The part of this movie that really fucking got me was the turned tables of when we learned the spirits can also say "I let you in". I thought that was fun and I'm glad they only did that once for impact. I do like seeing the demons perspective of what the infernal realm is like.
saw this in theaters and was wowed at this inversion... which means the film could take its sequel to a more mystical and supernatural form. i liked the idea of it in insidious but did not enjoy their execution... smth like that for Talk 2 me would be insaaane cuzzzz😮
Oh, great reminder. Yeah. Strangely, this "hell" appears to be bacchanalian and orgiastic. They appear to be in ecstasy while torturing Riley. You'd expect everyone to be a little more dejected, but no - it looks like a grand time for them. Curious if that's also a trick?
@@jamisoncrawford9868 bacchanalian?(not familiar with that reference) Orgiastic is crazy tho maybe the sequel will explore Mia coming to terms with other spirits and joing them so she won't be alone since that's what she fears most
I don't think it was entirely unoriginal. I've seen a *lot* of possession/demon horror, and Talk to Me was the first film I've seen in a while that put those themes in a realistic setting, and had characters react in a way that made sense. The social media aspect was very real, and added a lot to the story. Plus, films don't all have to be completely original, and with how many movies exist that's basically impossible! Horror has existed since the 1920s, and tropes are constantly repeated because people recognise and enjoy them.
Honestly I feel bad for the creators because films like the exorcist are the pioneers of the horror genre. And constantly being compared of that film’s tropes to talk to me is an unfortunate thing because of what the exorcist has already established and for decades. They tried to be original and they were no doubt, but the reminder of what has already been done haunts this film and it’s sad and difficult, especially for a possession film. But like he said, it’s not they tried to reinvent the wheel, but it’s disappointing they didn’t turn it in another direction
Agreed. To make a movie today without any semblance to movies made in the past is as likely new as writing a hit song with entirely new chords. cant be done.
@@maggyfrogYes but maybe mainly to non asian audiences, I personally have not consumed that much past asian horror, they probably have their own troupes that they constantly perpetuate as well.
I felt the ending was better than what you thought. You didn't like that it was predictable that Mia ended up dead and became a spirit to be on the other side of the "Talk to Me" game. I understand that, especially in the scene where she is in the hospital hallway and walks past a mirror and doesn't see her reflection, the jig is up at that point. However, I think the ending was great because even if some viewers saw it coming a mile away, Mia didn't. At the end when the guy grabs her hand and says to her "Talk to me!", it was so jarring because we see Mia coming to the realization that she is dead and how it just abruptly ends with that OH SHIT look on her face was pretty awesome.
Why is it so hard to just criticize something without spending so much time justifying how your opinion doesn't matter and how it's still the best thing in the world?
The one thing I wish they'd shown was the reason why it's so obvious that the spirits are desperate to remain in a living body. The film implies that the afterlife is so awful that they want to cling to their short window of possession, but we don't see that with Mia. We just see her alone in a hospital. I also agree that it was predictable, embracing tropes can be good, if done well. But I don't think this was done particularly well.
As someone who watched a lot of friends have drugs get the better of them and watched how what started as something we all did for a laugh took controll of their lives and led several to destroy themselves this movie hit me as incredibly relatable and sad and horrifying.
Interesting how this movie is so polarizing since the main criticism is that it's unoriginal but the main praise is that it is very original 😂. I definitely think it was very original and obviously a lot of love and work went into making it which definitely elevates the experience. Tbh I was on the edge of my seat the whole time not necessarily because it was unpredictable but because I felt that all the movie elements wove together excellently to make a very scary and tense atmosphere. True the possession thing has been done a million times but this slant is quite new, especially with the underlying drug themes. Also having a dubious protagonist that isn't a virtuous person, but a "real" person who is dealing with severe trauma, really adds to making the movie unique.
@@JonnyDeeFilms It is polarizing, particularly in the character department, Critics obviously have to find something to critique, it’s their job, and no work is perfect. There are plenty of things at fault in Talk to Me.
I like the movie, but it’s not original. It shares a lot of things in common with Hereditary, particularly the tone and some of the themes, and it’s literally about the struggle with drug addiction and grief but with that being represented by getting caught up with ghosts.
@@pathetic2399I wouldn’t compare hereditary with talk to me at all. Maybe it has a similar theme but so do many horror movies, hereditary is definitely not the first. We’ve never seen demon/possession in this way so that alone makes it original.
Totally understand everything you're saying and I felt mostly the same while watching. For me it seemed like because it was thier first movie, they needed to to be a little predictable so the average non horror fans would see it and be more open to bigger movies like this. Hell even hereditary had the basic family haunting type tropes. Can't have midsommar without hereditary, excited for what they make next.
I think you encapsulated my experience with the movie perfectly, I was so uneasy during the first 45 minutes of this film before it just stopped being scary. I didn't guess what would happen next because I didn't feel the need to and now I know why. Thanks.
I didnt really like his review if im honest. Like maybe theyre are predictable aspects in the movie but what they represent to me are a bit different. I felt like the movie was about addiction and depression. to me it felt like Mia after dealing with grief from the loss of her mother developed an addiction to the hand. This addiction made he become desensitized to it which is why she let the brother use it despite everything. The movie does great showing how addiction (which i believe is what the hallucinations were) can drive you to cut off your friends becoming the only thing you think about. Mia as a way to prevent the loss of her vice begins to cut off her friends and family because they are trying to get in between her and her need. She ends up using so much that she overdoses repeating the actions of her mother. And i think it has a heavy hint towards depression and addiction being hereditary in her family.
This movie was so overrated, boring, not scary at all and very disappointing, just like Barbarian. Smile was an amazing psychological horror film, watch that instead if you want to see top notch acting and a truly scary and captivating film with a great ending.
I didn't get the impression that Mia ended up 'never being alone again'. I felt the ending, with all the remaining living people being oblivious to her, with the time distortion, with her reflection gone & alone in the dark until the candle/hand is re-lit implies that actually, she'll now be alone FOREVER. Perhaps the souls who get taken by the hand go mad with loneliness, perhaps the hand turns them mad, perhaps even when she engages with the living via the hand no matter how hard she tries the results will seem sinister & terrifying rather than being able to communicate with agency/lucidity. It made me wonder if the demons/ghosts were actual individuals, or simply projections from the hand itself, that the hand is evil, & that whatever souls get attached to it are forced to watch as their faces & voices are chewed up & re-used for its malicious agenda. Who knows? Either way, FANTASTIC debut.
I like the idea of the ending in that she will spend the rest of forever making contact with others but it will always be fleeting and unfulfilling. It's like a starving man in whose mouth everything turns to ash.
@@jill9653it also gets back to what the two kids say about the 80 second rule, if they stay too long they start to like you too much. Basically getting to fully experience life and people away from that dark and isolated space would be intoxicating.
I don't like taking this much time to write UA-cam comments but wow this one really struck a nerve! I can tell you understand that a movie's theme is an important (if not *the* most important) aspect of a movie, and you talked at length about how well this film conveys its themes. So it's confusing, then, how your video (and its title) frames the whole thing with "Yeah it was good, but..." and then launches into a completely shallow, Cinemasins-tier critique that fundamentally misses the purpose of these scenes (they're in service of the theme you were just complimenting) and all of the nuance they were presented with. No, the ghosts in this movie were not trying to imitate the Exorcist. The second ghost was not bloated, with pale skin, vomiting up seawater because they wanted it to look like Regan, the filmmakers were trying to give visual hints on how these people died through just their appearances, rather than having a character say "Woah, I think this ghost probably... drowned or something!" There's no way this didn't cross your mind while you were editing and saw all of the other ghosts with different types of damage to their bodies, most of which were not reminiscent at all of Regan. And that would only hold weight in the first place if you ignore the film's themes; it's not looking for new tricks for ghosts to do, it's using the characters to explore possession as an allegory for drug addiction. Multiple characters have their personal relationships and physical bodies utterly destroyed in ways that are purposefully reminiscent of how addicts might consciously or unconsciously harm themselves, something that none of the movies you listed have tried to do, even if these ghosts might, on a very basic and surface-level observation, do similar things like looking pale or speaking different languages (surprise, non-english speaking people can die too). It's disappointing when critique arises out of someone missing nuance because then aspiring filmmakers might hear this critique and assume their ideas have to be simplified or dumbed down, lest they pop up in a video essay for being "fatally flawed." It's okay if a character's death isn't a complete shock if it makes total sense narratively. Mia's father is a great tragic character who helplessly loses both his wife and daughter to different types of mental illnesses, despite trying to act upon the warning signs he sees. Mia stabbing him, and the ghost that influenced it, provides a powerful, emotional, cautionary picture of an addict harming those trying to help them when their reality and their judgement become distorted. The fact that all of this goes out the window because "I saw it coming" is alarming and honestly disappointing. Writers should not be prioritizing surprises and shock value over logical conclusions to characters; this will undoubtedly result in worse films. I do not want more products like The Last Jedi. I see a lot of critics make the mistake of assuming that a twist/surprise is bad just because they figured it out beforehand. No, you're *supposed* to have the information and tools to guess a twist beforehand, that's what makes a twist fair and satisfying. If you figure it out beforehand, and it makes proper thematic sense, and it didn't blatantly spell it out for the audience, then pat yourself on the back. Don't chastise the filmmakers for it. I'm sorry if this seems mean spirited, I derive zero pleasure from criticizing an aspiring filmmaker and I've actually enjoyed a few of your other videos. I just thought this was a really weird, clumsy, overblown way to frame a very shallow critique around some otherwise clever observations of the movie. I'm going to assume it was honest oversight and not just to make a contrarian title for a trendy new film. This channel has potential, and you should still critique things, but please stop doing it like Cinemasins. They're making movies and moviegoers dumber, and you shouldn't.
with the crtique section, i dont see him as overlooking anything, but simply taking broad strokes to sum up that the movie just doesn't satisfyingly land its new spin it ramps up so well for. you can have all that subtext and still something feels dull and contrived. which it does.
Thats honestly just the nature of youtube criticism. It’s often nonsense to me but it’s still interesting to hear what the general populace sometimes think.
Thank you! I was like you didn’t like the movie for presenting a demon as…a demon? For doing things that make sense to the plot? For the movie and its themes making sense? Critiques like this is how we get horror movies like Malignant.
