The Warning (2018) User Reviews

Good idea, poor execution

[balearika · 5/10 · 28 July 2020]

The idea is simple: once in a while, following a numerical pattern, someone dies in a "cursed" place. The film starts very promising, with a mystery and some interesting characters but as it develops it turns out to be another big fail of script and execution.

In my opinion, some big mistakes and flaws are the following:

The "cursed place" is nowadays a 24-hour shop as it was ten years ago, but the main character finds out that the mystery can be traced back to when it was a bank, almost a century ago. We are always offered the same exterior image but it is quite clear that this shop is in the outskirts of a city, probably an industrial area. Who in their right mind would put a bank in that place 100 years ago? It would have made more sense if it had been in the city centre.

The main character happens to have schizophrenia. Of course a cheap resource to make him appear mad and illogical (again another example of poor knowledge about mental illnesses from script writers). But the thing is that he has physical proof of what he is saying but no one, absolutely no one, believes him or makes an effort to listen to him. Great friends! And why should he be a famous mathematician in order to solve the mystery? The numerical relationship between the murders is quite obvious. Anyone could have easily connected the dots even the so-called friends.

And the ending. Oh! what a cheap ending! The main character talks, out of the blue, with the boy from the future throughout a mirror in order to save him. In the end the movie is like "hey as we can't explain why this curse is happening, we can create an unexpected connexion to the past using magic in order to save the boy. We are not going to provide any explanation basically because there is none." Rubbish. It would have been much much better for instance if it has been their friends from the past who after his death found out about his investigations and tried to save the boy or something like this. Anything but the mirror.

Finally, what kind of mother would bring his son to a place that makes him so scared that he peed on himself and tried to avoid at any costs? What kind of school knows about the bullying and does nothing to prevent it? Why did they show us that the daughter of the first murderer didn't have a hand? It had nothing to do with the plot.

5 out of 10 and I am being generous. Although its flaws what it really ruins the whole experience is the cheap ending.

What a stupid mother

[damorejj · 7/10 · 11 March 2021]

Your kid gets a note that if he goes to this gas station on his birthday he will die. So his mother INSISTS he goes on his birthday?!! All to teach him not to live in fear?!? As a dad I find that insanely stupid.

With that aside, I thought this movie was pretty unique, and while I did enjoy the twist where Jon was the one that was killed instead of David on April 12th, I didn't like the way it ended. For one, Nico and Jon being able to see each other through the mirror was stupid and didn't make any sense. While I do get that only a scitsophrenic person would be about to figure out the numbers and the pattern, I didn't get the bugs. They didn't serve a purpose other than letting us know he had a screw loose.

And the ending... I thought the movie should've ended one of two ways. One, Jon, realizing that he was going to be the one to die on April 12th, while at the gas station, could've dropped the gun and put his hands up so the police wouldn't shoot him. That would've ended the chain reaction of fate, and in effect would've saved Nico as well. Or...two, after Nico leaves the store and his mother hugs him and he appears saved, something happens and Nico is killed. That would've been a better ending and it would've served the mother right. Jon being able to tell Nico through some magic mirror ruined what could've been a great movie.

It could have been awesome

[alexgntr94 · 5/10 · 29 July 2018]

While watching this moving, I was interested since the beginning of it. An intriguing Thriller with a murder that is somehow connected to past ones through the analysis of numbers, which are done by Jon, the mathematician who is the only one who really believes there is a meaning behind it.

The story is told in two different timelines and somehow both of them are connected. How? Different murders occured in the 20th century, but somehow all of them happened with 5 people with ages of 10, 21, 32, 42 and 52. Those are the magical numbers. In 2008, a murder with the same conditions happened and Jon is convinced that it will happen again in 10 years, because of math and stuff. This is where the 2018 timeline with Nico comes in place, a young bot who suffers with bullying.

Personally, what spoiled this movie for me was exactly the ending it took. I really was expecting an ending where my mind would be blown, maybe something to do with Jon"s squizofrenia in a "It was all in my mind" type of end, or something to do with ETA, which was the responsible for one of the past murders. I would also accept some alien time travel ending if it was well done (ok, maybe I'm pushing too far here), but I was just expecting something darker and thriller-like.

