Firstflix
  • Blog
  • About/Donate
  • Films Reviewed List
  • Albums Reviewed List
  • Concerts Reviewed List
  • Contact

A Ride Worth Missing (The Girl on the Train)

10/6/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture
The Girl on the Train starts of as an intriguing mystery, but quickly loses momentum as the story derails into a completely unsatisfying ending.  At the very start of the film, it is clear that Tate Taylor (The Help) is trying to be innovative with her direction.  The story is told in a very disorganized way, but for no effective reason.  Constantly jumping around in time, the audience is thrown into different character's shoes, none of which are that hard to figure out.  The disorganization saturates the story as the viewer is constantly trying to remember what time period they are in during the story arc.  This is an innovative convention for Taylor's filmography, but unfortunately it is less than ideal.

One other convention that is constantly used by Taylor is an odd slow-down of the film.  This creates a dreamy visual that detracts from the serious tone that the storyline strives for.  Some reviews have called this film "Lifetime-esque", probably in reference to this convention.  The Girl on the Train uses slow-motion flashbacks to add more suspense to the thriller.  The problem is that they are filmed so oddly that they feel extremely inauthentic.  Drinking clearly affects our vision, but I have never had the sort of experience that Emily Blunt (Sicario, Edge of Tomorrow, Looper, The Devil Wears Prada​) is constantly seeing when she drinks.  It is a nice attempt to add horror, but adds a cheesiness to the film instead of terrifying the audience.

The first twenty minutes of the film were not great, leaving me with the impression that the poor early buzz was understandable.  However, the middle portion of the film is well-made, grabbing my attention and giving me the thought that maybe the early reviews were a bit harsh.  Then, the last half-hour arrives ruining any hope that the film had of getting a good review from me.  The ending of the film turns into a complete trainwreck of over usage of already seen footage and a really cringeworthy action taken by one of the characters.  Leaving this review spoiler-free is hard because I want to reveal the horrible ending.  I will not reveal the horrible ending, but I will repeat that it ruins every good thing that precedes it.  The audience at the pre-screening I attended laughed at the scene, which was supposed to be serious.  If you want a solid story, it sounds like you will have to read the book instead!

The Bottom Line:  The film falls from being a serious attempt at solving an intriguing mystery, as the characters become more and more muddled in their own actions.

Score: 4.5/10
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    If you like what you are reading, you can click here to donate:
    ​Donations for First Flix

    Archives

    September 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    April 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    January 2015


    Categories

    All
    10/10 CLUB
    Action
    Adventure
    Animation
    Annual Top Tens
    A Touch Of Weird
    Award Shows
    Biography
    Cinema Exploration
    Classic
    Comedy
    Crime
    Documentary
    Drama
    Drop The Beat
    Family
    Fantasy
    Flix For Friday
    Foreign
    History
    Horror
    Music
    Musical
    Music Mania!
    Mystery
    New Movies
    News
    Romance
    Sci Fi
    Sounds On Screen
    Sports
    TBT
    The Obituary
    Thriller
    War
    Western
    What To Watch

    ​ALL NAMES, TRADEMARKS AND IMAGES ARE COPYRIGHT THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS.
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.