Review of Annabelle (2014) by Stako — 08 Oct 2014

After all of the negative press I had read about "Annabelle", I still wanted to see it. Before all of the reviews hit, I wanted to see it, because I really, really liked "The Conjuring", and after - just for the lulz, as the internets say. So I did. And it's not that bad.

Directed by John R. Leonetti, who confuses me a lot, this movie surprised me. It's shot in a very weird way, with a lot of awkward zooming and noobish positioning, however one particular thing caught my attention. I've seen it in other movies too, and I enjoy when it's integrated so well. "Annabelle" is a perfect example of this style of horror capture, where the camera is always, as if, focused on an object or part of the scenery, which makes the uneasy feeling rise; as if something is ready to creep out of there. It's quite effective. Other than that, this movie has a competent feel, but fails when it comes to originality in any form.

The script is particularly weak; it feels as if it has been written up for a few days with no extra though being put into it. The overall plot is also confusing - the movie doesn't really know what it is about. New and new threads of story are introduced, but none of them seem to go anywhere. The whole purpose of everything seems simply to "be". It's like a ball of yarn that comes apart - you expect there to be something at the core, but there is nothing. It simply ends.

The actors are pretty bland as well. They've managed to create and act-out the most generic couple ever; also, the whole sense of the era of this movie (which was very well recreated in "The Conjuring") is lost between a few minor implications.

However, even after all of these negatives, I had fun with "Annabelle". It was a very simple movie that managed to never get boring. The techniques it used were old as time, and have been implied much better in other movies, however there is a certain charm about the movie that kept me interested up until the end.

This movie is not for everyone. But some people might enjoy it, if they'd like to see it. The movie is partially haunting, it has a few really awesome scenes, and even when it is absolutely horrible - it's pretty funny. Overall - I don't think you can have a bad time with this movie. It's certainly a good option to have in this season. It's not "The Conjuring", it's much more simple in a bad way, but in that simplicity, pure joy of empty viewership can be achieved if one wishes to do so.