In the Tall Grass (2019)
Stars: Laysla De Oliveira, Avery Whitted, Patrick Wilson
Runtime: 101 minutes
Synopsis: After hearing a young boy's cry for help, a sister and brother venture into a vast field of tall grass in Kansas but soon discover there may be no way out...and that something evil lurks within.
Performances: 2/5
Screenplay: 2/5
Costumes/Makeup: 3/5
Editing: 3/5
Cinematography: 3/5
Score/Soundtrack: 2/5
Verdict: "Triangle" meets the final task of the Triwizard tournament. That's how I'd describe the plot of "In the Tall Grass", the latest Netflix adaptation of a Stephen King novella.
The film, directed by Vincenzo Natali ("Cube"), follows a group of people who get trapped in a rather unusual field of tall grass. Sounds fascinating, right? Right? Well obviously not, and the final product didn't really convince me otherwise, but I'll admit that it did still offer more than the usual disposable horror movie we get regularly. Some of the concepts introduced, while somewhat poorly developed and seen in other movies, did occasionally grab my attention and I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't momentarily intrigued by them. Natali's decision to focus on building a suspenseful atmosphere rather than rely on cheap jumpscares is also an admirable touch. The opening 10 minutes were very effective at doing exactly that, and were the highlight of a movie that eventually got very repetitive and honestly quite dull. The dialogue wasn't engaging, the characters weren't interesting, the narrative wasn't appealing, and the acting wasn't very convincing. Nothing really stuck with me by the end of a final act that completely derails into almost ridiculous territory, and while I wouldn't qualify the horror flick as bad, it certainly isn't good or even memorable either.
Is "In the Tall Grass" the best Netflix original with the word "Tall" in the title? Absolutely. But you all know that the bar isn't set very high anyway. But is it a well crafted movie that will keep viewers on the edge of their seats? I don't think it is.
The film, directed by Vincenzo Natali ("Cube"), follows a group of people who get trapped in a rather unusual field of tall grass. Sounds fascinating, right? Right? Well obviously not, and the final product didn't really convince me otherwise, but I'll admit that it did still offer more than the usual disposable horror movie we get regularly. Some of the concepts introduced, while somewhat poorly developed and seen in other movies, did occasionally grab my attention and I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't momentarily intrigued by them. Natali's decision to focus on building a suspenseful atmosphere rather than rely on cheap jumpscares is also an admirable touch. The opening 10 minutes were very effective at doing exactly that, and were the highlight of a movie that eventually got very repetitive and honestly quite dull. The dialogue wasn't engaging, the characters weren't interesting, the narrative wasn't appealing, and the acting wasn't very convincing. Nothing really stuck with me by the end of a final act that completely derails into almost ridiculous territory, and while I wouldn't qualify the horror flick as bad, it certainly isn't good or even memorable either.
Is "In the Tall Grass" the best Netflix original with the word "Tall" in the title? Absolutely. But you all know that the bar isn't set very high anyway. But is it a well crafted movie that will keep viewers on the edge of their seats? I don't think it is.
FINAL GRADE: 4/10
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