Review of Apostle (2018) by Steve W — 10 Jan 2019

So the theme is that "proper" Christianity is the "real" faith after all? Well if it purports to do the work of the lord, why does it indulge in lengthy, pointless scenes of gore, violence, even torture? The main character's backstory portrays Christianity as just another cult, and at the end of the film he goes out of his way to wish everyone that God be with them.

But in the final scene he delivers himself gladly back to the island's "supernatural" religion that has no Christian overtones at all. WHAT EXACTLY is the transformation of the main character here? And what other characters represent these different world views? Everyone on the island is either dumb and naïve (the young couple), or "horribly horribly bad" (in varying degrees.

But the main villain, Quinn, outs himself only in the last act of the movie when he freaks the F out hearing about his daughter's pregnancy. Why is this man so angry over an out-of-wedlock pregnancy with the sone of one of his cult founder partners? That escalated quickly and for no motivation that is remotely in proportion.

In short, this film suffers the Netflix disease: I just didn't feel or sympathize with any of the characters. Cardboard cut-outs throughout, so I felt nothing when they found their predictable death, one after another.

I would not call this a horror movie; I didn't feel "scared" at any time. And of course, the other Netflix disease: Nothing was resolved about the mysterious forces on the island. They assume today's audiences just want to see a bunch of schlock and film blood.

But I expect from a serious drama like this the exploration of at least some opposing world views, represented by different characters. I expect to feel something when beloved secondary characters die.

This film, like many Netflix productions, left me oddly cold and slightly offended for its use of pointless gore against the supposed "Godly" message. Making me cringe is not a substitute for creating real emotions that make me laugh, cry, root for some characters, deeply hate others, and hope that "the good side" wins.