Directed by:
Jaume Collet-SerraScreenplay:
David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrickCinematography:
Jeff CutterComposer:
John OttmanCast:
Isabelle Fuhrman, Vera Farmiga, Peter Sarsgaard, Karel Roden, Aryana Engineer, CCH Pounder, Jimmy Bennett, Margo Martindale, Rosemary Dunsmore (more)VOD (3)
Plots(1)
An outwardly angelic little girl displays an unforeseen devilish streak upon moving into the home of her new adoptive parents in this shocker starring Peter Sarsgaard and Vera Farmiga. In the aftermath of a miscarriage, prospective parents Kate (Farmiga) and John (Sarsgaard) find their lives turned upside down; their marriage is falling apart, and the demons of Kate's past begin manifesting themselves in a series of horrifying nightmares. Deciding that the best means of achieving some semblance of normalcy is to simply adopt, the dejected couple visits a local orphanage. There, they are both drawn to a nine-year-old girl named Esther. But Esther isn't as sweet as first impressions suggest, and almost immediately after welcoming the young child into their home, Kate and John suspect that something is terribly wrong with their adoptive daughter. Kate can see right through Esther's seraphic charm, though her attempts to convince everyone else of the truth go unheeded by her skeptical family and friends. By the time anyone bothers to take Kate seriously, it may be too late to prevent a devastating tragedy from unfolding. (official distributor synopsis)
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Reviews (10)
Such a good idea for a punchline certainly deserves better than this family (non)idyll with a stupidly behaving herd of adults and zero atmosphere. Or if not better, in any case shorter. While the first hour still works great, it gradually starts limping during the last half hour from one dumb cliché to another, in the last ten minutes becoming a parody of all of the worst genre clichés known to man. An unintentional parody, I should add. P.S.: It’s crying out for a Czech remake, we even have a perfect main protagonist (!SPOILER!) already.
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I do not deny the craftsmanship of Orphan, as it is a well-cast, acted, and directed horror thriller, but which unfortunately is also unbearably predictable, clichéd, and characterized by the behavior of the characters that indicates at least a complete loss of self-preservation instinct, but more so premature dementia. I don't like movies where I am constantly two steps ahead of the director. A thriller should create tension, while a horror should provoke fear. Neither of these happened, and this film simply did not work for me. Overall impression: 25%.
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Brilliant, distinctive, in some ways unadorned, and excellently escalated. I look at most of today's psychothrillers/horror films with significant removal, because almost none of them lack sexy female protagonists (future victims), who of course impress with their visual merits, especially in the moments when they stagger in front of the camera in their underwear – usually full of despair and drenched in blood. Orphan works with the concept of culminating terror (both physical and psychological) and is extremely impressive, in some ways even truly chilling atmosphere. The playground scene with the slide is a demonically refined display of creative potential, which (world of wonders!) the director of House of Wax exploits to the hilt. Several (certainly more than three) memorable scenes push this film to the top of the genre in the final reckoning, and I really have to say that it’s been some time since I saw a similarly honest film built primarily on suspense and the viewer's necessary concern for the main characters.
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Distinctive, atmospheric, surprising. Orphan rides the first two acts in a well-trodden path, only to turn into an uncompromising knockout for all those who dared to doubt its potential. A bit simple and naive, but an excellently acted, psychologically refined and spooky fable about a cute little girl's nose, which has something to offer even after repeated screenings thanks to its brilliant direction... 80%
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Orphan is a very good film that certainly doesn't do its genre, the thriller, any disgrace. In the beginning, it's a kind of introduction to the characters that moves through a gradually escalating plot to a shocking conclusion. There really is something wrong with Esther, and I'm not at all surprised that the main antagonist looks a lot like the "good girl" from Case 39. It's just a shame that, due to certain circumstances, I was familiar with the twist before seeing the film and therefore followed all the clues that led to the surprising ending. In short, an above-average film that excels technically, in terms of acting (Vera Farmiga, Isabelle Fuhrman) and screenwriting.
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