All the movie gave me was Jon communicating with a kid 10 years in the future through a mirror avoiding the next murder. Not wanting to give more spoilers, but all in all, the movie chose to go with the "everything is connected and we reincarnate to fulfil what we are meant to fulfill" path. They chose the easy, spiritual ending, and although the movie kept my attention, this is what disappointed me.

Positive arguments for the movie? It is indeed an interesting thriller, which keeps you thinking of possibilities to explain the main question of the movie. It has intereseting characters, which are easy to connect because of their life struggles, and although I did not enjoy the ending, it is an OK movie to spend some time chilling and learning some spanish.

Intriguing and supernatural thriller with interesting screenplay plenty of twists and turns

[ma-cortes · 7/10 · 5 May 2018]

Tense thriller plenty of suspense , thrills, supernatural events and a complex intrigue. It deals with Jon , Raul Arevalo, a desperado young Mathematician at thirty and some years old. He witnesses how his best friend is shot by a delincuent at a gas station , outside Madrid .While a ten year old boy receives a note that if he goes to the petrolium station on April 12 he will die. The kid tells this fact but no one sees to believe except for the unsettling mathematician . Later on , Jon to be aware about previous shots and massacres happened at the same location in 1912, 1955, 1976 . He tries to use maths to find out a solution around the threatening and bizarre incidents , but things go wrong.

Taut and slick thriller in 92 minutes titled El aviso or The warning with supernatural events in which a boy suffers bullying and receiving a suspicious letter telling his life is in risk , while a disturbing young attempts to save him and uncover weird mysteries. Suspenseful and mysterious flick with an interesting group of roles caught into fear , despair and paranoia . Twisted and complex script based on the novel by Paul Pen , being written by Sparling who wrote Buried and along with Javier Guerricaechevarria , regular Alex De la Iglesia collaborator such as Dia de Bestia, and other hits as Cell 211 and Kovack box . Raul Arevalo gives a nice acting as the mathematician who suffers shizophrenia and begins a dangerous race against time to save the child and to avoid that crime will repeat , seeking a way to prevent it . Aura Garrrido as the protector mother is pretty well , she is a fine actress, as she has proved in Ministerio Del Tiempo series.Support cast is frankly good such as Aitor Luna , Sergio Calleja, Patricia Vico who is Calparsoro' wife , Alfredo Villa , Belen Cuesta and the veteran Julieta Serrano.

The fim packs an atmospheric and stirring musical score by Julio De la Rosa . And an evocative but dark cinematography by Sergi Villanova , shot on location in Madrid outside , Chamartin barrio. The Motion picture was well directed by veteran director Daniel Calparsoro, though It has some flaws and gaps . Daniel has a long career as filmmaker from his beginning with Basque films as Pasajes, Salto al vacio, A ciegas , Ausentes ; subsequently making thrillers as Asfalto , Guerreros , Invasor ,and the successful Combustion and Cien años de perdon . He also directed Tv series as Inocentes, La ira, El castigo , Apaches. Rating 6.5/10 . Decent and passable yarn as well as acceptable supernatural thriller.

Good movie, but had some holes

[tjsuf · 6/10 · 2 August 2018]

Without giving away a lot, the movie was good. The story takes a little dialogue to get going, and it doesn't make a whole lot of sense at first. But, the story does develop and after a little, keeps you intrigued. The move could have been a solid 7-8, but the ending brought it down 1 - 2 stars. Overall, good acting, original storyline, and shot fairly well. That ending though...

Mother and child reunion.

[ulicknormanowen · 7/10 · 12 April 2021]

A disturbing movie, in which a guy sees (or thinks he sees) an arithmetic connection between shootings in a gas station which claimed five lives : the total of the age of the victims is oddly the same and it happened several times ,within decades of one another ; but this man is a mentally-sick man ,who swallows pills every day ,even though the rapport he has with the other characters is quite normal; he even shows altruism and compassion when his best friend is rushed to the hospital.