I'm not sure that's a fair representation of what Mr. Meeptop is saying. I read the message of this video to be "I was really excited to see a classic genre be used in a different way, but then it went the exact same way I've seen a million times, which was kind of a bummer." And I don't think that's a shallow or unfair way to feel about a film. It's literally the criticism that so many newer Marvel movies have been receiving since Endgame, and understandably so. Imagine that your friend invited you to a new restaurant that everyone's been calling so fresh and exciting and breathing new life into the food scene, and you get there and the headline item is the Wendy's baconator. Sure, it might be a really tasty meal, but I'd sure feel a little bit let down, even if I liked it. In fact a lot of parents I've talked to (I'm a teacher) lament how America has culturally anointed certain foods as "kid food" and often stops presenting them with other options, which dovetails into a feedback loop of kids thinking that those are what they're supposed to enjoy, and really limiting their pallettes. I think similar things happen with film; when we're saying "this is a demon movie and demons do XYZ," then we've already sharply limited our imagination. I agree with Mr. Meep, so many horror films are using decades old tropes as crutches and making them no longer very scary. And there's nothing wrong with telling a classic story, absolutely nothing. But it makes the range of art we can experience much smaller, and unnecessarily limits us. Wouldn't movies have been so much more boring for it if Hollywood stayed restricted by the Hays Code forever? I would really appreciate a possession horror story where the possessing spirit did more than just look sickly and wounded and hurl stuff around a room. Who says that's how a demon has to act? As far as I'm concerned, demons are not real, so there are no limits on how they appear in fiction. And that could have been this movie, but it just wasn't. Which isn't wrong, just a missed opportunity.
I fully agree. It's not bad that the film is unoriginal, but the film hits a high point with what Riley does to himself while possessed, it left me horrified, disturbed and with my pulse pounding, and the sharp drop from that to every other possession trope on display afterwards was very disappointing.
That was the nicest critique of anything I've heard in some time. You give credit where it's due, but you bring up valid points in your criticism of the film's second half, and its conception.
Sorry but I’ll never really take “I saw it coming” as a super valid criticism of a film. Congrats you were correct in your assumptions but for every correct guess there’s 9 other people who guessed wrong
I genuinely understand this perspective bc being able to guess doesn't necessarily make a movie bad or unenjoyable. I've definitely enjoyed some stuff I could guess what was happening. But more often than not every story I've actually loved I didn't expect. But more than that, even when I could guess, it was about how that foreshadowing was executed and how it affected my experience. Basically, as someone with autism, I have crazy pattern recognition and most movies I figure out pretty fucking fast. But I've come to realize there's a difference between pattern recognition and good foreshadowing. I think people are valid to find a story weak and uninteresting when it relies so heavily on tropes that pattern recognition can tell you the next hour of the film and you don't feel a single emotional pull. Whereas I've seen foreshadowing that's gotten me genuinely excited about how much thought was put into a story. I guess the difference is intention. Tropes rely on preconceived notions and already established story beats so the writers don't do any work, the same way the audience can guess what happens next, the writers came up with the scene based on the countless times they've seen other writers do the exact same scene and following suit bc that's "what would happen", whereas good foreshadowing is done with intention and the writer is doing it bc it has importance to the overall story they want to tell. I think that's why "I saw it coming" ends up being a negative for most people, bc it shows that the writers would rather rely on what's already been done before than do the hardwork and ask what SHOULD happen for THIS story specifically.
For me it depends on if it’s a predictable trope (someone behind the character when looking in the mirror) or something YOU see coming bc they laid out the breadcrumbs and you paid attention. The whole “subverting expectations” can get old after a while but tropes are so more often the worst. So being able to telegraph what will happen accordingly without spelling it out or used old tropes is pretty great when done right. Wasn’t a big fan of this movie but it wasn’t bad and took some risks I was glad to see, esp by some UA-camrs.
I've seen enough movies to guess most endings. I personally didn't care for the film because the journey to get to said ending just didn't feel worth it. I spent most of the film rolling my eyes.
Agreed with your thoughts mate. I think one thing to take into account though, is here in Australia, we don't have a good track record of strong script doctoring or assessment; we tend to shoot beautiful looking films, we tend to get really good performances, but we tend to produce underdeveloped scripts. I can’t think of a film or TV show from the last decade or two that was made here that had a (at best) very compelling or (at worst) well thought out or structured script. I think because our media culture here in Australia has become to starved in the recent decades, we just tend to spit out whatever we can no matter the condition of the script. Like I said, I agree with your thoughts, and the fellow Aussie in me is so soaked we have another horror movie that is getting the respect it deserves, but god do we need to invest in better scripting!
This is very nitpicky, the films strengths is themes of teenage peer pressure, and tieing it with a supernatural party drug. It was refreshing for me really, some bits may have fell flat, but its solid. This is title bait.
Can you explain how the movie actually reflects those themes? It makes you feel good but it's bad for you, and people use it to cope with thier problems or to fit in with thier peers- That to me was immediately conveyed in the first 15 minutes. It literally just showed those things happening, but with a magic object instead of drugs. To me it didn't say anything about those themes, just showed that was the theme of the movie. And all the praise is the same, they don't talk about the movie and the themes, they just tell you the movie has those themes.
@@enterbalak I watched it and there were no characters subjected to peer pressure. Mia, Riley and the tug of war boyfriend all wanted to do it . Specifically, Riley was shown to not be weak to peer pressure when he quickly told his friend no to smoking. His sister was never pressured to do it and had the party at her house to impress the hand holding boo that did the same with her best friend first all while neglecting to watch her brother yet once again like her mother, treated Mia like the help as if it was her job then quickly blamed and dismissed her. Let’s not forget who was watching the videos instead of supporting her “best friend” at her mom’s memorial.
@@nolipgloss1343 Mia and Riley are both subjected to a less convert peer pressure, via the desire for attention and approval. Mia in the sense that she wanted to impress her peers (who she knows don't like her) by seeming fearless and fun. Riley, on the other hand, had been shown to be scared the first time, which he gets teased for. So the next time he begs to use the hand to prove himself. These are older, "cooler" kids that he is less comfortable around and wants to impress. You say he's "weak to peer pressure as shown by the cigarette" as if people are consistent and won't act differently in different situations. All of this is pretty much the definition of peer pressure it's just not what we usually see in media.
@@skylarfutch159 It makes sense that your interpretation of Mia is no different that what her peers project on to her thru the entire film. We hear their opinions, see their side eyes but we never hear or see how Mia feels about any of them. She acts the same way her mom does on the video but don't know nor get to know Mia. Jade was checked out on that friendship before the movie starts and she projects desperate on to Mia. I meant to write that Riley is NOT weak to peer pressure. Perhaps his motivation to experience the hand is directly related to his bond with Mia, who would rather talk to him about her mom instead of her blurry no name dad. It could very well be 100% what you said and be a good film but we are given no reason to trust anyone but Riley.
This summed up my feelings so perfectly. Unfortunately, I think how derivative it is will ultimately hurt its longevity, but man, I can't wait to see what they do next. The first half was just SO good.
I disagree. If you want to truly make an amazing movie (more than just good), using cliches without subverting them or being fresh is a mistake to be avoided. Just because they got a lot right doesn't mean it was perfect and that was all he pointed out. While it doesn't ruin the movie, it certainly takes it down a notch.
I really appreciate this video Meeptop. I’ve been having trouble articulating my thoughts on this but you were able to put to words a lot of what I’ve been feeling about this film. I agree that it’s phenomenal but I also agree it’s flawed. Keep up the great work!
I had these exact feelings while watching the movie, I thought the beginning, the premise and everything else were extremely interesting, but, after that, I was pretty bored and the ending, to me, did not pay off all of the expectations built at that point. But I was surprised when I found out this was a debut made by former youtubers, I'm really excited to see what they'll make in the future
The movie was well put together and cohesive but besides the more “realistic” approach with the presentation of today’s youth it HEAVILY abused known tropes that made it cringe, here are some examples *spoiler alert*. 1) Single parent doesn’t talk about other parent dying until it’s “convenient” 2) Everyone just watches the most possessed kid hurt himself for 5 minutes before doing anything 3) Main character is still in love with ex that is dating their friend 4) Main character is vulnerable with ex lover and wants company 5) One friend who says it’s messed up, doesn’t participate but actively watches 6) Two “Jocks” character who omit the truth for the hell of it 7) Main character who refuses to accept parents death even after attending an anniversary 8) Demon who uses the “force” one time to throw people around and then forgets it has powers for the rest of the movie 9) Foreshadowing of the Main characters death at the beginning with the use of animals 10) Everyone knows about the demon possession but no one knows about the “serious case” where someone died Like the list goes on... I enjoyed it but I don’t think it’s the best horror of the year x]
The demons having force powers that make them super OP always bugs me. That and demons moving furniture for no reason or benefit. Writers need to be more careful when assigning powers. They run the risk of creating a "why didn't they just use their powers to solve the problem" issue.
I think I need to give it another watch and see if I get a different opinion because everybody loves this film. After the brother's initial possession I think the film went flat, and despite the protagonist's back story I did not sympathise with the decisions she made. It just meant I did not care what happened to her. But open to trying again.
I think it’s all hype. I felt the same about It Follows. Good idea, but then it’s just half written after the initial realization of the entity. I was bored silly about who she’d have sex with, to pass it.
i completely agree with you with the fact that the ending was predictable and unoriginal and that was probably my only problem with the movie! That said, it didn’t take away from my overall enjoyment (especially with the visuals of the very last shot like goosebumps) and i was sufficiently tense and on the edge of my seat the whole way through!
I think the point of playing out cliches like killing her dad and the bathroom thing you showed, is to actually make that mean something rather than just do horror movie stuff. For me, it's showing the effects of drug abuse and especially paranoia in those cases. So it's turning the horror movie cliche into a real consequence of her actions.
for me the film felt divided between two story paths; the first being mia’s continuous use of the hand in order to reach her mother, and the other being her pals brothers problem with getting the spirits out. if the film had focused on either of these narratives singularly instead of simultaneously, then i reckon it would have wielded a tighter story.
Like what? Curious if you have any innovative ideas to share? People always comment about overused ideas, but don’t have any original ideas to begin with. Try harder.
@@79Bobola I'm not a hollywood writer it's not my job to think the creative ideas and entertain, I'm the customer, I pay to be entertained and have a right to have a critic of what I consume. What are you like 5?
@@79Bobola They could have had the demon try to convince her that the dad was the killer/abusive. That could have brought a new dynamic and leads to her choosing a side between them. Also, like the person says, it is not the customer's job to make a better product.
(I’m assuming you’re talking about the drug use metaphor here)That can definitely be part of it, but there’s a lot of reasons people become dependent on drugs, parents can’t be all to blame
Thank you for your awesome take on the movie. Enjoyed it too. I believe its also safe to say that this movie has taught me that some connections are best left unattended coz whatever/whoever you let in in your life might be another passage way to your healing or death. Only time will tell, after all, it goes back to your persistence.
