Homestead (I) (2023) User Reviews

Could have been a very good film.

[frank-68198 · 3/10 · 18 May 2023]

Beware of any film that sets to improve on a very well defined genre.

Westerns have given us some real masterpieces, films that stand out in the long list of great american films.

It's really too bad when a director feels he can improve on the style by showing his own talent and aiming much too high.

Here we have a situation that has been treated many times, a group of people, in this case a family, trapped in a house in the middle of nowhere under siege from a group of particularly mean killers.

What could have been the twist is that the person who will fight back is the one you'd least expect : a litttle girl.

Only every move every line of dialog take ages, it's so long and boring that it kills all tension, you just wish they would get along with the story and move on.

The director wants you to see how clever and intelligent he is and to do this he really takes his time. Long shots on people who don't say anything, meaningful looks that lead nowhere....

Had he played the story and directed his film more humbly he might have had a really good film to show.

This is not the case.

Special mention to the cast and particularly the little girl, but it's not enough.

Boring and derivative.

[MK_Ultra_ · 3/10 · 20 May 2023]

Having a guilty pleasure for what read as the "darker" element of the genre, checked it out.

The cinematography just brought back the 70s westerns that I grew up watching almost immediately, so settled in. Like most westerns, the antagonist is usual prevalent in the onset. Solid enough acting on all fronts, but what felt like it might head in the direction of interest...it plods along with very limited content, and even more limited expansiveness. Even the scenery, which can elevate these films, fell flat.

It's basically a broken family, a cabin, and some bad dudes out for revenge. That's it. Where some take this next level, the more recent (and pretty excellent) "Old Henry" excelled in bringing forth that classic feel...The Homestead just spins it's tires for the better part of an hour filled with unspectacular series of missed opportunities. I found it reminded me of a made for television (are these still a thing?) film. Very short, very uneventful, short on captivating violence that comes with even the most modern of the genre, and certainly mislabeled along the way as "horror", which confused me about the half way point, as the violence was pretty tame throughout. I can handle crossover appeal with the implied supernatural elements entwined with western films (High Plains Drifter) and horror element (Bone Tomahawk), this was more comparable to a Little House on the Prarie reinterpretation.

What comes is a very predictably boring run into the third act and an anticlimatic finish. Nothing stood out as anything more than mediocrity and a dud of a film.

Slow paced, generic and bland...

[paul_haakonsen · 3/10 · 24 May 2023]

Right, well without ever having heard about this 2023 Western titled "Homestead", I opted to sit down and watch it, as I had the opportunity to do so. I must admit that the movie's synopsis sounded interesting enough.

However, writer and director Ehrland Hollingsworth delivered a very bland and generic Western, one that was without much of any thrills, excitement or even a thoroughly thought through storyline. The narrative in "Homestead" was so simplistic that you could leave the movie for a long time and come back and still be up to speed with the events in the narrative. It was that bland, slow paced and monotonous.

The cast in the movie was fair enough. I mean, you're not in for any grand award-winning performances, and the only familiar face was Brian Krause. But given the severe limitations imposed upon them by an inferior script, then the actors and actresses faired well enough.

"Homestead" looked like a Western movie, but just lacked a drive and a proper storyline, and that made sitting through 79 minutes of this movie quite the ordeal. I doubt that even the most hardcore of Western fans will get much of a buzz out of watching writer and director Ehrland Hollingsworth's 2023 movie "Homestead".

The movie's cover had the movie set up for way more than what writer and director Ehrland Hollingsworth could manage to deliver. In fact, the movie's cover was actually the best part about the entire ordeal, sadly so.

My rating of "Homestead" lands on a three out of ten stars.

WHAT DID I JUST WATCH?

