🎥🎞️Movie Review🎞️🎥 - THE DELIVERANCE [2024] - R - NetFlix - Directed by Lee Daniels. Written by David Coggeshall & Ellijah Bynum. Edited by Stan Salfas. Stars Andra Day, Glenn Close, Caleb McLaughlin, Demi Singleton, Omar Epps, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, and Mo'Nique.
Based on true events, an alcoholic mother [Day], whose husband has taken a job overseas, has just relocated her small family and her grouchy older [and passed abusive] mother [Close] to a new home. This place is in a busy neighborhood and her children are having a hard time trying to fit in with the local kids and the school. As time passes, things start to get really weird with a paranormal entity that is sucking the joy out of the entire family. Things get very intense after a "sooth-Sayer" and/or local Reverend [Ellis-Tayor] introduces herself and warns the alcoholic mother that strange things have occurred in the same house before. The mother learns that a dark, very abusive demon lives in the home and a previous family was slaughtered there. Now the mother has to try and save her family before the demon takes the lives of her children.
THE GOOD - Well developed story. There was a realistic feel to the entire production and things just didn't feel "over the top" in many of the actor performances. I was truly impressed with Andra Days performance and her ability to channel deep emotions when needed. Glenn Close also had a strong well and produced some deep emotions with her character. The cinematography was very pleasing and the pacing to the film was on-spot with most paranormal film genres of this kind. Unlike other paranormal-horror films, this feature was centered around a strong presentation of religion, and a certain strength that can be projected if one takes trust in the Lord; it was very pleasing to see this being openly entered into the film.
THE BAD - This is a female heavy film, making special note that director, Lee Daniels likes working with women actors. Making the movie female heavy, sets a strong distance with the strength of men and "what a man would do" in the situation presented. Leaving out the father through the entire film leaves the old message left on the table that "if something has to be done, a woman has to do it alone." There are two several overacted parts by Mo'Nique and she should have been directed to settle down in her performance.
POST MORTEM - This is honestly a great movie. It's not too scary and not too cerebral. Truly cinematic with the right special and visual effects presented to set the films plot to deliver the right effect. Unlike other paranormal films like THE CONJURING, this film plays a better part of drama to make the overall feel to the film seem believable and relatable.
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 [3.5 of 5 Stars]