@rainestorm6029 He keeps calling the spirits demons, so this tracks. They're people who passed on that lost every last bit of their humanity and use the living to get their highs just like the kids who let them in using the hand. The more broken and corrupted the person, the more broken and corrupted the spirit they become. That's why some spirits only wanted to sing a beloved song or say kind words to a loved one, while others only got off on doing vile things or like slowly torturing the one they possessed and their loved ones. It's the reason behind the actions that made this so unique. It wasn't just another possession of evil for evil's sake. So it's natural that people who missed that or expected some giant hoopla got disappointed. Watching that poor girl's desire to not let someone suffer as her mom did that she cares so much for be twisted by that spirit to break her very nature was so heartbreaking. Normally, a movie will use her self destructive actions as a way to prop up her actions and validate them. But her "drugged out" mind couldn't see every act as another step deeper in the pit. She just had to do nothing. But she was fueled by that fear of what happened to her mom happening to her friend.
Great analysis. While I was bored silly by the movie, it was an excellent first showing from new directors and it seemed to really connect with younger horror fans. Good for them. The script is very weak, so I hope they become more confident/economic writers as they gain experience. It's good enough to make me want to watch whatever they do next and that ain't bad.
I think what I liked most was how her “mom” was actually the first ghost that possessed her cause it went over the time limit and “wanted to stay” and you can tell because the mom gets progressively more soggy the longer shes around mia as if she drowned like the woman and not like she overdosed and the movie doesnt point that out to you so i feel thats pretty original from usual demon shenanigans
I personally don't think it would've been smart to change what a demon or a possession should look like bc using the tropes makes the movie work even more bc we're seeing it done in a film thats executing it well. If you change what a demon does or the effects of possession, this movie wouldn't be a movie about that then.
Agreed. Those ARE the demon posession tropes that most people go to demon posession movies to see. THat's like having a werewolf movie and getting upset that they write people changing into creatures by moonlight. Sure, you can change the tropes, but in these genre-subgroups if you change too much you literally erase why people like the movie.
I fundamentally disagree with the idea that a plot being predictable is a flaw when discussing tragedy and horror. Too many people cut off their emotional investment in a character the moment they get the feeling there is no happily ever after for them, instead of allowing themselves to feel dread and eventually sadness when the character does suffer. Not everything needs to be some contrived twist to surprise you when there is no thematic reason for it beyond surprising the audience. Similar to how Hitchcock emphasized the importance of suspense, I think dread is almost as important to horror.
I find predictability can be used effectively in horror. Being able to see the future but unable to do anything to prevent it is a pretty horrifying feeling. The fact that I could "see the ending from a mile away" very much added to the dread for me because I didn't want that fate for Mia.
The part I love that I think they switched up in the demon trope is that the demons are perverted (the dog and foot scenes). And it makes sense because if they are so evil then they’re not afraid of doing “sinful” sexual acts.
to me it feels like a desperate way to feel alive again. It makes sense that someone already perverted in life and who now is unable to feel anything would want to taste that pleasure again in a distorted way
I'm sorry, but this is also definitely not an original demonic possession trope. Literally in the Exorcist Regan "pleasures herself" violently with a crucifix.
@@wyrmeleon2002the purpose of that scene isn't pleasure my dude, it was a psychological attack on the people around Regan. The priests have a whole discussion about this outside her door.
@@SantosAl I think you missed that I was trying not to get my comment flagged for saying another word. I didn't really mean "pleasure" as in the scene had any positive, not horrifying connotations. I totally agree with your comment!
i think youre holding yourself back. yes i guessed the dad death scene aswell but i still didnt let that stop me from enjoying the movie. ive watched alot of horror movies and games and therefor i will know most of tropes and tricks. the beauty in still loving new movies that do as good of a job at feeling fresh and ominous as talk to me is not trying to actively guess whats going to happen at every corner to say "told u so". just fucking let it take u for a ride and watch it for what it is not what u think it is
As someone who had never seen the exorcist, but has seen not so good possession movie, this was a punch in the gut. I was genuinely horrified by the demons, and super hyped by the modern twist, specifically the use of technology and of demonic possession as a new drug. The characters were super likable, I was rooting for Mia even tho she was so flawed. Your video made me curious to watch the exorcist, a movie I was too scared to watch because of how terrifying it looks. And I feel like your critic was full of humbleness and honesty, making your point understandable even if I didn’t agree with all of it. Thank you !!
For me the film's downfall was making the main character so unlikeable. From the beginning when she abandons the poor kangaroo, it never gets any better. Therefore I never cared about what happened to her.
Yeah i thought the exact same thing maybe I would’ve liked it more if the main character wasn’t a terrible human being. Didn’t scare me, just annoyed me😂
@@LivingDeadbeat thank god u can just turn it off before the credits In the cinema (after an amazing film) Awful music I would’ve loved a campy 70s song or something . To ease the tension
As much as this movie was really good, I couldn’t get over the hand, personally found it gimmicky and unnecessary, like a random hand used to see dead people and the characters were sitting around laughing and recording while someone is literally possessed is so unrealistic. Also the movies underlying meaning of drug use and peer pressure (which I picked out so quickly) kinda took away from the story and I couldn’t oversee it which sucks cuz this movie had really good scenes that actually revolted me, which I never get watching horror🤷♀️
OMG, thank you! I loved the first half of the movie and then it all went downhill for me. And I think you just explained to me why I feel the way I feel. On one hand it is the predictability and often I thought the movie did not go far enough... in any case it was absolutely a good movie, I just felt that disappointment at the end as I felt it didn't go where I wanted or hoped it to go... I think you are spot on! Brilliant
exactly my thoughts, bc of all of the praise it got i was super excited for it and the beginning was really promising! but just like you after having seen pretty much every horror movie under the sun at this point, everything felt so familiar towards the end it started to bore me a little bc it got so predictable. i definitely still think it’s a great film and i overall did really enjoy it, i just saw things play out in a similar way 40 times already.
(no opinion - i havent seen the movie lol) but just because you say you are jealous up front doesn't mean your arguable nit-picking isn't built on it, right?
I think the movie had too many characters and a story that felt tacked on. In my opinion this could have worked as a short, but they added story and too many characters to make it to feature length. However the characters felt inauthentic, not really likeable so I didn't care about them and their interpersonal stories and relationships.
I thoroughly enjoyed this film especially for the fact that it wasn't filled with jumpscares like a typical horror movie that relies on jumpscares to be scary. The concept was really smart, I loved the ending. The dad's death was kinda predictable although I was still a bit confused up to that point. I wanna know how anyone else wouldv'e done the dad's death. Let me know.
It's harder than we think to make something not unoriginal, that's why he mentioned that using that word is cheap criticism (though that was his main criticism).
Great movie, although I never really felt scared, more excited for what is going to happen next and how they will solve the kid's possession. The intense scenes weren't scaring me, they were more like an "oh sh't" moment.
I rarely watched horror films cus I'm a scaredy cat, but the beats of Talk to Me kept reminding me of Hereditary & Midsommar. From the theme of overwhelming grief, to the turning point of a younger sibling joining a party they're not supposed to & getting f*ck by it, the semi-guilt (though in Mia's case she's more concern about meeting her mom again), and even the father being killed by a family member. I'll say the best part for me was not the satanical horror. It's actually the element of peer pressure and the Gen Z vibes it captured. Almost everyone, but Riley are mean-spirited because they just can't be bothered to give enough attention on anything that's not overtly sensational or connected to their personal desire. By the half way point I'm just rooting against Mia & hope she got taken so the ending was kinda expected.
As someone who doesn't watch a lot of horror films, I found every twist and turn in this film surprising right up until the final twist. I was so wrapped up in the characters and the successful scares that I didn't even have time to try to predict what was coming next. I do agree with the point about the spirits only being able to do what is expected of them for the genre though. I think it would be interesting to see some more nuance in the behaviour of the spirits.
I will say, as much as I enjoyed this movie, the ending where she woke up in the spirit world, I was reminded of Mirrors, another double-edged sword movie. Still, I'm definitely gonna rewatch this movie
I think it ls like a good catchy pop song. Popular because it hits that middle ground, not too scary or gory, but not tame. Has some interesting metaphors but is not too on the nose or preachy. Decent direction, production and acting, well paced and accessible, but probably wont stick with you the longest. I’d put it there with It Follows, Drag me to hell, Smile, the puppetman.
It was hard for me to take it as a horror movie as it didn't give me an once of fear but it has good story telling. Concept is appealing but it didn't execute good amount of tensions and it was predictable
My disengagement with the movie when Mia killed her dad was visceral and almost instant. Deflating. It sucked :( And it 100% was because the way it happened felt cliche and cheap.
Maybe I'm giving them an out here but this movie felt to me like it was about the human condition. And humans rarely do anything new when it comes down to the basics. Because this movie felt to me about grief and loneliness, and the desire to connect, I didn't mind the predictability of it.
The opening scene is the best part of the entire movie, after that it’s just stupid. Extremely unlikeable characters (Riley maybe being the exception) very dull and boring at times, a weak script, and a climax that was just all around nonsense. On its own merits, this is a decent horror flick, but I’m 100% sure if A24’s name wasn’t on this? It have gotten barely any hype at all.
I think I'm going to have to give this one a rewatch. I loved the first half to two thirds. while the sub genre certainly isn't original, the way it was introduced felt fresh and fun. one of the things I like in a good horror story is the feeling that _anything_ (probably bad though) can happen to the characters, and neither plot armor nor a general sense of good taste will prevent that. and I did feel that way with this movie for a while. then we get further into the movie... and it sort of devolves into a (still very competently shot and acted) rather standard possession horror story. that's not 'bad', really. it was still a good movie. but as you noted, anyone familiar with horror has probably seen it done a dozen or more times before, it became very predictable. I wish it could have finished on as strong a note as it came in on.
What confused me was the main concept. They were supposedly talking to the spirits of dead people, but are actually demons? So when Mia dies and her spirit is summoned is she now a demon? Will she turn evil if the possession goes on for too long? Or do demons swap places with the spirit when the time is up?
They are ghosts, not demons. They even mention that it only calls ghost in limbo. We see what limbo is like when Mia goes there, we also see what the ritual is like from their side; the only light and warmth in their existence, their only way to connect with others.