[mirage-productions · 3/10 · 2 June 2023]

I was expecting a decent western flick. The story had promise but there was so much missing. The acting was decent and some of the dialog was well written. What ruined it was all the missing ingredients for a decent western. Using a brass frames pietta 1958 Remington black powder pistol was a big sin. Remington never made brass framed pistols, Those are cheap replicas made today. Pa stated he had a heifer and was waiting for a bull to start breeding. Where did the heifer stay? All they had was a one room shack with a good electrical service as the lighting was poor and too bright. No corral, barn, of any kind for animals, Not even a single horse in the whole movie. There was too much un-needed conversations that drug on forever.

Started Well Enough Then Hit A Wall

[sbcxynkt · 4/10 · 27 May 2023]

This movie starts off well enough, it looks good and while the dialogue is iffy (as it remains throughout the movie), it clearly establishes the main characters. Once a new character enters shortly after, there's actually a great deal of tension. Then DDP shows up and it all goes limp, slumping to the floor and never getting back up.

The synopsis and setup make you think this little girl is going to be a total badass and save her family. Sligh's acting was so good that I was actually becoming invested and looking forward to see her become that hero. But she is totally wasted and the story suddenly becomes ill-paced, generic, and predictable. The tension dies as the movie slowly and weirdly shifts antagonist motive, gives us action that is unimaginative and either happening offscreen or onscreen with terrible special effects, and becomes increasingly clear with us that we're not getting the David vs Goliaths battle we were waiting for. The character is actually given a disappointingly small amount to do. And that's too bad because the actress was ready to give us something special. The writing really let her down and the movie ultimately lets us all down. Bottom line, watch "Becky" instead.

Great first act, then unravels

[jollyjumpup · 5/10 · 21 July 2023]

I was very excited by the first act of this film, mainly due to the very interesting set of characters. Betsy Sligh in particular stole the show as a feisty adolescent with a professed itch for dangerous adventure, but all four members of her frontier family are excellent and well cast.

The costumes and setting are also very authentic, except for the glaring absence of any farm animals - not even a dog or horse in sight. Even the band of outlaws who turn up arrive on foot!

Said outlaws appear at the start of the second act, and that is where things go awry. This group of characters is not nearly as interesting, starting with the tired old cliche of a "hellfire preacher" leader iof the gang. There's an effort to give the others distinctive personalities and conflicts, but their interactions are muddled, as is the last half of the script.

Although the adolescent fireball Irene is set up as a "Becky" type vengeful warrior, her character soon gets lost in the messy script and has minimal impact.

Making things even worse, this is a movie plagued with the kind of illogical last minute pauses taken by movie villains that allow their victims to escape the jaws of death. Believability goes out the door fairly early and with it any real suspense.

It's too bad the writer-director didn't have someone looking over his shoulder to question his bad decisions. This could have been a minor classic.

What is missing...

[yidboyjoel · 3/10 · 31 May 2023]

1. Animals. It is set on an isolated homestead. Yet, there is no livestock. This is a western with not a single horse. How did the gang of bad guys get across country..bus?

2. Injuries that stay, well, injured. Bad guy gets stabbed in the foot. In following scenes there is a total absence of blood on, well, boots, floor etc.

3. Dead guys that stay dead. Dead man's buddy picks him up from the porch, and dead guy lifts his arm to hold on.

The plot holds together, but is highly derivative. And why do they keep the ammo in a box on the hill, and not in the house?

Had some attention been given to continuity, and stitching together some plot holes that were overly large, and given the gang horses and not Shank's pony, it would not have been such a frustrating watch.

Gripping Western

[jwh-63517 · 10/10 · 10 March 2023]

This film's plot is gripping and intense, as we watch the family's struggles to survive in the face of overwhelming odds. The outlaws are brutal, and the tension is palpable throughout the film as we wonder whether the family will manage to escape their clutches.

But what really sets this movie apart is the performance of the female characters, particularly the young actress who plays Irene. Her portrayal of a tough, determined girl who is forced to grow up too fast in order to save her family is nothing short of incredible. She is truly the heart and soul of the movie, and her character's journey is both inspiring and moving.

In addition to the excellent acting, "Homestead" also boasts stunning cinematography and an expertly crafted script. The action sequences are thrilling and well-choreographed, and the movie's soundtrack adds to the overall sense of excitement and danger.

