MovieChat Forums > Fallen (1998) Discussion > Good film with some problems

Good film with some problems

posted 2 years ago by Drooch (5333)
4 replies | jump to latest

Nice to see Denzel in a horror for once.

This was a rare film that started slow but ramped up to a thrilling and dark climax, with an ending that kicks you right in the nuts. I’m glad the film has a cult following.

I think it falls short of being a modern classic because the pacing is kinda off for the first half. We cotton on to how the demon operates fairly early so the crime scene stuff feels laboured, and the scenes don’t zip with interesting character moments or memorable dialogue - it’s all a bit meh.

Once Hobbes understands the demon and it starts really screwing with him it becomes engaging and quite chilling. In fact, it goes so dark it sort of clashes with the playful tone of the film. The demon sadistically injects a mentally handicapped man, who has a young child, in the back of the neck with poison while he’s sleeping.

Let that sink in.

Murders a spesh, leaving his child orphaned. As if that isn’t dark enough, the orphan’s remaining father figure perishes in the final fight… and loses! This means the demon could quite conceivably pay a visit to the kid, and the woman now caring for him, and slaughter or torture them both, just to spite Hobbes (yeah I know he’s dead but in the film’s universe there seems to be an afterlife)

It’s unbelievably dark stuff that chimes awkwardly with the fun genre thriller/horror vibe of the film. I can imagine mainstream audiences being put off by that.

The demon-cam stuff was annoying - slightly distorted green tinged slow shutter speed, it felt tacky, as did all the overblown sound effects when the demon transitioned to a new host. It would have been so much more effective if it was done silently. It would have been more real and scary, and you would be watching every scene with an eagle eye. Instead they telegraph it with tacky slo-mo and sound effects.

With a better script and more assured direction this could have become a horror classic, it does so much right and the brilliant cast deliver great performances. As it stands it’s a well above average horror-thriller that’s definitely worth watching.

[–] [deleted] 2 years ago

Good summary. Yup, I enjoyed it a lot... I should revisit it after reading your review.

[–] Drooch (5333) 2 years ago

Let me know what you think.

[–] Naptown317Native (524) 2 years ago

Next time, you should watch this while sitting on a Judas Cradle.

[–] PrimeMinisterX (8331) 7 months ago

I watched the film last night after it was recommended to me by a friend. Is it true that the film has a cult following? I don't think I've seen even one person reference it in the years since it came out. It seems to me that the film has simply been forgotten.

I agree with you that it is overall a good and interesting movie that is brought down a bit by some missteps in the script and direction.

You touched on one thing I was really iffy on, the "demon-cam" shots. I don't really mind the color distortion, but the slow-mo effect definitely feels dated and of its time. There were a lot of movies in the 80s, 90s and early 00s that used slow-mo in that way but it seems today that the technique has entirely disappeared from modern filmmaking.

Another gripe I have is the underutilization of Embeth Davidtz's character. They build her up as one of the chosen few demon-slayers and then that just kind of goes nowhere. I think they should've brought her into the story more, explored that angle more deeply and made her an active participant in the finale somehow.

And that leads me to my final point: The ending feels a little anticlimactic. I didn't hate it, and it's clever on a certain level, but it just felt like the story was leading to something more substantial.

Overall though, I enjoyed the film. While clearly influenced by Se7en, it still felt like a unique idea, has a great cast, Embeth Davidtz looks great in it, and it remains entertaining throughout. It's at least more enjoyable than 90% of movies released today.