I had this one hyped up too me a lot and when I watched it it was just..ok? It was beautifully shot, most of the acting was great, the ghost mechanics were interesting and the special effects were also splendid! I think the one big sticking point for me that spoils it is just how…and there’s not a nice way to say this…stupid the characters are? A new take in horror I know lol. I hear a lot of people say oh well it’s an analogue for drugs or grief or the good old teenagers are just stupid but I just can’t accept those as explanations. Personally of course, if you can suspend your disbelief/get invested in characters who make such awful choices more power to you. It’s a nitpick but it just ruins an otherwise pretty solid movie for me.
its sooooo boring! they had something then didn't know how to work with it. Talk about allegory shoved down your throat, yes we get it "drugs destroy not only your life but the lives of your loved ones, directly and indirectly" but damn every second of the film was a reminder of that and barely anything supernatural.
Everyone blowing smoke up their aaa this movie is so unoriginal it’s crazy how people are saying it’s one of the best of the year. This won’t like slender man with better actors
I respect this critique for the thought and mindfulness put into it. I must say, though, i vehemently disagree. It sounds like the big critique is there was an interesting and unique crescendo but the resolution wasnt surprising or inventive or subversive and so it was a disappointment. The payoff didnt match the setup. I think that critique is fair but it also isnt the point of the film in my view. Its like knocking the MCU for its lack or failure to pull off romance. Its true but i think its important to judge a movie based on whether it met its own objective, not something we personally want. The movie is a lot more about a character study of Mia and a commentary on grief, substance use, and connection in a digital world. To me, the possession and demons were secondary in that the story could have been told without them and it could have been a straight drama. Theyre a narrative tool that enhanced the illustration of the themes and story that was being told. At the end of the day its a cautionary tale about learning to let go. In that sense, the more "predictable" possession plot points worked for me because i didnt view that as the point or the message. For me the inventiveness was using something familiar like demon possession to tell a very personal story about mourning and loss and coping. It was never an early Nolan type film where the beginning is the end and its meant to surprise you.
I respect how you started the video watching the movie i was slightly let down by the hype if someone had told me it was a gen z version of the exorcist i would have felt differently tho it is a great movie with many things to love about it but when you take it to the next step of w movie break down it is just the same formula but its tried and true for a reason
This is a very unoriginal UA-cam video. I've seen this same kind of breakdown video dozens of times and months before this. Not to mention all the other movie breakdowns that have been made for over a decade.
When I think about US, and how some things were terrifying, that on their face, shouldn’t have been. “We are Americans” isn’t a scary line but the delivery and the context transformed it. I think weak endings have plagued films for years. And ending should be the most important part, not just a way to wrap things up.
After watching that video of yours "I was wrong about Midsomar" maybe don't name your reviews "Thing is Fatally Flawed", but I guess it works as clickbaty, marketable ploy, soo... sure.
I hate this movie. Pretentious as it could ever get. I get it, ooh it's an analogy on drugs and suicide. Big deal. Doesn't make it a god damn prophecy.
I got hyped for this movie after it appeared on Joe Rogan's with those 2 directors, even though I didn't bother watching the video in case of spoilers etc. When I finally got around to watching it earlier I decided to initially quit the movie after the intro because I immediately felt like 'Meh, that was a bit lame'; however I then changed my mind when I saw its got a very good reception as well as high reviews, so then I continued watching the rest. Overall, I am glad that I decided to continue it and watch until the end because the movie was definitely worth it and good. It's obviously not up there alongside the likes of other good horror movies but for me it's just a one time great movie. I felt it getting slightly out of place after the first half, seeing as how it had such a great build, but that's not to say it was disappointing in any way. The lesson here is to let some things just go and see how they turn out. I had to be careful because I've a history of trying to watch some horror movies and then just switching them off after like 45 minutes due to boredom.
The film is fine but I do wonder if the criticism would be more balanced if it wasn’t weighted by the “finally made it” UA-camrs narrative. Remove UA-cam and what do you have… Two creative guys who mentored under the director of The Babadock for almost a decade. A story written by an multiple Emmy winning writer, director, producer, and executive director/co creator of at least 6 TV series, use of the entire production team from the Babadook, financing by the same studio as the Babadook and financing by same Australian government who all took the film on the same festival route. It is fantastic that they were ushered thru the process came out on top and perhaps if they told that story, other young filmmakers would realize that there are other ways to get experience and understand the value of mentorship.
whoa.. thanks for all that info! I love The Bandook’s production style/ intelligence, that makes so much sense. I just gave it a 3rd watch and it’s actually very layered. I guarantee that people who are iffy on it, like I was after my 1st watch, didn’t get the deeper layer/easter eggs which fix all most of my initial issues with the script
@@joshgorsky5224 ha! My sister loves The Babadock. This film is similar in its layers but what I got from it was probably unintentional since the lead was written as a white character. I’m black and American so the subtext of her looking different and not fitting in with the group of kids hit differently. I watched it again and couldn’t find a different reason as to why not unless all of the kids are just nasty in general lol
@@nolipgloss1343 I think that’s part of the subtext; that “friends” like this will come into your life and use you. They’ll let you fall apart as long as they are getting what they want out of you. So I think the kids were just plain nasty. I didn’t get any racist vibes because the social leaders of the group were Samoan and (whatever ethnicity the butch girl was)
I completely and totally agree with so much of your criticism. Even voiced it myself to much backlash. Great video. After the major inciting Riley moment the movie completely falls apart into kinda boring territory. Much of it wouldn’t be a problem if more of the characters apart from Mia got better characterization. If I actually cared about more of them aside from Riley and Mia the movie would be far better. Take Mia’s father like sure part of the character of Mia is her lack of communication with her father but where his character ends up I just felt nothing. That should be a massive moment but it just didn’t pay off.
I feel like this is a good assessment. This film really let me down. It was so close to being good but ultimately turned out to be such a route story. That’s why it wasn’t scary at all… which was sad 😔
I felt like the actual plot or storyline had no real climax-or at maybe it did climax, but there was no satisfactory deescalation. The ending felt abrupt and unoriginal
Having seen lots and lots of horror films over the lockdowns and since then, I can honestly say that I have seen quite a few that I like better than Talk to me; and by no means were all of those films recognised classics. While obviously Herediatry, American Psycho, Misery, the Conjuring etc, are better films, I also preferred the likes of Orphan, Dark Skies, the Perfection, Veronica and even Would you rather. They were more effective in what they were trying to do than this film. Talk to me has it's moments and is more visually disturbing and dark than quite a lot of modern horror films, but it's not all that scary and most of the characters are weak, shallow and poorly written. I find it irritating that big names that should know better gave their backing to this film, because although it's better than average, it's not even that good. 6/10 for me.
She didn't kill her father. Somehow he survived a sharp jab to the jugular. It is a small gripe, but that scene disappointed me because realistically if someone jabs you in the neck with a sharp object and it hits the jugular vein, (which I am assuming that she hit because it shows dad holding his neck while voluminous spurts of blood are shooting from it) you are gonna die within minutes. However miraculously dad survived long enough into the next day when Jade found him and it is assumed he received medical assistance. That was not realistic because in that situation you would bleed out immediately, it being a major artery. It would have been more believable if she stabbed him in the chest or something, but it was a chance to see blood squirting in a horror movie so I get it. Dad ends up at the end of the movie walking away from Mia as he enters the elevator while she shouts to him. Of course he can't hear her because she's a spirit and no longer of this world.
I agree with the points but you didn’t say the one I thought this would be about. The ending just doesn’t make sense based on the hints the movie was setting up. The movie seems to reveal the trapped souls thing, but it also seems to heavily imply in those scenes that it is all just a lie that Mia is falling for with the demonic hallucinations, which I figured meant the trapped spirits aren’t actually there. It’s all just people interacting with a demonic force that only wants to cause harm. So while Mia being trapped after death is a cool looking twist, it doesn’t really make sense with what the more subtle hints of the movie were setting up. She should just be dead (possibly in hell if that was the goal) and the hand should just be moving on to prey upon the next owners. Mia should not be trapped in the hand as it would imply she would wreak the same havoc if the next person held in too long, when she clearly seems to just be in scared shock after dying, not an evil spirit.
The part of this movie that really fucking got me was the turned tables of when we learned the spirits can also say "I let you in". I thought that was fun and I'm glad they only did that once for impact. I do like seeing the demons perspective of what the infernal realm is like.
The way my stomach dropped when the little girl says "I let you in". I hope that gets explored more in the sequel.
saw this in theaters and was wowed at this inversion... which means the film could take its sequel to a more mystical and supernatural form. i liked the idea of it in insidious but did not enjoy their execution... smth like that for Talk 2 me would be insaaane cuzzzz😮
Oh, great reminder. Yeah. Strangely, this "hell" appears to be bacchanalian and orgiastic. They appear to be in ecstasy while torturing Riley. You'd expect everyone to be a little more dejected, but no - it looks like a grand time for them. Curious if that's also a trick?
@@jamisoncrawford9868 bacchanalian?(not familiar with that reference) Orgiastic is crazy tho maybe the sequel will explore Mia coming to terms with other spirits and joing them so she won't be alone since that's what she fears most
@@jamisoncrawford9868 these are not people they are demons, so they are torturing riley and enjoying it
I like their interpretation of purgatory: a lost soul in search of the "Light" surrounded by complete nothingness.
I don't think it was entirely unoriginal. I've seen a *lot* of possession/demon horror, and Talk to Me was the first film I've seen in a while that put those themes in a realistic setting, and had characters react in a way that made sense. The social media aspect was very real, and added a lot to the story. Plus, films don't all have to be completely original, and with how many movies exist that's basically impossible! Horror has existed since the 1920s, and tropes are constantly repeated because people recognise and enjoy them.
Honestly I feel bad for the creators because films like the exorcist are the pioneers of the horror genre. And constantly being compared of that film’s tropes to talk to me is an unfortunate thing because of what the exorcist has already established and for decades. They tried to be original and they were no doubt, but the reminder of what has already been done haunts this film and it’s sad and difficult, especially for a possession film. But like he said, it’s not they tried to reinvent the wheel, but it’s disappointing they didn’t turn it in another direction
Agreed. To make a movie today without any semblance to movies made in the past is as likely new as writing a hit song with entirely new chords. cant be done.
@@Jp-ei5og
and yet korean / asian horror still manages to sneak in bits of something new here and there.
That was the only movie that made me cry.I was in a dark place myself.But thank god social media was not that big of a concept in India.
@@maggyfrogYes but maybe mainly to non asian audiences, I personally have not consumed that much past asian horror, they probably have their own troupes that they constantly perpetuate as well.
I felt the ending was better than what you thought. You didn't like that it was predictable that Mia ended up dead and became a spirit to be on the other side of the "Talk to Me" game. I understand that, especially in the scene where she is in the hospital hallway and walks past a mirror and doesn't see her reflection, the jig is up at that point. However, I think the ending was great because even if some viewers saw it coming a mile away, Mia didn't. At the end when the guy grabs her hand and says to her "Talk to me!", it was so jarring because we see Mia coming to the realization that she is dead and how it just abruptly ends with that OH SHIT look on her face was pretty awesome.
