LIKES:
The Creepy Atmosphere:
Candyman's latest installment shows a gentrified Chicago hood that holds the modern splendor of modernization, built over the ruins of the past in an attempt to bury the culture that might be less attractive. In these ruins is where the legend starts to rise again and the fact this "curse" spreads into the wealthier districts is the true horror of the movie. Candyman uses a brilliant amount of non-special effects to set the stage, a blend of subtle light changing filters, use of ear splitting violins, and the sound mixing of other elemental pieces that suggest the doom that is about to take place. That atmosphere sort of lying beneath the surface of calm is definitely something that makes this movie have a little more nontraditional bite.
The Acting:
Again no award winning roles in the terms of Oscars, but don't knock Candyman's performances until you give them a shot. The lead is done extraordinarily well by Abdul-Mateen II, as he takes on the transformational role of the aspiring artist looking for inspiration. Like many great tales, his journey is not linear, and seeing the changing mindscape and what was demanded of him was awesome to see brought to the levels that were balanced between overdramatic horror we expect and a realistic portrayal of horror. Teyonah Parris gets a nod for her performance in the manner of someone watching the legend unfold from her dynamic. The rational role was quite well and I had just wished for a little more integration. Nathan Stewart-Jarett was okay for me, the comedic relief role that is there to try accomplish reducing the tension at times, while also a potential set up, but he needed more time and development instead of the token role he did. Everyone else did a fine job with the roles handed to them, but as they were not the fully integrated components, can't spend too much time calling out other performances.
The First few acts:
Candyman's biggest surprise comes in the form of the story that they actually focused om in this time vs. Just the horror/slasher aspects that other franchises try to accomplish. The importance of the lore is heavily emphasized, and piece by piece starts to build up the characters trapped in the Candyman's tale, all while integrating a few kills into the mix. Elements of traumatic back story, relationships that may be tested by the pressure of the Candyman's tale, and lots of things to address if possible. It was this element that really had me ingrained into the story to see what would emerge when the monster came for them.
The Shadow puppets:
I loved the storytelling of the legends through the use of shadow puppets as seen in the Japanese art of storytelling. In addition to being unique, the impressive display of art goes with the theme of artistic display in this movie, and also be kind of creepy at the same time. The end credits will show you more of the origins of Candyman at the end, and I really liked that element instead of another live action tale that they could have done.
The Makeup:
Several of the injuries and changes to characters in this movie involve some impressive alterations to anatomy. Sure CGI fills in some of the work, but the makeup and prosthetics for this movie are super impressive in terms of execution. Great blending, diverse textures, and levels of impressive growth are to the point to match levels seen in the Walking Dead. While not the biggest seller for many, I have to give props for the amazing work they did in the characters who appeared on screen.
DISLIKES:
Not Scary:
Part of this is going to be due to my desensitization to violence and horror that I've developed from my time as reviewing. Candyman's atmosphere is the creepiest element at times, that sense of being alone and having to deal with the pressures that life and supernatural can throw at us. Yet, the movie sort of adds that Peele twist to the film and begins losing the scare factor for more of that cheaper thrills that he sometimes brings. I'd have liked a little more suspense and execution into the element of Candyman's hunts, but that did not seem to be the focus of this feature.
Political:
If the legends are indeed built upon what a character says, I supposed I should not have been surprised. However, Candyman's modernization holds a lot of political undertones and agendas that you will either appreciate or be annoyed with. While not the worst thing to happen in a movie, there are times when that focus gets a little stale for me and starts to throw off the horror element for me. When you see who the victims are, who gets passed by, and especially the ending, it suddenly starts to show a different face that kind of threw off the story for me. And when the kills start to become cheap bouts that happen in the background... it only further shaves off the thrills you were hoping to see.
The Story Element in the third act:
My buddy and I both agree that the first acts engage and show promise, but it's the final act where the baton is dropped and the race sort of comes to a quick end. Candyman's twist is crammed in at what feels like a last minute surprise, taking all that build up and sort of dousing the fire too quickly for my tastes. Other characters also show signs of some interesting background stories, especially the female lead who held a lot of trauma in her story and yet we barely got any of that. All the other characters with names held potential to be integrated into the tale, but alas, they seemed to have run out of time and needed more politics vs. Execution of their story.
The Rushed Pace At the End:
Sadly, the other elements also suffer at the end, all the horror elements again compressed into a 20 minute finale that feels sort of disrespectful to the work they put in at the movie. The hunt becomes sort of off camera focus, the impasse is rather laughable in how easy it is solved, and the political component being the primary focus. It feels very much like Peele's writing, only without the finesse that he did in Get Out and Us. Thus, this finale may have some moments that will have some happy, but for me it was a bit of a letdown given the potential that was hinted at the early parts of the film.
The VERDICT:
Candyman turned out to be better than I anticipated at many parts given the trailers and modern take on cinema. The first few parts of the tale show promise, a fantastic display of artistic decisions to build up the potential and hint at some deeper levels of horror lore the film has needed. Great acting, alongside tributes to lore with other elements keep the tale interesting, with enough horror moments mixed in to snack on in the midst. Alongside the great makeup and use of a style not seen, there were some great things to celebrate in this film. However, it's the final act where the movie crashes down, and the rushed finale does little to drive that full punch that I think they wanted. A laughable impasse, dropping the story and other characters, and so many other elements are minimized in order to just put something out there and wrap things up. Candyman almost could have used another thirty minutes or maybe a second act to keep the promise going and that was disappointing to me. As such, I think this movie is best left to a home viewing or with a group than alone.
My scores are:
Horror/Thriller: 6.5
Movie Overall: 5.5.
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