air in this film. He really shows the rest of the cast up it has to be said with his class, charisma and screen-presense. When I thought it was going to be a straight up horror movie I was a little concerned about whether his star-power would take me out of the horror mind-frame. Knowing now how the story plays out though I think he was an excellent choice for his role. There's certainly enough creativity and originality to make 'Ghost Stories' worthy of a watch.
This is very much a retrospective film. You are asked to look back and reconsider everything you've seen. That element to it I really liked. The ending is unquestionably the strongest part. The three horror stories told through the middle are on the other hand of the mixed bag variety. There are very strong moments in each of the stories, but ultimately they were a little tedious and forgettable. They were of course serving a purpose for later on, but I still feel they could have been done with a little more creativity - particularly the second one.
Martin Freeman is a breathe of fresh air in this film. He really shows the rest of the cast up it has to be said with his class, charisma and screen-presense. When I thought it was going to be a straight up horror movie I was a little concerned about whether his star-power would take me out of the horror mind-frame. Knowing now how the story plays out though I think he was an excellent choice for his role. There's certainly enough creativity and originality to make 'Ghost Stories' worthy of a watch.