Why is it so hard to just criticize something without spending so much time justifying how your opinion doesn't matter and how it's still the best thing in the world?
@@sarabrenko5943why is it so hard to have a conversation about a fucking movie 😂
I think Mia dying instead of pushing Riley into the street even though he's suffering because she couldn't kill the kangaroo
@@sarabrenko5943Sara. This will shock you. Theres a thing called "differing opinions". And often, criticisms are...well, subjective opinions.
The one thing I wish they'd shown was the reason why it's so obvious that the spirits are desperate to remain in a living body. The film implies that the afterlife is so awful that they want to cling to their short window of possession, but we don't see that with Mia. We just see her alone in a hospital.
I also agree that it was predictable, embracing tropes can be good, if done well. But I don't think this was done particularly well.
As someone who watched a lot of friends have drugs get the better of them and watched how what started as something we all did for a laugh took controll of their lives and led several to destroy themselves this movie hit me as incredibly relatable and sad and horrifying.
Interesting how this movie is so polarizing since the main criticism is that it's unoriginal but the main praise is that it is very original 😂. I definitely think it was very original and obviously a lot of love and work went into making it which definitely elevates the experience.
Tbh I was on the edge of my seat the whole time not necessarily because it was unpredictable but because I felt that all the movie elements wove together excellently to make a very scary and tense atmosphere. True the possession thing has been done a million times but this slant is quite new, especially with the underlying drug themes. Also having a dubious protagonist that isn't a virtuous person, but a "real" person who is dealing with severe trauma, really adds to making the movie unique.
It’s not polarizing. Most people love it. Critics got to find something to critique
completely agree with you!!
@@JonnyDeeFilms It is polarizing, particularly in the character department, Critics obviously have to find something to critique, it’s their job, and no work is perfect. There are plenty of things at fault in Talk to Me.
I like the movie, but it’s not original. It shares a lot of things in common with Hereditary, particularly the tone and some of the themes, and it’s literally about the struggle with drug addiction and grief but with that being represented by getting caught up with ghosts.
@@pathetic2399I wouldn’t compare hereditary with talk to me at all. Maybe it has a similar theme but so do many horror movies, hereditary is definitely not the first. We’ve never seen demon/possession in this way so that alone makes it original.
Totally understand everything you're saying and I felt mostly the same while watching. For me it seemed like because it was thier first movie, they needed to to be a little predictable so the average non horror fans would see it and be more open to bigger movies like this. Hell even hereditary had the basic family haunting type tropes. Can't have midsommar without hereditary, excited for what they make next.
obviously its gonna be kinda predictable when you've watched every horror film known to man
goreshit pfp immediate like
I think you encapsulated my experience with the movie perfectly, I was so uneasy during the first 45 minutes of this film before it just stopped being scary. I didn't guess what would happen next because I didn't feel the need to and now I know why. Thanks.
I can’t imagine watching a film and constantly being preoccupied tryna guess what’s gonna happen next. Suits you right.
I didnt really like his review if im honest. Like maybe theyre are predictable aspects in the movie but what they represent to me are a bit different. I felt like the movie was about addiction and depression. to me it felt like Mia after dealing with grief from the loss of her mother developed an addiction to the hand. This addiction made he become desensitized to it which is why she let the brother use it despite everything. The movie does great showing how addiction (which i believe is what the hallucinations were) can drive you to cut off your friends becoming the only thing you think about. Mia as a way to prevent the loss of her vice begins to cut off her friends and family because they are trying to get in between her and her need. She ends up using so much that she overdoses repeating the actions of her mother.
And i think it has a heavy hint towards depression and addiction being hereditary in her family.
It didn’t just stop being scary, it stopped being interesting. The characters just lost all charm they had in the first half.
This movie was so overrated, boring, not scary at all and very disappointing, just like Barbarian. Smile was an amazing psychological horror film, watch that instead if you want to see top notch acting and a truly scary and captivating film with a great ending.
@@davsny5 smile was dog shit, this movie at least had some good allegories, smile was just a money printer
I didn't get the impression that Mia ended up 'never being alone again'. I felt the ending, with all the remaining living people being oblivious to her, with the time distortion, with her reflection gone & alone in the dark until the candle/hand is re-lit implies that actually, she'll now be alone FOREVER. Perhaps the souls who get taken by the hand go mad with loneliness, perhaps the hand turns them mad, perhaps even when she engages with the living via the hand no matter how hard she tries the results will seem sinister & terrifying rather than being able to communicate with agency/lucidity. It made me wonder if the demons/ghosts were actual individuals, or simply projections from the hand itself, that the hand is evil, & that whatever souls get attached to it are forced to watch as their faces & voices are chewed up & re-used for its malicious agenda. Who knows? Either way, FANTASTIC debut.
I like the idea of the ending in that she will spend the rest of forever making contact with others but it will always be fleeting and unfulfilling. It's like a starving man in whose mouth everything turns to ash.
@@jill9653it also gets back to what the two kids say about the 80 second rule, if they stay too long they start to like you too much. Basically getting to fully experience life and people away from that dark and isolated space would be intoxicating.
I don't like taking this much time to write UA-cam comments but wow this one really struck a nerve! I can tell you understand that a movie's theme is an important (if not *the* most important) aspect of a movie, and you talked at length about how well this film conveys its themes. So it's confusing, then, how your video (and its title) frames the whole thing with "Yeah it was good, but..." and then launches into a completely shallow, Cinemasins-tier critique that fundamentally misses the purpose of these scenes (they're in service of the theme you were just complimenting) and all of the nuance they were presented with.
No, the ghosts in this movie were not trying to imitate the Exorcist. The second ghost was not bloated, with pale skin, vomiting up seawater because they wanted it to look like Regan, the filmmakers were trying to give visual hints on how these people died through just their appearances, rather than having a character say "Woah, I think this ghost probably... drowned or something!" There's no way this didn't cross your mind while you were editing and saw all of the other ghosts with different types of damage to their bodies, most of which were not reminiscent at all of Regan. And that would only hold weight in the first place if you ignore the film's themes; it's not looking for new tricks for ghosts to do, it's using the characters to explore possession as an allegory for drug addiction. Multiple characters have their personal relationships and physical bodies utterly destroyed in ways that are purposefully reminiscent of how addicts might consciously or unconsciously harm themselves, something that none of the movies you listed have tried to do, even if these ghosts might, on a very basic and surface-level observation, do similar things like looking pale or speaking different languages (surprise, non-english speaking people can die too). It's disappointing when critique arises out of someone missing nuance because then aspiring filmmakers might hear this critique and assume their ideas have to be simplified or dumbed down, lest they pop up in a video essay for being "fatally flawed."
It's okay if a character's death isn't a complete shock if it makes total sense narratively. Mia's father is a great tragic character who helplessly loses both his wife and daughter to different types of mental illnesses, despite trying to act upon the warning signs he sees. Mia stabbing him, and the ghost that influenced it, provides a powerful, emotional, cautionary picture of an addict harming those trying to help them when their reality and their judgement become distorted. The fact that all of this goes out the window because "I saw it coming" is alarming and honestly disappointing. Writers should not be prioritizing surprises and shock value over logical conclusions to characters; this will undoubtedly result in worse films. I do not want more products like The Last Jedi. I see a lot of critics make the mistake of assuming that a twist/surprise is bad just because they figured it out beforehand. No, you're *supposed* to have the information and tools to guess a twist beforehand, that's what makes a twist fair and satisfying. If you figure it out beforehand, and it makes proper thematic sense, and it didn't blatantly spell it out for the audience, then pat yourself on the back. Don't chastise the filmmakers for it.
I'm sorry if this seems mean spirited, I derive zero pleasure from criticizing an aspiring filmmaker and I've actually enjoyed a few of your other videos. I just thought this was a really weird, clumsy, overblown way to frame a very shallow critique around some otherwise clever observations of the movie. I'm going to assume it was honest oversight and not just to make a contrarian title for a trendy new film. This channel has potential, and you should still critique things, but please stop doing it like Cinemasins. They're making movies and moviegoers dumber, and you shouldn't.
with the crtique section, i dont see him as overlooking anything, but simply taking broad strokes to sum up that the movie just doesn't satisfyingly land its new spin it ramps up so well for. you can have all that subtext and still something feels dull and contrived. which it does.
Thats honestly just the nature of youtube criticism. It’s often nonsense to me but it’s still interesting to hear what the general populace sometimes think.
Thank you! I was like you didn’t like the movie for presenting a demon as…a demon? For doing things that make sense to the plot? For the movie and its themes making sense? Critiques like this is how we get horror movies like Malignant.
I'm not sure that's a fair representation of what Mr. Meeptop is saying. I read the message of this video to be "I was really excited to see a classic genre be used in a different way, but then it went the exact same way I've seen a million times, which was kind of a bummer." And I don't think that's a shallow or unfair way to feel about a film. It's literally the criticism that so many newer Marvel movies have been receiving since Endgame, and understandably so.
Imagine that your friend invited you to a new restaurant that everyone's been calling so fresh and exciting and breathing new life into the food scene, and you get there and the headline item is the Wendy's baconator. Sure, it might be a really tasty meal, but I'd sure feel a little bit let down, even if I liked it. In fact a lot of parents I've talked to (I'm a teacher) lament how America has culturally anointed certain foods as "kid food" and often stops presenting them with other options, which dovetails into a feedback loop of kids thinking that those are what they're supposed to enjoy, and really limiting their pallettes. I think similar things happen with film; when we're saying "this is a demon movie and demons do XYZ," then we've already sharply limited our imagination.
I agree with Mr. Meep, so many horror films are using decades old tropes as crutches and making them no longer very scary. And there's nothing wrong with telling a classic story, absolutely nothing. But it makes the range of art we can experience much smaller, and unnecessarily limits us. Wouldn't movies have been so much more boring for it if Hollywood stayed restricted by the Hays Code forever?
I would really appreciate a possession horror story where the possessing spirit did more than just look sickly and wounded and hurl stuff around a room. Who says that's how a demon has to act? As far as I'm concerned, demons are not real, so there are no limits on how they appear in fiction. And that could have been this movie, but it just wasn't. Which isn't wrong, just a missed opportunity.
@@RobynStephensPeople loved that fucking movie too though lol
I fully agree. It's not bad that the film is unoriginal, but the film hits a high point with what Riley does to himself while possessed, it left me horrified, disturbed and with my pulse pounding, and the sharp drop from that to every other possession trope on display afterwards was very disappointing.
