Review of Joshua (1976) by Ricardo H — 20 Jun 2008

"I only ever really wanted to be with you. ".

The most chilling line in the film.. and it's the last. Thankfully going into seeing this film, my expectations weren't very high. If they had have been, I would be even more disappointed than I already am. There was nothing particularly chilling about this film, whatsoever. Sadly, to me it felt like a cheap Omen rip-off in a lot of places. It was all too familiar and maybe I've just had enough of little kids trying to be scary.

I'll give credit where credits due. Jacob Kogan that plays Joshua did play the part well. As good as the previous Damien's from the Omen series. Sam Rockwell annoyed me for the first time ever. His performance wasn't even a little bit convincing, though I did enjoy the scene where he lost it in the park with Josh. Vera Farmiga was a troll. I didn't like anything she brought to her part. From the get go I knew she was a hack when she lay on her hospital bed, holding her new born baby girl, flailing about her legs laughing about something with her hubby. It wasn't the joy that annoyed me, it was the way she moved like she hadn't just pushed an 8lb baby out. As the film went on she annoyed me more and more. Her outbursts were OTT and she wasn't at all likeable. I didn't care what Josh did to her. In fact, I was rooting for him to hurt her.

So to sum up, if you're looking for a good psychological thriller, about kids with little demons inside them, go watch The Omen. Or take 'Dr Bloods' advice (see bottom of Joshua movie page) and watch The Bad Seed instead. I haven't seen it, but I'm confident it will have more going for it than this film.