There are many interesting subjects in this thriller, notably bullying and harassment at school in a plot which seems independent of the main story ,but becomes little by little the most gripping of the film: this mother ,although she complains at school ,wants her son to be a man and to overcome his jitters ,even though the boy , victim of a hateful blackmail by his school mates,has received an ominous warning .It's finally this mother-and-child relationship which saves the confused final sequences .

Good movie...

[kamalbeeee · 7/10 · 11 October 2019]

Little confusing plot even made me impressed...but little disappointed from ending...but i suggest that its worth watchable...

So much potential!

[Lilith_i · 5/10 · 16 November 2021]

This is why I have issues with these kind of movies! Why oh why don't they just let it be a little more dramatic.

The first 2/3 of this were great, great acting, great atmosphere, good casting. Then, on the 3rd act it goes south, not because of the outcome per se, but because we don't see the people from 2008 interact at all with what would become of their friend's prediction, not even his best friend.

BTW what's with the mother here, it is one day of your whole life that he is asking you for, one. And then, he doesn't die! We were expecting him to die, why wouldn't he if nobody is really there to stop it from happening, not even the clerk, who seems to be the only one with knowledge that's still around.

Sure, are you telling us that because the clerk wasn't there it didn't come true? That is not necessary for the prediction, only people with the age needed to be there.

And magically he can see his reincarnation through the mirror? When none of that was previously established as a possibility even a little?

No, the kid should have died.

Good story. Good thriller.

[carlosalbertoteixeira · 7/10 · 26 July 2018]

I really enjoyed the movie. I gave it grade 7. It's good entertainment. It seemed to me one of those plots of our most disturbing nightmares. [SPOILER'S NOTICE: Especially when Nico's irresponsible mother insists the poor boy go to the damn place right on the date set forth in the notice.] But it's certainly a well-written, well-crafted story. The point some have complained about - that the two parallel temporal narratives become confusing - to me was a positive feature of the film, increasing its charm. I recommend. Watch.

One big hole

[ks-60500 · 4/10 · 28 April 2020]

The questioning to audiences what's going on is quite well planned but it's kinda planning too much and long in my opinion. Also, the mum force her son to the convenient store totally a big failure of this movie. If something that's meant to be causing the boy go into the store, I'm more convinced. Just more logical that how the curse been continued.

I enjoyed it.... but...

[velikitata · 8/10 · 13 June 2020]

MOM: Where do you wish to go for your birthday my son? SON: Anywhere except to the petrol station mom... pleeeeease!!! MOM: Ok... we are going to the petrol station! : /

Slow-paced mystery with a abrupt conclusion

[gabriel_sanchez · 6/10 · 8 April 2023]

El Aviso builds up as something great, but falls flat with the ending delivery. It tried to be something meticulous an intricate, but the complexity of the premise might have threw this movie off.

In El Aviso, we follow Jon on a attempt to solve the mystery behind the shooting that injuried his friend. Jon goes far on hi theory on a Number 23-ish vibe that I really appreciate.

The problem is that this is the extent of what this movie is about.

Jon's investigation seems lunatic, to say the least. El Aviso does not show us any proof of concept other than Jon's realizations and especulatinos over hard facts he finds.

With a slow pace that might bore you, El Aviso fails to conclude the over-the-top theory Jon untails, leaving us with a sense of casualty that hurts our brains, no conclusion to what is going on.

Plain boring.

[Harfy · 3/10 · 24 July 2018]

This movie has a few problems. It shows past and present events without explanations, that took me one hour to understand this. The pace is slow, so very slow...

And where are the mathematics ? The main guy just repeat dates and ages, he found no mathematic rule. Oh, and you know what ? He has schizophrenia, and after a while, he stops using his treatment. That means he starts to act like a disturbed guy, and nobody believe him. So convenient for the plot, isn't it ?

The end comes, but there is still no explanation given...

These 90 minutes should have been shorted as a "The twilight zone" 30 minutes episode.

Avoid it.

Mixed feelings

[kosmasp · 7/10 · 22 December 2018]

And it's not just our main character who has to fight with those, but also the viewer. I don't think anyone missunderstands what this is about or finds it completely uninteresting. For some it might be tough to watch though. If you have a main character with flaws like that, the connection might be lost (not just in translation).

