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
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
