Apostle (2018) Reviews

• Ignore the clueless reviewers

  davidbdr-12018-10-15

  Before I even get into the laughable complaints made by the clueless, I must write that this is the first film in a very long time that I found compelling and didn't notice the "long running time." Some films deserve to take their time to reveal the story. If that bothers you--go watch the latest inane, super hero CGI fest that spoon feeds you your shallow entertainment. The idea that Man corrupts religion for his own ends is the main theme. It is obvious that many viewers have lost the ability to actually watch a film and grasp its concepts. They complain about "no plot" when it's right there on the screen. If the film is not edited with the frenetic pace of a television commercial--it is considered slow. Yes, there are thematic similarities to the original Wicker Man (not the pathetic Americanized atrocity made recently) but that is just due to the use of an isolated setting and Pagan religion and mythology. The plots are distinctly different. Someone made a comment about the use of a "Zippo" lighter being somehow how bad the film was. Quick research (which obviously the filmmaker did) shows that "automatic" lighters where available by 1889 and the particular lighter shown was available in 1905! Zippo did not invent lighters--they just refined them and mass produced them for WW2. Don't claim knowledge if you don't posses it. Another complaint was the island's village was too primitive for 1905? Really, Hand-hewn buildings look just like this. Again, every idiot who can thumb type thinks they know better than the filmmaker. This is not a review of the film but more a review of the proliferation of useless, pointless "opinion" blurbs that people believe are reviews. A review is also not just a recounting of the plot. Just typing "this movie was a waste of time" is not relevant to anyone but the typist. If a film about man's corruption of religion and an creepy use of Celtic/Earth mythology acting as the metaphor and some gruesome violence thrown in doesn't hold your interest maybe Transformers would suit you better.

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• Its a sin that this film did not get a theatrical release.

  eliasmmorris2018-10-12

  I cannot believe there are any bad reviews for this film. I'll keep this brief. This film is an absolute gift for anyone who loves true horror. Much like The VVitch it is a beautifully acted and written period piece set in the early 1900's. The pacing is perfect, the tone is driving and rhythmic, never was there a point during this film where I was bored. The characters were fleshed out and easy to empathize with. Overall I thought this was fantastic. I think it's almost a waste that its a netflix film and did not get a theatrical release. Anyone who loves the idea of paganism, cults, religion without pandering to Christians (which is what The Conjuring does, even though I am a fan of those films), or period pieces will love this film. Do your self a favor and give it a chance.

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• The horryfying nature of men is scarier than the horrors of the supernatural.

  Fella_shibby2018-10-14

  I saw this film without watching the trailer, without checkin about the star cast n without reading anything about it. The name of Gareth Evans was suffice. Been a huge fan of him after Merantau, Raid 1 n 2 n Killers. After completion, I was not at all disappointed. I was waiting for a movie like Black Death n this movie came like a pleasant surprise. The cinematography is top notch n the music appropriate. Dan Stevens n Sheen did a wonderful job. The film started with some beautiful scenery of the train on the bridge n the island hamlet resembling a poetry. There is something sinister about films based on cult theme. There is one particular ritualistic killing scene. That made me cringe man. Fans of Black Death, The Sacrament n Wicker Man will definitely enjoy this. My two cribs - If only the pagan goddess shown was as hot as Carice van Houten from Black Death. There was no explanation regarding the Grinder n the Witch.

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• A witch is for life (not just for a pagan festival)

  bowmanblue2018-10-18

  You know how it is... you buy a witch for your children when it's young. Sure, it's cute with its little broomstick and pointed green nose, but soon the kids grow up and only want a cell phone and Snapchat account. And you find you're the one left feeding and looking after the confused elderly woman who doesn't know whether to pet her black cat or boil her cauldron. What do you do with her? Flush her down the toilet and run the risk of her mutating in a sewer into a giant witch, or drive her out to the middle of nowhere and dump her, leaving yourself open to allegations of 'witch abuse.' No, the best thing to do is lock her up out of site and occasionally feed her then pretend like nothing ever happened. Welcome to 'Apostle' - Netflix's latest original horror film. Only it's not present day, it's roughly a hundred years ago and the whole thing feels like someone has watched 'The Wicker Man' (the original, not the one with 'The bees! The bees'! Not the bees in my eyes!') and kind of changed a few things around. A man from mainland Britain (Dan Stevens) travels to a 'backward' island off the coast to find a missing girl. There, he discovers the settlement isn't quite as perfect as people have led him to believe. I know I'm being a bit flippant about the whole storyline, but it's actually pretty watchable, especially if you already have Netflix and are into horror - then it's a definite watch. Dan Stevens does well to 'roughen' his natural good looks and make himself appear more dishevelled throughout the whole film and he's a good leading man. The head villagers are suitably bonkers and when we see the more 'otherworldly' inhabitants, they're done with make-up rather than CGI, which is nice. What's definitely worth a mention is the cinematography, which is pretty amazing. I'm not sure where this was filmed, but it really does look an amazingly beautify location and the set is built to replicate the time period perfectly. The scenery and establishing shots look so crisp the almost reminded me of some sort of Playatation 4 cut-scene which has been rendered to look that good. The film's does suffer from being a little on the long side - two hours, rather than the more 'standard' ninety minutes and there's probably at least quarter of an hour that could have been cut to move things along a bit. There are a few sub-plots which could have been trimmed to accomplish this. But, all in all, it's a good, atmospheric, slow-burner of a horror film which many should enjoy.

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• Apostle: Starts strong, trails off

  Platypuschow2018-12-13

  Apostle is another Netflix original, a collaboration between UK and US production companies and is certainly a memorable tale. It tells the story of a man who visits a secluded island housed by a mysterious cult that have kidnapped his sister. But beneath the visage is something even more sinister than he could have possibly imagined. It comes under the horror genre, I question that. Is it really? Thriller seems to suit it better. Starring Michael Sheen in a truly excellent performance by him this grisly, dark, moody little film really got my attention early on but by about half way it seemed to have lost its way. Like the writer had a good idea but didn't know how to follow through with it. I'm not saying Apostle is a bad movie, it has some great themes and looks great but from an entertainment perspective it finds itself somewhat lacking. I'm not a person who needs everything spelling out for him, I don't mind things being left open to interpretation but there is a fine line between that and just leaving things a tad too open. Apostle is a watchable effort with some nice ideas but as for what they were actually aiming for I think it's a swing and a miss. Shame. The Good: Looks the part Michael Sheen A few decent ideas The Bad: Doesn't really come together very well Things I Learnt From This Movie: Concerningly that lifestyle (Minus the religion) oddly appeals to me Christian torture devices are the stuff of nightmares

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