Let’s be whelmed.
I have things to say about this movie and most of them are not good!
However, let’s not start off too negatively. Lee Cronin has the impossible task of balancing fan expectations and moving the franchise forward. I love the original Evil Deads and enjoyed the balls-to-the-wall remake that dropped the camp in favor of extreme horror. Overall, this is a world I want to spend more time in and have often overlooked flaws.
In Rise, we’re pulled out of the cabin in the woods location (after a silly opener) and put into a rundown apartment complex. The idea of the deadites attacking a larger building could be interesting, but we’re immediately shown this is a rundown and apparently mostly abandoned building. The change in setting seems a bit wasted as we’re basically just in another cabin.
We follow Beth (Lily Sullivan) who seeks refuge at her sister Ellie’s (Alyssa Sutherland) after Beth’s life gets turned upside down. We meet Ellie and her kids, one of whom finds some vinyl and releases the demons… you know the setup.
Anyway, Ellie is possessed immediately and her performance is the highlight of the film. Sutherland deserves a lot of credit for her unhinged demonic presence. The makeup team is likewise great. The story of the two sisters mostly works. Both performances are solid and there is a real tension present in the story.
So, where does it all go wrong?
The film burns through its obvious cannon fodder characters too quickly. This might seem like a small issue, but Ellie is blockaded out of the apartment for most of the film, which leaves her only able to attack other people. Simply killing them all in a single set piece reduces her to needing to stand outside the door (literally) until an opportunity arises. This is one of a few areas where the pacing seems to be oddly disruptive and we’re stuck standing still.
The tone is likewise a bit odd. We have funny moments of camp, but they’re so few and far between they stick out like they don’t belong. The film either needed to embrace the inherent cheesiness or simply drop it altogether.
Tone and pacing issues break up otherwise effective moments that simply don’t add together to make a truly enjoyable viewing experience. There are some excellent parts, but they’re bookended by slow or somewhat odd moments that deflate the growing tension. The film almost seems to restart at several moments, which means there is simply no momentum.
I think this one is overall weaker than the previous entry to the series. However, I didn’t regret watching it. I think fans will find enough to grab onto to have a decent viewing experience, but don’t expect this one to become a classic.
For fans, this one is worth a rent.
Jay Hates Movies 