That was the nicest critique of anything I've heard in some time. You give credit where it's due, but you bring up valid points in your criticism of the film's second half, and its conception.
Sorry but I’ll never really take “I saw it coming” as a super valid criticism of a film. Congrats you were correct in your assumptions but for every correct guess there’s 9 other people who guessed wrong
Did u not see it coming 😭😭
@@JacobCunningham-ml7gg I let you in
I genuinely understand this perspective bc being able to guess doesn't necessarily make a movie bad or unenjoyable. I've definitely enjoyed some stuff I could guess what was happening. But more often than not every story I've actually loved I didn't expect. But more than that, even when I could guess, it was about how that foreshadowing was executed and how it affected my experience. Basically, as someone with autism, I have crazy pattern recognition and most movies I figure out pretty fucking fast. But I've come to realize there's a difference between pattern recognition and good foreshadowing. I think people are valid to find a story weak and uninteresting when it relies so heavily on tropes that pattern recognition can tell you the next hour of the film and you don't feel a single emotional pull. Whereas I've seen foreshadowing that's gotten me genuinely excited about how much thought was put into a story. I guess the difference is intention. Tropes rely on preconceived notions and already established story beats so the writers don't do any work, the same way the audience can guess what happens next, the writers came up with the scene based on the countless times they've seen other writers do the exact same scene and following suit bc that's "what would happen", whereas good foreshadowing is done with intention and the writer is doing it bc it has importance to the overall story they want to tell. I think that's why "I saw it coming" ends up being a negative for most people, bc it shows that the writers would rather rely on what's already been done before than do the hardwork and ask what SHOULD happen for THIS story specifically.
For me it depends on if it’s a predictable trope (someone behind the character when looking in the mirror) or something YOU see coming bc they laid out the breadcrumbs and you paid attention.
The whole “subverting expectations” can get old after a while but tropes are so more often the worst. So being able to telegraph what will happen accordingly without spelling it out or used old tropes is pretty great when done right. Wasn’t a big fan of this movie but it wasn’t bad and took some risks I was glad to see, esp by some UA-camrs.
I've seen enough movies to guess most endings. I personally didn't care for the film because the journey to get to said ending just didn't feel worth it. I spent most of the film rolling my eyes.
Agreed with your thoughts mate. I think one thing to take into account though, is here in Australia, we don't have a good track record of strong script doctoring or assessment; we tend to shoot beautiful looking films, we tend to get really good performances, but we tend to produce underdeveloped scripts. I can’t think of a film or TV show from the last decade or two that was made here that had a (at best) very compelling or (at worst) well thought out or structured script. I think because our media culture here in Australia has become to starved in the recent decades, we just tend to spit out whatever we can no matter the condition of the script. Like I said, I agree with your thoughts, and the fellow Aussie in me is so soaked we have another horror movie that is getting the respect it deserves, but god do we need to invest in better scripting!
So relieved to come across this take, felt pretty alone in airing any negative points about this film. You nailed it
This is very nitpicky, the films strengths is themes of teenage peer pressure, and tieing it with a supernatural party drug. It was refreshing for me really, some bits may have fell flat, but its solid.
This is title bait.
Can you explain how the movie actually reflects those themes? It makes you feel good but it's bad for you, and people use it to cope with thier problems or to fit in with thier peers- That to me was immediately conveyed in the first 15 minutes. It literally just showed those things happening, but with a magic object instead of drugs. To me it didn't say anything about those themes, just showed that was the theme of the movie. And all the praise is the same, they don't talk about the movie and the themes, they just tell you the movie has those themes.
@@JebeckyGranjola did you watch the movie?
@@enterbalak I watched it and there were no characters subjected to peer pressure. Mia, Riley and the tug of war boyfriend all wanted to do it . Specifically, Riley was shown to not be weak to peer pressure when he quickly told his friend no to smoking. His sister was never pressured to do it and had the party at her house to impress the hand holding boo that did the same with her best friend first all while neglecting to watch her brother yet once again like her mother, treated Mia like the help as if it was her job then quickly blamed and dismissed her.
Let’s not forget who was watching the videos instead of supporting her “best friend” at her mom’s memorial.
@@nolipgloss1343 Mia and Riley are both subjected to a less convert peer pressure, via the desire for attention and approval. Mia in the sense that she wanted to impress her peers (who she knows don't like her) by seeming fearless and fun. Riley, on the other hand, had been shown to be scared the first time, which he gets teased for. So the next time he begs to use the hand to prove himself. These are older, "cooler" kids that he is less comfortable around and wants to impress. You say he's "weak to peer pressure as shown by the cigarette" as if people are consistent and won't act differently in different situations. All of this is pretty much the definition of peer pressure it's just not what we usually see in media.
@@skylarfutch159 It makes sense that your interpretation of Mia is no different that what her peers project on to her thru the entire film. We hear their opinions, see their side eyes but we never hear or see how Mia feels about any of them. She acts the same way her mom does on the video but don't know nor get to know Mia. Jade was checked out on that friendship before the movie starts and she projects desperate on to Mia. I meant to write that Riley is NOT weak to peer pressure. Perhaps his motivation to experience the hand is directly related to his bond with Mia, who would rather talk to him about her mom instead of her blurry no name dad. It could very well be 100% what you said and be a good film but we are given no reason to trust anyone but Riley.
This summed up my feelings so perfectly. Unfortunately, I think how derivative it is will ultimately hurt its longevity, but man, I can't wait to see what they do next. The first half was just SO good.
Ok I respect your opinion but making a video calling it "flawed" just to say that the horror movie had horror movie tropes feels a bit unfair to me
This is exactly why not everyone can just call themselves a “critique” he’s just a dude on UA-cam giving his opinion. Take it with a grain of salt.
I disagree. If you want to truly make an amazing movie (more than just good), using cliches without subverting them or being fresh is a mistake to be avoided. Just because they got a lot right doesn't mean it was perfect and that was all he pointed out. While it doesn't ruin the movie, it certainly takes it down a notch.
I really appreciate this video Meeptop. I’ve been having trouble articulating my thoughts on this but you were able to put to words a lot of what I’ve been feeling about this film. I agree that it’s phenomenal but I also agree it’s flawed. Keep up the great work!
The squidward voice-overs were too damn good lmao
I had these exact feelings while watching the movie, I thought the beginning, the premise and everything else were extremely interesting, but, after that, I was pretty bored and the ending, to me, did not pay off all of the expectations built at that point. But I was surprised when I found out this was a debut made by former youtubers, I'm really excited to see what they'll make in the future
The movie was well put together and cohesive but besides the more “realistic” approach with the presentation of today’s youth it HEAVILY abused known tropes that made it cringe, here are some examples *spoiler alert*.
1) Single parent doesn’t talk about other parent dying until it’s “convenient”
2) Everyone just watches the most possessed kid hurt himself for 5 minutes before doing anything
3) Main character is still in love with ex that is dating their friend
4) Main character is vulnerable with ex lover and wants company
5) One friend who says it’s messed up, doesn’t participate but actively watches
6) Two “Jocks” character who omit the truth for the hell of it
7) Main character who refuses to accept parents death even after attending an anniversary
8) Demon who uses the “force” one time to throw people around and then forgets it has powers for the rest of the movie
9) Foreshadowing of the Main characters death at the beginning with the use of animals
10) Everyone knows about the demon possession but no one knows about the “serious case” where someone died
Like the list goes on...
I enjoyed it but I don’t think it’s the best horror of the year x]
And don't forget that one of the teenagers is played by a 38 year old man
Who cares? all movies have troupes. Its not like we haven't been writing stories for thousands of years.
@@HasanShah-wv2yw well I care personally because it had a great idea for horror but then spoiled it by overloading it with common troupes.
The demons having force powers that make them super OP always bugs me. That and demons moving furniture for no reason or benefit. Writers need to be more careful when assigning powers. They run the risk of creating a "why didn't they just use their powers to solve the problem" issue.
I think I need to give it another watch and see if I get a different opinion because everybody loves this film.
After the brother's initial possession I think the film went flat, and despite the protagonist's back story I did not sympathise with the decisions she made. It just meant I did not care what happened to her.
But open to trying again.
I think it’s all hype. I felt the same about It Follows.
Good idea, but then it’s just half written after the initial realization of the entity. I was bored silly about who she’d have sex with, to pass it.
i completely agree with you with the fact that the ending was predictable and unoriginal and that was probably my only problem with the movie! That said, it didn’t take away from my overall enjoyment (especially with the visuals of the very last shot like goosebumps) and i was sufficiently tense and on the edge of my seat the whole way through!
I think the point of playing out cliches like killing her dad and the bathroom thing you showed, is to actually make that mean something rather than just do horror movie stuff. For me, it's showing the effects of drug abuse and especially paranoia in those cases. So it's turning the horror movie cliche into a real consequence of her actions.
for me the film felt divided between two story paths; the first being mia’s continuous use of the hand in order to reach her mother, and the other being her pals brothers problem with getting the spirits out. if the film had focused on either of these narratives singularly instead of simultaneously, then i reckon it would have wielded a tighter story.
honestly the whole mom subplot was so boring and uninteresting, they should've gone another route
Like what? Curious if you have any innovative ideas to share? People always comment about overused ideas, but don’t have any original ideas to begin with. Try harder.
@@79Bobola I'm not a hollywood writer it's not my job to think the creative ideas and entertain, I'm the customer, I pay to be entertained and have a right to have a critic of what I consume. What are you like 5?
@@79Bobola They could have had the demon try to convince her that the dad was the killer/abusive. That could have brought a new dynamic and leads to her choosing a side between them. Also, like the person says, it is not the customer's job to make a better product.
Looks like the real villain all along was bad parenting.
Main character definitely need a ass whoopin lol
(I’m assuming you’re talking about the drug use metaphor here)That can definitely be part of it, but there’s a lot of reasons people become dependent on drugs, parents can’t be all to blame
It always is 😳
Thank you for your awesome take on the movie. Enjoyed it too. I believe its also safe to say that this movie has taught me that some connections are best left unattended coz whatever/whoever you let in in your life might be another passage way to your healing or death. Only time will tell, after all, it goes back to your persistence.
talk to me is such an incredible metaphor for drugs and how it effects people
Same …. As a recovering addict that’s exactly what I saw it as.
its also about our yearning for real contact with others and how social media has hindered our ability to do such a thing
I think he missed how much of the movie was a metaphor for drug/heroin use, I think he just saw the surface of it
@rainestorm6029 He keeps calling the spirits demons, so this tracks. They're people who passed on that lost every last bit of their humanity and use the living to get their highs just like the kids who let them in using the hand. The more broken and corrupted the person, the more broken and corrupted the spirit they become. That's why some spirits only wanted to sing a beloved song or say kind words to a loved one, while others only got off on doing vile things or like slowly torturing the one they possessed and their loved ones.
