Review of Joshua (2007) by Duncan R — 01 May 2008

Part of the reason why I was ultimately disappointed with this movie was that I was expecting a gripping psychological horror, which only came in the second half of the movie. Before it focused on the titular character, we were treated instead to a domestic melodrama about a new baby, a depressed mother, and a bright first-born who's jealousy of his new sibling can be seen seething underneath his blank, expressionless face. And, lest we forget, the happy go-lucky father who's blind to it all.

The foreshadowing of the terror yet to come is peppered throughout it's first half, but it mostly focuses on the mother character, and the trauma her family causes her. After that's resolved in a rather chilling manner, the movie's focus shifts to Joshua, who is revealed as the cunning little monster he truly is.

Another reason why I didn't like this as much as I thought I would was because it wasn't as disturbing as I was hoping it would be.

On the plus side, the performances were fantastic from all involved, particularly Sam Rockwell as Josh's dad and Jacob Kogan as Joshua himself. The performances alone are why this is worth at least one viewing. Just don't expect anything gut-wrenching if you decide to see it. If anything, the movie feels longer than it really is.