Control Review: Immaculate…
I, Dalton Lewis, saw a movie.
It was called Immaculate.
It starred Sydney Sweeney.
It was a flop — a weak first weekend box office. It was considered a failure.
As you may predict, reader, that made me like it more.
This is a Pretty Nuns in Peril movie. In it, Sydney Sweeney becomes a nun and then things become perilous. She goes to a nice Italian convent in a beautiful nunnery in a gorgeous Italian countryside, and everything seems fantastic. Cracks begin to reveal themselves, though, as a slow build of tension increases as she slowly worries that things are not as they seem, and everyone is not who they seem…
Acting. Sweeney is a good actress. This is a much better role for her than the Madame Web role was — that one was a bit of a mess. She plays the character of a naive young lady who turns out to be resourceful and strong when facing difficult problems and decisions. She knows how to make the audience root for her and sympathize with her — important for an actress.
Plot. This is a horror film based more on ideas than bad guys murdering pretty teens. I liked that. It works pretty well to have a film about a pretty nun at a convent where everything is suspicious and everyone is a suspect. So many horror movies are so thin, and this one has some interesting character beats that help it.
Setting. The place is beautiful. It has a feeling of an exotic locale and a place where strange people speak a language she does not fully understand. The paranoia and claustrophobia of being in a foreign country creates excellent tension for the character of Cecilia (Sweeney).
Horror Elements. There are some jump scares, a few murders, and some scary ideas — everything you could need from a 90-minute little horror film.
Character. The characters are fine. They look like flawed, real people instead of idealized characters so often seen in beginning screenwriters’ movies. They are scared people trying to do their best in terrible situations.
Theme. The religious themes of the movie — virginity and celibacy and pregnancy — develop in a way that feels satisfactory and earned.
Is this Shakespeare? No.
But it’s not as terrible as it could be. And it’s not as terrible as the box office numbers suggest…
All right, this film is bombing in theaters. No one is watching it. I’m sorry. A lot of talented people work hard at movies that end up being failures. I write novels, and they don’t sell a million copies.
I understand. Still this movie has an interesting premise, a strong lead character, and a fascinating locale. It’s not as terrible as the money suggests. Sometimes movies that have positive elements do poorly. It’s a sad fact of life.
Thanks, and take care, friends.