It's the reason behind the actions that made this so unique. It wasn't just another possession of evil for evil's sake. So it's natural that people who missed that or expected some giant hoopla got disappointed.
Watching that poor girl's desire to not let someone suffer as her mom did that she cares so much for be twisted by that spirit to break her very nature was so heartbreaking. Normally, a movie will use her self destructive actions as a way to prop up her actions and validate them. But her "drugged out" mind couldn't see every act as another step deeper in the pit. She just had to do nothing. But she was fueled by that fear of what happened to her mom happening to her friend.
Great analysis. While I was bored silly by the movie, it was an excellent first showing from new directors and it seemed to really connect with younger horror fans. Good for them. The script is very weak, so I hope they become more confident/economic writers as they gain experience. It's good enough to make me want to watch whatever they do next and that ain't bad.
I think what I liked most was how her “mom” was actually the first ghost that possessed her cause it went over the time limit and “wanted to stay” and you can tell because the mom gets progressively more soggy the longer shes around mia as if she drowned like the woman and not like she overdosed and the movie doesnt point that out to you so i feel thats pretty original from usual demon shenanigans
Yeah, I definitely disagree. I feel that this movie was a horror masterpiece.
100 percent agree.
I personally don't think it would've been smart to change what a demon or a possession should look like bc using the tropes makes the movie work even more bc we're seeing it done in a film thats executing it well. If you change what a demon does or the effects of possession, this movie wouldn't be a movie about that then.
Agreed. Those ARE the demon posession tropes that most people go to demon posession movies to see. THat's like having a werewolf movie and getting upset that they write people changing into creatures by moonlight. Sure, you can change the tropes, but in these genre-subgroups if you change too much you literally erase why people like the movie.
I fundamentally disagree with the idea that a plot being predictable is a flaw when discussing tragedy and horror. Too many people cut off their emotional investment in a character the moment they get the feeling there is no happily ever after for them, instead of allowing themselves to feel dread and eventually sadness when the character does suffer. Not everything needs to be some contrived twist to surprise you when there is no thematic reason for it beyond surprising the audience. Similar to how Hitchcock emphasized the importance of suspense, I think dread is almost as important to horror.
I find predictability can be used effectively in horror. Being able to see the future but unable to do anything to prevent it is a pretty horrifying feeling. The fact that I could "see the ending from a mile away" very much added to the dread for me because I didn't want that fate for Mia.
This is a fair criticism. Thanks for sharing your opinion!
The part I love that I think they switched up in the demon trope is that the demons are perverted (the dog and foot scenes). And it makes sense because if they are so evil then they’re not afraid of doing “sinful” sexual acts.
to me it feels like a desperate way to feel alive again. It makes sense that someone already perverted in life and who now is unable to feel anything would want to taste that pleasure again in a distorted way
yeah, he didn't mention that even though it's an original (not fully but yk what i mean) take on the possession genre
I'm sorry, but this is also definitely not an original demonic possession trope. Literally in the Exorcist Regan "pleasures herself" violently with a crucifix.
@@wyrmeleon2002the purpose of that scene isn't pleasure my dude, it was a psychological attack on the people around Regan. The priests have a whole discussion about this outside her door.
@@SantosAl I think you missed that I was trying not to get my comment flagged for saying another word. I didn't really mean "pleasure" as in the scene had any positive, not horrifying connotations. I totally agree with your comment!
i think youre holding yourself back. yes i guessed the dad death scene aswell but i still didnt let that stop me from enjoying the movie. ive watched alot of horror movies and games and therefor i will know most of tropes and tricks. the beauty in still loving new movies that do as good of a job at feeling fresh and ominous as talk to me is not trying to actively guess whats going to happen at every corner to say "told u so". just fucking let it take u for a ride and watch it for what it is not what u think it is
As someone who had never seen the exorcist, but has seen not so good possession movie, this was a punch in the gut. I was genuinely horrified by the demons, and super hyped by the modern twist, specifically the use of technology and of demonic possession as a new drug. The characters were super likable, I was rooting for Mia even tho she was so flawed. Your video made me curious to watch the exorcist, a movie I was too scared to watch because of how terrifying it looks. And I feel like your critic was full of humbleness and honesty, making your point understandable even if I didn’t agree with all of it. Thank you !!
Good review I love movies but I did not see her end coming and it was the best ending and genuinely chilling end to the Gil I didn’t consider
For me the film's downfall was making the main character so unlikeable. From the beginning when she abandons the poor kangaroo, it never gets any better. Therefore I never cared about what happened to her.
Yeah i thought the exact same thing maybe I would’ve liked it more if the main character wasn’t a terrible human being. Didn’t scare me, just annoyed me😂
True. Although due to hereditary I thought the boy was the main character for a fair while
I love the film overall. It’s rather solid. But holy hell, I hate the licensed music used. Especially at the end.
Nothing ruins the vibe of a horror movie like a out of place credits song
@@LivingDeadbeat thank god u can just turn it off before the credits
In the cinema (after an amazing film)
Awful music
I would’ve loved a campy 70s song or something . To ease the tension
As much as this movie was really good, I couldn’t get over the hand, personally found it gimmicky and unnecessary, like a random hand used to see dead people and the characters were sitting around laughing and recording while someone is literally possessed is so unrealistic. Also the movies underlying meaning of drug use and peer pressure (which I picked out so quickly) kinda took away from the story and I couldn’t oversee it which sucks cuz this movie had really good scenes that actually revolted me, which I never get watching horror🤷♀️
I was looking for someone of this opinion, I felt the exact same about it 💕😂
OMG, thank you! I loved the first half of the movie and then it all went downhill for me. And I think you just explained to me why I feel the way I feel. On one hand it is the predictability and often I thought the movie did not go far enough... in any case it was absolutely a good movie, I just felt that disappointment at the end as I felt it didn't go where I wanted or hoped it to go... I think you are spot on! Brilliant
exactly my thoughts, bc of all of the praise it got i was super excited for it and the beginning was really promising! but just like you after having seen pretty much every horror movie under the sun at this point, everything felt so familiar towards the end it started to bore me a little bc it got so predictable. i definitely still think it’s a great film and i overall did really enjoy it, i just saw things play out in a similar way 40 times already.
(no opinion - i havent seen the movie lol) but just because you say you are jealous up front doesn't mean your arguable nit-picking isn't built on it, right?
Rather than entertaining, I just found this movie to be frustrating.
I think the movie had too many characters and a story that felt tacked on. In my opinion this could have worked as a short, but they added story and too many characters to make it to feature length. However the characters felt inauthentic, not really likeable so I didn't care about them and their interpersonal stories and relationships.
I thoroughly enjoyed this film especially for the fact that it wasn't filled with jumpscares like a typical horror movie that relies on jumpscares to be scary. The concept was really smart, I loved the ending. The dad's death was kinda predictable although I was still a bit confused up to that point. I wanna know how anyone else wouldv'e done the dad's death. Let me know.
It's harder than we think to make something not unoriginal, that's why he mentioned that using that word is cheap criticism (though that was his main criticism).
Great movie, although I never really felt scared, more excited for what is going to happen next and how they will solve the kid's possession. The intense scenes weren't scaring me, they were more like an "oh sh't" moment.
I rarely watched horror films cus I'm a scaredy cat, but the beats of Talk to Me kept reminding me of Hereditary & Midsommar. From the theme of overwhelming grief, to the turning point of a younger sibling joining a party they're not supposed to & getting f*ck by it, the semi-guilt (though in Mia's case she's more concern about meeting her mom again), and even the father being killed by a family member.
I'll say the best part for me was not the satanical horror. It's actually the element of peer pressure and the Gen Z vibes it captured. Almost everyone, but Riley are mean-spirited because they just can't be bothered to give enough attention on anything that's not overtly sensational or connected to their personal desire. By the half way point I'm just rooting against Mia & hope she got taken so the ending was kinda expected.
As someone who doesn't watch a lot of horror films, I found every twist and turn in this film surprising right up until the final twist. I was so wrapped up in the characters and the successful scares that I didn't even have time to try to predict what was coming next. I do agree with the point about the spirits only being able to do what is expected of them for the genre though. I think it would be interesting to see some more nuance in the behaviour of the spirits.
I will say, as much as I enjoyed this movie, the ending where she woke up in the spirit world, I was reminded of Mirrors, another double-edged sword movie. Still, I'm definitely gonna rewatch this movie
Do you have any recommendations for recent horror with more original endings?
He’d probably recommend some dogshit movie like Nun 2
In 2023 this was my top horror film. It’s been a while since I was genuinely enjoying horror.
When the screamatorium operator just looks ashamed and apologizes 😂
I think it ls like a good catchy pop song. Popular because it hits that middle ground, not too scary or gory, but not tame. Has some interesting metaphors but is not too on the nose or preachy. Decent direction, production and acting, well paced and accessible, but probably wont stick with you the longest.
I’d put it there with It Follows, Drag me to hell, Smile, the puppetman.
It was hard for me to take it as a horror movie as it didn't give me an once of fear but it has good story telling. Concept is appealing but it didn't execute good amount of tensions and it was predictable
My disengagement with the movie when Mia killed her dad was visceral and almost instant. Deflating. It sucked :( And it 100% was because the way it happened felt cliche and cheap.
Maybe I'm giving them an out here but this movie felt to me like it was about the human condition. And humans rarely do anything new when it comes down to the basics. Because this movie felt to me about grief and loneliness, and the desire to connect, I didn't mind the predictability of it.
I appreciated the disclaimer in the beginning. Very real, and very respectable.
The persona 5 music in the background made me happy
The opening scene is the best part of the entire movie, after that it’s just stupid. Extremely unlikeable characters (Riley maybe being the exception) very dull and boring at times, a weak script, and a climax that was just all around nonsense. On its own merits, this is a decent horror flick, but I’m 100% sure if A24’s name wasn’t on this? It have gotten barely any hype at all.
I think I'm going to have to give this one a rewatch. I loved the first half to two thirds. while the sub genre certainly isn't original, the way it was introduced felt fresh and fun. one of the things I like in a good horror story is the feeling that _anything_ (probably bad though) can happen to the characters, and neither plot armor nor a general sense of good taste will prevent that. and I did feel that way with this movie for a while. then we get further into the movie... and it sort of devolves into a (still very competently shot and acted) rather standard possession horror story. that's not 'bad', really. it was still a good movie. but as you noted, anyone familiar with horror has probably seen it done a dozen or more times before, it became very predictable. I wish it could have finished on as strong a note as it came in on.
