PopHorror Let's Get Scared
Today Stephen King is a hot commodity in Hollywood. It seems that every day I hear news online, that another director is doing an adaptation of one of King’s novels. The success of It: Chapter One and Chapter Two, has certainly started, yet another era of movies based on his books. Following in his father’s footsteps, King’s son Joe Hill is also a successful novelist. Many of Hill’s novels have been made into movies as well.
Longtime fans of Stephen King will attest that unfortunately, not all of King’s movies have been hits. King would be the first to agree with you. Regrettably, In The Tall Grass is a mediocre film at best, and won’t go into King’s greatest hits category.
First, let’s look at the positives. Director Vincenzo Natali did an amazing job on the look of the film. It’s beautifully shot, the field of tall grass is creepy and claustrophobic. The camera work is astounding and had to be challenging, especially when you have actors persistently running through the tall grass. Vincenzo has my respect as a director.
The actors and actresses involved also have my admiration. The MVP has to go to Patrick Wilson for his performance as Ross Humboldt. Not every movie that Wilson has been in has been good, but Wilson always gives a great performance. In my opinion, he is an underrated actor, who deserves more credit than he gets. Honestly, every actor and actress did a phenomenal job with what they were given. The cast should be proud of the work they did.
Unfortunately, the film falls apart when it comes to the plot. Now, the premise is great. The movie begins with Becky who is pregnant and her brother Cal as they are driving along a country road. They stop at a country Church when they hear a crying young boy yelling for help in a field of tall grass. They both walk into the field, and they walk right into a nightmare.
No matter how hard they try, they can’t find their way out of the grass. Often times, they get separated, and can’t find one another. They soon find out there is an ancient evil entity within the tall grass. It sounds like a good premise. What the movie fails to deliver is a logical plot. Most of the movie, you’re scratching your head, and waiting for answers. And, in a lot of cases, the answers never come.
You have characters dying, but then they come back. You have some random time travel within the tall grass, that is never explained. I hate this kind of storytelling. It’s lazy, and when there are no rules, you can basically do anything you want within the plot. Hey, I will just randomly give this field time travel ability.
The worst part of this movie is the ending. It’s one of those plot twists, where a character goes back in time, warns two characters to not go into the field. The two characters heed the advice, and they never go into the field. They drive away, and all of the events you have sat through as a viewer is now pointless, and a waste of time. It’s a weak way to tell a story. If your looking for a good King movie, In The Tall Grass is not it.
