Review of Dark Places (2015) by Maye Z — 07 May 2016

"This movie doesn't go to dark places, it only travels to dull and disappointing places".

DVD Movie Review: Dark Places.

Date Viewed: December 5 2015.

Directed By Gilles Paquet-Brenner (Pretty Things, Walled In and Sarah's Key).

Screenplay By Gilles Paquet-Brenner, Based on the novel by Gillian Flynn.

Starring: Charlize Theron, Nicholas Hoult, Christina Hendricks, Chloe Grace Moretz, Corey Stoll, Andrea Roth, Tye Sheridan,.

Sean Bridgers, Drea de Matteo, Addy Miller, Shannon Kook, Sterling Jerins, Richard Gunn and Dan Hewitt Owens.

"Dark Places" is a true disappointment. It's based on the book by "Gone Girl" author Gillian Flynn, it stars Oscar-winner Charlize Theron and it has an labyrinth story. Unfortunately, writer and director Gilles Paquet-Brenner (Pretty Things, Walled In and Sarah's Key) fills in too many subplots and complicated twists. The mystery itself could've been written a lot better but were left with a movie that travels to dull and disappointing places.

Theron plays Libby Day, the sole survivor of a horrific massacre that killed her mother (Christina Hendricks) and sisters. She believed that her brother, Ben Day (Corey Stoll) committed the crime because he was part of a satantic cult. She testified in court against her brother and Ben was found guilty of the crime even though he insists he didn't kill members of his own family.

Thirty years after the murders, a group of amateur investigators come knocking on Libby's door believing that Ben is innocent.

The investigators who call themselves "The Kill Club" want Libby to open up what really happened on that tragic night. "The Kill Club" is mostly made out of true-crime fans and one of the members, an enthusiastic teen named Lyle Wirth (Nicholas Hoult) teams up with Libby and start to dig up more clues to the mystery.

On occasions, the movie shifts from the present to the past where we meet young Ben Day (Tye Sheridan) and his hooker-like girlfriend Diondra Wertzner (Chloe Grace Moretz). As Ben dives deeper into the satanic cult, his mother and sisters worry about him and he has been missing for days.

This summer, Charlize Theron and Nicholas Hoult starred in the most thrilling and exciting movie of 2015, "Mad Max: Fury Road". "Dark Places" however is one of the most absurd and confusing movies of 2015. Charlize Theron gives a good performance here but most of the supporting players like Chloe Grace Moretz, Christina Hendricks, Tye Sheridan and Drea de Matteo are totally wasted.

This movie could've gone to dark places but why didn't Gillian Flynn rewrite this mess. It's a complete failure for both director Gilles Paquet-Brenner and Charlize Theron.