But it's what makes this thriller/psyhological drama interesting. It does give us interconnecting stories. While at first we can only guess, it becomes clearer as time goes by what this is all about. Of course that has to do with the main character explaining it to us. Wicked/good idea, that could have done with a few more highlights, but overall more than a decent attempt and "thrilling" enough

Time paradox

[vucaii · 7/10 · 30 July 2018]

Managing the time , fate, psicosis and mathematical paradoxes. Very amusing. At the end or after the end I have the feeling it has a little trick or some forced mathematical issue, but very absorbet, amusing, good to see

I enjoyed it.

[jsplumb-27745 · 7/10 · 21 September 2018]

Nice little cosmic-time-warp mystery. Kept me guessing throughout and the pay off was good enough to leave me satisfied. No tour de force but a nicely paced, scripted, well acted and over all entertaining film.

Mind folks ! this is a Supernatural thriller

[jijogeorgealex-61308 · 7/10 · 15 August 2018]

To be honest, i decided to watch this movie because of the premise and it quite actually offers you what you need. The direction, story, acting, music was right on the point. Its kind of a slow burn but never gets you bored. The climax scenes really manages you to be on the edge of the seat. Although the climax scenes were perfectly shot, there seems to be a huge plot hole (there are many though) or a mistake made by the makers in marking the genre of the film. As the movie progresses towards the climactic point , we feel that the genre is shifting from thriller to a supernatural thriller, but in a good way. I really liked the climax of the movie, reminds us of the time paradox used in many time travel movies. Overall my rating is 7/10. A decent watch . Don't forget this : watch this as a Supernatural thriller

Netflix wrong again

[itabirano · 3/10 · 26 July 2018]

Psychological drama about a policeman who is not reconciled with the attack suffered by his best friend, can with the investigations find similar situations occurred in the same place other times when other people were killed as in a continuous deja vu. The movie has merits but it does not reach its objectives. boring.

Great movie ruined by the ending

[drtengkuazran · 7/10 · 25 February 2022]

Overall a good movie.

There are a few things in the movie that seem like really not important.

Like the hallucination with the bugs etc, the bullying, etc.

The ending is inconsistent.

How can the guy suddenly able to communicate with the boy through the freaking mirror?

And god! The mother is so stupid.

Have a siesta instead...

[davidbracken1 · 1/10 · 24 July 2018]

Absolute garbage..... Another Netflix piece of crap. Even the calendar claims the 12th April 2018 is a Tuesday when it was a Thursday..... If they can't get the basics right ignore the rest.....

Thrilling all the way

[rodrickEle · 8/10 · 25 July 2018]

I enjoyed this title, the cinematography is excellent, the story is thrilling with a good number of twists, the actors are believable -Raúl Arévalo's role is intense and balance-, the music choice is perfect for the atmosphere the plot wants to create. On the negative side, I would say the story is not the most original but that is not a reason not to enjoy the film.

I recommend this film to those looking for an atmospheric thriller with a hint of magic realism.

Good movie deserving better rating

[vara-57866 · 7/10 · 27 June 2021]

I was apprehensive by seeing the rating of 5.9. However, there is a surprise; the movie has to be watched with little focus, and I am sure you appreciate the take. I did not agree with the ending as a small portion of logic missing. The acting and the screen play are perfect. Please watch and post your review... surely deserving more than 7 rating.

Could be top of the worst 3 movie

[kangurkan · 1/10 · 4 August 2018]

One of ridiculous and boring movie i have ever seen. I have noted name of the scenarist in order to avoid anyother movie of him.

Mathematics is interesting

[faer_kr · 7/10 · 1 June 2020]

A Spanish film that combines a thriller with drama. Quality. It is about a man who wonders about the shooting of a friend who is a victim and tries to solve it with a mathematical formula, as well as the story of the boy who suffers bullying. Counted in two parts. It is not an action movie. The mathematical formula they use is very interesting. It keeps you entertained for much of the movie. The only problem is the end is not what one expects and you are left owing. The editing is spectacular.

Interesting final twist

[josola31-271-984233 · 7/10 · 11 August 2018]

A little bit slow and jumps in the story line that break the flow, but decent movie with good photography. Contrary to what critics say is no terrible.