Overall, I cannot recommend "Homestead" highly enough. It is a must-see film for anyone who enjoys action-packed Westerns or stories of survival against all odds by strong female characters.

Real Women Heroes

[francescaoh-93315 · 10/10 · 11 March 2023]

What I really liked about this film are the characters and the acting, especially Brian Krause (the father Robert). I thought he gave a really good performance. But what surprised me was how much I liked all the other characters. Often you see a film and you only get to know about the lead performers. In Homestead you get insight into all the characters. The outlaws are killers, but they aren't the typical cookie cutter bad guys. You can see that they are real people with mixed emotions, and moments of humor. It was impressive how much the actors can convey about "who they are" in such a few shots. So in the end, even though they are the bad guys, you still have a sense of affinity towards them.

What I LOVED about the film is that I got to see women in their REAL power. Not having to watch women look and act like men to be thought of as strong, or like in early films, that showed women as weak and falling down and needing to be saved. I really enjoyed when Beth releases her "mama bear" energy when her kids are threatened. Also, Irene (the 12 year old loud-mouth) has true grit! Loved her! She always speaks her mind for the benefit of the survival of the family. Homestead is one of those rare movies that gives credit and respects women's intuition and shows female courage and fortitude in a way that is relatable.

HOMESTEAD A TRUE GRITTY BITE OF A WESTERN CLASSIC!!!

[goactiveproductions · 10/10 · 5 April 2023]

HOMESTEAD was the reimagining of a classic Western theme with a new twist as the heroine, a young girl, determined to take out the bad guys and save her family!

Shot with wonderful landscapes and cinematography, the movie pulls the viewer in from the very opening scene. A small prairie home set to appear in the middle of nowhere does leave an impression of vulnerability from outside forces!

A very well played cast with much depth and believability of people who felt as they just walked out of the past and onto the screen.

The oppressive nature of the villains sets the tone and raises the bar of terror and peril as the days sunlight dims, while the night brings into play the true evil nature of these deeply disturbed and revengeful men.

This is where the TRUE GRIT of Irene the young girl shines through and the other characters display their well casted and well developed personalities with equally seedy and devilish dialogue interwoven throughout the film!

A great cast and truly believable and authentic acting with a stellar performance of Irene from Betsy Sligh and my personal favorite the evil preacher Ezekiel played by Scot Scurlock and the wicked sermons he distributes to his audience!

Some truly great acting to bring forth the suspense and depth of despair that this family is enduring a must watch to the end!

HOMESTEAD is a hold-onto-your-seat modern Western classic!!!

the female-led western the world needed!!

[megan-71870 · 9/10 · 10 March 2023]

Wow- what a stunning western/horror!! Betsy Sligh's acting is incredible and really sets this film apart from every other Western I've seen recently. I loved Brian Krause in Charmed and seeing him take on this Western outlaw was such a hoot!

I've also always known Diamond Dallas Page (DDP) as a pro-wrestler, and for his yoga practice, but WOW can he act.

Overall, this was the new true grit the world needed with an even more fascinating cast of characters. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time.

I'm a horror buff and try to watch as many indie horror movies as I can, but honestly most of them feel like recycled content, this one didn't. It's pretty obviously lower budget, but fantastic and riveting nonetheless.

Slow Burner but Excellent

[haveachat-86334 · 10/10 · 23 May 2023]

Yep, I've read the reviews. I am not an expert reviewer, just a normal movie watcher here in NZ.

I like westerns and this one was a bit different.

A little "Little House on the Prairie" cottage.

I had no huge expectations. The story develops, having no idea what Pa's previous history was but it develops.

Strong acting from the daughter - she reminded me of my own sister.

The movie cruises along at a reasonable pace.

I think the expectations of previous viewers were way above mine.

I like to watch, absorb, understand the story of the family which is not apparent from the kick off.

The ending was unexpected.

Grab your popcorn, enjoy!