Let me start off by saying that the horror genre is not my cup of tea. I almost never watch it unless at a friend's house late at night and even then I'm a little bit reluctant. But today, I was scrolling through Netflix with nothing to watch. I finally gave in and saw what movies were in the horror section. After doing a little snooping around in that section, I found The Final. The reason it stood out to me is because it's a revenge movie against bullies, which is cliché, but I've never heard of one so violent. So I had to check it out. I was not disappointed.
The first thing I'd like to address is the acting. Other critics are giving it negative feedback, but I didn't see any flaws in it. There are some characters who could've been played a little better, but besides that, the acting was pretty good for a low-budget film. Emily (Lindsay Seidel) stands out to me acting wise. As far as bad acting, I thought Justin Arnold could've played Bradley better, but again, for a low- budget film, other than some small kinks, the acting was pretty good. This movie is more psychological horror-wise. Unlike most horror movies nowadays, it's not a constant blood and gore fest. Where they go light on the blood and gore they replace with dialogue that is well crafted. That's something in particular I love about this movie, instead of showing the blood and gore, they make you imagine it, which I think is much more powerful than showing it itself.
Let's face it, if you've been bullied, you've thought about the things that happen in this movie. You've probably never contemplated doing it, but I guarantee anybody who's been bullied has thought about these scenarios. Does that make them psychos? No, it's our actions that make us who we are, not are thoughts. Back on topic though, I've read reviews that said this film advocated this kind of behavior, but I disagree. I think it's more of an insight of what can happen when the bullied are pushed too far. While it's over the top, it gets the point across effectively.
The only weak link in this movie for me is the sub plot. I read in another review "...the subplot is so shakily executed by the young actor it threatens to implode the tension." Agreed. But it's not only the acting that takes away from it. I just found it boring in general. I found myself thinking "Alright, when can we get back to the house." But, it didn't take away from the main plot. It was bearable. I'll never look at bullying the same way again. I've been bullied, and regrettably, I've been the bully. I've never realized the psychological effect it can have. While it is a movie, and the scenario in this movie is not exactly realistic, it can happen other forms (for example: Colombine).
Overall, this movie was eye opening. Good acting, good horror effects, not the best wardrobe or subplot, but that doesn't take away from the movie. 7/10 overall.
The first thing I'd like to address is the acting. Other critics are giving it negative feedback, but I didn't see any flaws in it. There are some characters who could've been played a little better, but besides that, the acting was pretty good for a low-budget film. Emily (Lindsay Seidel) stands out to me acting wise. As far as bad acting, I thought Justin Arnold could've played Bradley better, but again, for a low- budget film, other than some small kinks, the acting was pretty good. This movie is more psychological horror-wise. Unlike most horror movies nowadays, it's not a constant blood and gore fest. Where they go light on the blood and gore they replace with dialogue that is well crafted. That's something in particular I love about this movie, instead of showing the blood and gore, they make you imagine it, which I think is much more powerful than showing it itself.
Let's face it, if you've been bullied, you've thought about the things that happen in this movie. You've probably never contemplated doing it, but I guarantee anybody who's been bullied has thought about these scenarios. Does that make them psychos? No, it's our actions that make us who we are, not are thoughts. Back on topic though, I've read reviews that said this film advocated this kind of behavior, but I disagree. I think it's more of an insight of what can happen when the bullied are pushed too far. While it's over the top, it gets the point across effectively.
The only weak link in this movie for me is the sub plot. I read in another review "...the subplot is so shakily executed by the young actor it threatens to implode the tension." Agreed. But it's not only the acting that takes away from it. I just found it boring in general. I found myself thinking "Alright, when can we get back to the house." But, it didn't take away from the main plot. It was bearable. I'll never look at bullying the same way again. I've been bullied, and regrettably, I've been the bully. I've never realized the psychological effect it can have. While it is a movie, and the scenario in this movie is not exactly realistic, it can happen other forms (for example: Colombine).
Overall, this movie was eye opening. Good acting, good horror effects, not the best wardrobe or subplot, but that doesn't take away from the movie. 7/10 overall.