Review of Crimson Peak (2015) by Carlosgz — 17 Nov 2015

The clay, the snow, the crimson peak. It's a magnificent film Guillermo del Toro has crafted here. Visually rich and beautiful, it captures the viewer's eye throughout its entirety. During the film, however, I caught myself concentrating on the technical aspects, rather than the emotional ones, but still completely got an appreciation for the compelling performances, especially Chastain's and Hiddleston's.

It's by far the most scary and gory work del Toro has produced (not including The Strain). I was legitimately surprised by how much blood there is, and found the suspenseful setups brilliant. Why a 4-star rating? I thought about that a lot, because it really is a smart film.

The truth is that, regardless of how dark, emotional, mystical even, it manages to be, the plot is quite boring: two siblings in search of a female, wealthy suitor in order to finally get a machine to work.

There's something about that that feels dull to me. Also, the final act is a masterpiece in its execution.