This was my exact thoughts they cooked with the "party drug" why people are getting possessed and the fumbled the rest!
What confused me was the main concept. They were supposedly talking to the spirits of dead people, but are actually demons? So when Mia dies and her spirit is summoned is she now a demon? Will she turn evil if the possession goes on for too long? Or do demons swap places with the spirit when the time is up?
They are ghosts, not demons. They even mention that it only calls ghost in limbo.
We see what limbo is like when Mia goes there, we also see what the ritual is like from their side; the only light and warmth in their existence, their only way to connect with others.
I had this one hyped up too me a lot and when I watched it it was just..ok? It was beautifully shot, most of the acting was great, the ghost mechanics were interesting and the special effects were also splendid! I think the one big sticking point for me that spoils it is just how…and there’s not a nice way to say this…stupid the characters are? A new take in horror I know lol. I hear a lot of people say oh well it’s an analogue for drugs or grief or the good old teenagers are just stupid but I just can’t accept those as explanations. Personally of course, if you can suspend your disbelief/get invested in characters who make such awful choices more power to you. It’s a nitpick but it just ruins an otherwise pretty solid movie for me.
ngl Talk2Me was so overhyped it sucked, so many plot holes.
its sooooo boring! they had something then didn't know how to work with it. Talk about allegory shoved down your throat, yes we get it "drugs destroy not only your life but the lives of your loved ones, directly and indirectly" but damn every second of the film was a reminder of that and barely anything supernatural.
Everyone blowing smoke up their aaa this movie is so unoriginal it’s crazy how people are saying it’s one of the best of the year. This won’t like slender man with better actors
Talk to me had so much potential.I loved the concept of this movie.
we can never just enjoy a good horror movie😭
I really enjoyed it 😊
@@jackoliver7506me too :) I’m glad you liked it!
It is ass. Smile is superior
you’re allowed to like the movie just as much as we are allowed to hate it
@@kaitwithluvthanks for the information, officer!🤓
This seems like the kind of review you give when your assignment as a reviewer is to find some criticism, even though there doesn’t really exist any.
What is the instrumental track playing in the background at 1:30ish mark?
I respect this critique for the thought and mindfulness put into it. I must say, though, i vehemently disagree.
It sounds like the big critique is there was an interesting and unique crescendo but the resolution wasnt surprising or inventive or subversive and so it was a disappointment. The payoff didnt match the setup. I think that critique is fair but it also isnt the point of the film in my view. Its like knocking the MCU for its lack or failure to pull off romance. Its true but i think its important to judge a movie based on whether it met its own objective, not something we personally want.
The movie is a lot more about a character study of Mia and a commentary on grief, substance use, and connection in a digital world. To me, the possession and demons were secondary in that the story could have been told without them and it could have been a straight drama. Theyre a narrative tool that enhanced the illustration of the themes and story that was being told. At the end of the day its a cautionary tale about learning to let go.
In that sense, the more "predictable" possession plot points worked for me because i didnt view that as the point or the message. For me the inventiveness was using something familiar like demon possession to tell a very personal story about mourning and loss and coping. It was never an early Nolan type film where the beginning is the end and its meant to surprise you.
I respect how you started the video watching the movie i was slightly let down by the hype if someone had told me it was a gen z version of the exorcist i would have felt differently tho it is a great movie with many things to love about it but when you take it to the next step of w movie break down it is just the same formula but its tried and true for a reason
This is a very unoriginal UA-cam video. I've seen this same kind of breakdown video dozens of times and months before this. Not to mention all the other movie breakdowns that have been made for over a decade.
😄
Its still a bunch of stupid teens making stupid choices.
Foreshadowed to early
When I think about US, and how some things were terrifying, that on their face, shouldn’t have been. “We are Americans” isn’t a scary line but the delivery and the context transformed it. I think weak endings have plagued films for years. And ending should be the most important part, not just a way to wrap things up.
After watching that video of yours "I was wrong about Midsomar" maybe don't name your reviews "Thing is Fatally Flawed", but I guess it works as clickbaty, marketable ploy, soo... sure.
I hate this movie. Pretentious as it could ever get. I get it, ooh it's an analogy on drugs and suicide. Big deal. Doesn't make it a god damn prophecy.
I'm glad someone isn't kissing this movies ass. this movie has great elements and ends up with a low par result.
But you ain’t gotta tongue fxck the hell out of it in frustration either. Damn.
@@jaysony8587 ok
@@neonblkmusik1993 oK 🙄 grade schoolers on the chat need to chill.
@@79Bobola fr tho lol
I got hyped for this movie after it appeared on Joe Rogan's with those 2 directors, even though I didn't bother watching the video in case of spoilers etc. When I finally got around to watching it earlier I decided to initially quit the movie after the intro because I immediately felt like 'Meh, that was a bit lame'; however I then changed my mind when I saw its got a very good reception as well as high reviews, so then I continued watching the rest.
Overall, I am glad that I decided to continue it and watch until the end because the movie was definitely worth it and good. It's obviously not up there alongside the likes of other good horror movies but for me it's just a one time great movie. I felt it getting slightly out of place after the first half, seeing as how it had such a great build, but that's not to say it was disappointing in any way. The lesson here is to let some things just go and see how they turn out. I had to be careful because I've a history of trying to watch some horror movies and then just switching them off after like 45 minutes due to boredom.
The film is fine but I do wonder if the criticism would be more balanced if it wasn’t weighted by the “finally made it” UA-camrs narrative. Remove UA-cam and what do you have…
Two creative guys who mentored under the director of The Babadock for almost a decade. A story written by an multiple Emmy winning writer, director, producer, and executive director/co creator of at least 6 TV series, use of the entire production team from the Babadook, financing by the same studio as the Babadook and financing by same Australian government who all took the film on the same festival route.
It is fantastic that they were ushered thru the process came out on top and perhaps if they told that story, other young filmmakers would realize that there are other ways to get experience and understand the value of mentorship.
whoa.. thanks for all that info! I love The Bandook’s production style/ intelligence, that makes so much sense. I just gave it a 3rd watch and it’s actually very layered. I guarantee that people who are iffy on it, like I was after my 1st watch, didn’t get the deeper layer/easter eggs which fix all most of my initial issues with the script
@@joshgorsky5224 ha! My sister loves The Babadock. This film is similar in its layers but what I got from it was probably unintentional since the lead was written as a white character. I’m black and American so the subtext of her looking different and not fitting in with the group of kids hit differently. I watched it again and couldn’t find a different reason as to why not unless all of the kids are just nasty in general lol
@@nolipgloss1343 I think that’s part of the subtext; that “friends” like this will come into your life and use you. They’ll let you fall apart as long as they are getting what they want out of you. So I think the kids were just plain nasty. I didn’t get any racist vibes because the social leaders of the group were Samoan and (whatever ethnicity the butch girl was)
distracted by the lou music playing in the background
2:02 one of them is wearing a mob psycho 100 shirt!!😊 they are cultured
I completely and totally agree with so much of your criticism. Even voiced it myself to much backlash. Great video. After the major inciting Riley moment the movie completely falls apart into kinda boring territory. Much of it wouldn’t be a problem if more of the characters apart from Mia got better characterization. If I actually cared about more of them aside from Riley and Mia the movie would be far better. Take Mia’s father like sure part of the character of Mia is her lack of communication with her father but where his character ends up I just felt nothing. That should be a massive moment but it just didn’t pay off.
I feel like this is a good assessment. This film really let me down. It was so close to being good but ultimately turned out to be such a route story. That’s why it wasn’t scary at all… which was sad 😔
Spoiler warning
But man that hospital shower scene will sit with me for a long time.. that was the most fucked scene. 😂
I felt like the actual plot or storyline had no real climax-or at maybe it did climax, but there was no satisfactory deescalation. The ending felt abrupt and unoriginal
speaking horror and possession, can u pls review the fear street trilogy 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽
Having seen lots and lots of horror films over the lockdowns and since then, I can honestly say that I have seen quite a few that I like better than Talk to me; and by no means were all of those films recognised classics. While obviously Herediatry, American Psycho, Misery, the Conjuring etc, are better films, I also preferred the likes of Orphan, Dark Skies, the Perfection, Veronica and even Would you rather. They were more effective in what they were trying to do than this film.
Talk to me has it's moments and is more visually disturbing and dark than quite a lot of modern horror films, but it's not all that scary and most of the characters are weak, shallow and poorly written. I find it irritating that big names that should know better gave their backing to this film, because although it's better than average, it's not even that good. 6/10 for me.
Sooo long story short you think it’s a great movie, but you found any little thing to pick it apart. Got it.
Dont remember scenes in the exorcist of her trying to remove her own eye, or showing a visual of reagan in hell. What are you talking about
How have you not yet done a review of "It Follows"?
She didn't kill her father. Somehow he survived a sharp jab to the jugular. It is a small gripe, but that scene disappointed me because realistically if someone jabs you in the neck with a sharp object and it hits the jugular vein, (which I am assuming that she hit because it shows dad holding his neck while voluminous spurts of blood are shooting from it) you are gonna die within minutes. However miraculously dad survived long enough into the next day when Jade found him and it is assumed he received medical assistance. That was not realistic because in that situation you would bleed out immediately, it being a major artery. It would have been more believable if she stabbed him in the chest or something, but it was a chance to see blood squirting in a horror movie so I get it. Dad ends up at the end of the movie walking away from Mia as he enters the elevator while she shouts to him. Of course he can't hear her because she's a spirit and no longer of this world.
I heard many ppl have a theory he is dead but went to heaven or moved on while in the end Mia still ends up alone
Good. I thought I was the only who didn’t like it and found it botched, boring and flawed.
Sometimes you don't need curve balls, you just need it to do what it does with style.
I agree with the points but you didn’t say the one I thought this would be about. The ending just doesn’t make sense based on the hints the movie was setting up. The movie seems to reveal the trapped souls thing, but it also seems to heavily imply in those scenes that it is all just a lie that Mia is falling for with the demonic hallucinations, which I figured meant the trapped spirits aren’t actually there. It’s all just people interacting with a demonic force that only wants to cause harm. So while Mia being trapped after death is a cool looking twist, it doesn’t really make sense with what the more subtle hints of the movie were setting up. She should just be dead (possibly in hell if that was the goal) and the hand should just be moving on to prey upon the next owners. Mia should not be trapped in the hand as it would imply she would wreak the same havoc if the next person held in too long, when she clearly seems to just be in scared shock after dying, not an evil spirit.