Review of Fallen (1998) by Robin M — 02 Jan 2012

One huge warning: like it or not, you will hear "Time is on My Side" by The Rolling Stones, countless of times in the film and this song will be stuck in your head after the credits. This song was just stuck in my head for quite a while and now, it is a song that I possibly might sing to whenever I am drunk.

What I really like about this film was how this film combines this suspense story with something supernatural. It may not sound original but I really liked how everything played out. The film didn't have a weak story as it presents a mystery about these murders connecting to this supernatural being and presents this mystery behind, making you wonder why this being is going after Hobbes, portrayed by Denzel Washington. I liked how everything was presented as it explained everything fairly, leaving barely any loopholes and making you wonder what will happen next. The film is nowhere near intelligent, but I liked the mystery that you see in the film and worked out pretty well for me. It doesn't reveal anything shocking, but everything that was revealed worked, in my opinion.

This supernatural being finds interest in Hobbes and plays these mind games against him. If you expect to see the demon as current Hollywood films have done by exploiting the evil, then you probably might be disappointed. You do not see the demon, which I thought was a good thing, as current Hollywood films try to portray a demon looking figure by using CGI, but it is unique to see what this being can do. This monster plays around with Hobbe's mind, preying on the character slowly and causing him to go paranoid. There were some pretty good scenes involving the being playing these games. The monster can go through various humans simply by touching one another and by this, you see that Hobbes is confused and does not know what to do as he is confused on who is actually normal and who is actually possessed. There are no scary moments with any jumps, but has plenty of thrills and will get you thinking what will happen next.

A good cast exists in this film as all took on their roles very well as each gave good performances. You have Denzel Washington, John Goodman before he disappeared, Donald Sutherland, and James Gandolfini with a beard, before being cast into "The Soprano's." Some of the characters are likable but it's not the type of film where you'll care much for the sub-characters. They sort of play an important role but are not very important as the main focus is on Hobbes and the supernatural monster.

Personally, this is underrated as it is not mentioned and left in the shelf, forgotten by many; this is not a great film, but is good and enjoyable based on how well both genres blend in together.