Malignant (2021)

Whether it starts in a hospital or whatever you want to call an "institution," it all sounds promising at first—until I see that damn shadow for the first time. I just couldn't deal. The visuals are a total mess, too. Honestly? Just skip it.

northerncrane4 said:It’s just boring, boring, boring—until this one twist happens that is so incredibly preposterous. It isn't even really about the concept itself, I guess, but more about the visual execution and the resulting action sequences, which somehow makes the whole thing fun simply because of how ridiculous it is.

That sequence involving the parkour moves with those weirdly contorted joints was extra entertaining.
I just can't wrap my head around that part, honestly.

northerncrane4 said:Boring, boring, boring...

I don't know, man. It feels a little too harsh to call a movie "boring" when it’s actually this inventive—both technically and conceptually. Maybe you just aren't feeling the genre or the subject matter, but whatever.

If we were talking about some massive industry-shifting blockbuster, I might get why someone would tear apart all that hard work, but doing it here? It feels a bit pretentious to me. Like, you're looking down your nose at it without having any real ground to stand on.

Honestly, this single flick has more creative effort, vision, and actual execution packed into it than our entire annual US film output combined—and I'm not even counting the budget. I'll stand by that.☕

Patrick Martin said:this one single movie alone shows more creative grit and actual vision—not just throwing money at the screen, but real execution—than the entire American film industry produces in a year. And I’m totally with him on that ☕
.

As if that wasn't obvious. 🤣

Patrick Martin said:I don't know—calling a film this inventive (both technically and conceptually) "boring" feels a bit overly critical. Maybe you just aren't a fan of the genre or the subject matter.

If we were pretending to be major players in the global film industry, I might find it more acceptable to dismiss someone else's hard work so easily—but doing it like this feels pretentious (acting high and mighty without any actual basis)

This single movie has more creative effort, vision, and execution—and I'm not even counting the budget—than our entire annual domestic film production combined. I'll stand by that.☕

Did you actually read my entire post? Yes, the first two-thirds are tedious—I see nothing inventive about them (aside from one visually striking high-angle tracking shot). The final third gets interesting in a certain trashy way, but frankly, I doubt we'll ever know if that was the director's intention or just a mistake.

Looking at the director's whole body of work and that absolute trash intro scene—which honestly feels like it was ripped straight out of some bargain-bin horror flick from the early 2000s, from the tacky fonts to the cheap effects and the music—I'm starting to think the whole thing was actually intentional. It’s probably all a bit of a joke. This is basically the Dumb and Dumber of the horror genre.

northerncrane4 said:Did you even bother reading my whole post? Seriously. Like I said, the first two-thirds are just a total snooze fest. There’s zero creativity there, unless you count that one flashy high-angle tracking shot, but that's about it. The final third actually picks up, but it’s got this weird, trashy vibe—honestly, I can't tell if the director meant for it to go down that path or if he just completely lost the plot.

Look, you're clearly too much of a seasoned pro to miss the point here. That first third is basically a massive setup. It's designed to be "boring" specifically so it acts as a counterweight to the absolute madness in the other two-thirds.

I'm telling you, that big payoff you're raving about wouldn't hit nearly as hard if they hadn't spent that first chunk of the movie dragging its feet.

Absolute garbage. I caught this a few months back and honestly? Total waste of time... just complete nonsense.

Patrick Martin said:You’re clearly too much of a seasoned pro to miss the point—that first third is essentially just an overture, designed to act as a counterbalance to the remaining two-thirds of pure fury.

I guarantee that the effect you're praising wouldn't even land—not without that one-third part you find so tedious.

Those fractions just don't work. The first two-thirds are a slog—completely uninspired—while only that final third holds any interest. I suppose calling that tedious two-thirds intro "innovative" is technically true, but definitely not in a good way.

Jason Fowler57 said:Given the director's whole body of work and that absolutely trashy opening scene—which honestly felt like it was ripped straight out of some bargain-bin horror flick from the early 2000s, from the font choice to the cheap effects and the music—I’m starting to think the whole thing was totally intentional. It feels like the horror version of >.

I have to agree; I get the distinct impression the guy is just trolling everyone. > basically handed him a blank check after he raked in all that cash from >, and this is how he chooses to spend it!

On top of that, I personally wasn't a fan of his direction or the acting, and the script was a bit of a mess for me—it really struggled to figure out what to do with certain characters and plot points once they were established. To be fair, the core premise is actually fantastic; if this had been handled by a seasoned master of the Giallo genre, it could have been an absolute masterpiece.

northerncrane4 said:Those fractions don't work for me. That first 2/3 is just a slog, totally mediocre, and honestly, only the final 1/3 actually gets interesting. I mean, using a boring 2/3 buildup as an "innovative" move? Yeah, definitely not in a good way..

SPOILER ALERT!!!
Personally, those first two thirds felt pretty intriguing and mysterious to me 🤷
and that's exactly why they worked for me

because if I'm being real, I didn't have the slightest clue the story was going to pivot like that 🤷 and pulling that off is actually kind of a feat. Especially for a movie like this.

To movie is borderline moronic. Unknown 🤣. He essentially lives off her vitality 🙂 🤣. It is quite clear we are dealing with some seriously disturbed minds.

Jeffrey Howard79 said:Calling that movie stupid is an understatement. Unknown 🤣. He's basically living off her body 🙂 🤣. People's minds are seriously twisted.

Maybe try doing a quick Google search for parasitic twins? ☕

Patrick Martin said:maybe try doing a quick Google search for "parasitic twins"? ☕

Even if you go down that rabbit hole, I think I’d still point people toward Roman's version of The Dark Half from 1993.

It’s this wild, unexpected mashup of J-horror vibes and that extreme Italian giallo style. If the US wasn't so damn puritanical when it comes to eroticism, we'd actually be talking about this as a total classic of that ero-guro aesthetic. The only real issue is that James Wan just hasn't hit that visual level of someone like Argento or Douglas Sirk yet. 😁
Anyway, it’s still way better than that sterile crap they did with 'The Conjuring'. 👍

I’ve sat through this one twice now—and honestly, I think it grew on me—but there is just this one specific thing I absolutely cannot get past.
Generally speaking, though, I suppose James Wan is alright enough.

Dennis Martin6 said:It’s this weird, wild mashup of J-horror vibes and that super intense Italian giallo style. If we weren't dealing with how prudish American audiences get about anything remotely erotic, you could actually argue this is a cult masterpiece of that whole ero-guro aesthetic. The only real letdown is that James Wan just hasn't hit that visual peak yet—you know, nowhere near the level of someone like Argento or Douglas Sirk. 😁
Anyway, it's still miles better than that clinical, soulless 'Conjuring' crap.👍

Come on man, give us some actual constructive criticism instead of just keyboard warrior nonsense.👍

I can't believe people are still talking about this. It's old news. Everyone knows how it goes. Just another day in the life, I guess. [User] says:
Wild mix of J-horror and that extreme Italian giallo vibe. If it wasn't so damn puritanical about the eroticism, we’d actually be talking about this as an ero-guro aesthetic classic. Biggest issue? James Wan just isn't on Argent's level visually. Not even close to Douglas Sirk. 😁
Still better than that sterile Conjuring crap. 👍

And if he ever actually hits Argent's level, he's gonna have to face the final boss—Alfred Hitchcock.