The Endless

The writing had flaws and the acting by Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead was too stale (they should've just stuck to directing). The 111 min run time felt like 180 mins. The pace should have been faster and the film edited down to 90 mins max. The Directing and cinematography however was very good and the overall story concept was interesting. Sure it's a low budget film, but most of the flaws wouldn't cost much to avoid/fix. It's a 6/10 from me.

The Endless is a film that is easy to get pulled into due to the variety of its techniques and the intention of its direction. A daunting atmosphere is created almost instantly with ominous scoring and dramatic transitions from scene to scene. Tensions rise as the plot carefully creeps along and the cast is given room to hit notes as diverse as comedic and horrifying. However, while the craft of this movie may be clear, the drawbacks are clear as well.

Some jokes fall flat, some characters feel incomplete, and some effects look weak. The Endless gives so many gifts but, unfortunately, it delivers some misses as well. Lightly peppered throughout the existential themes and sprawling imagery are cheesy lines and forced plot points, which leaves the whole thing feeling like a slightly missed opportunity. Superb sound, pacing and direction make The Endless a fascinating film from the drop but it all comes with enough miscalculations that the tonal integrity may be questioned by some. The result is a film that has potential to form a niche following but receive some mixed reviews from the general public.

Writing: 7/10 Direction: 8/10 Cinematography: 8/10 Acting: 5/10 Editing: 8/10 Sound: 9/10 Score/Soundtrack: 7/10 Production Design: 5/10 Casting: 5/10 Effects: 7/10

Overall Score: 7.1/10

Right from the door you can see that it is a limited budget, indie style movie, but doesn't make it bad in comparison to other big movies from the same genre. The storyline is pretty weird and interesting that makes you feel awkard throughout the whole movie and the concept is pretty original. The only problem I had with this movie is that it had at least 3-4 big plot holes that need to be filled so it can become a movie as a whole, like for example. how did they escape the cult in the first place ?

Two brothers return to the cult they fled from years ago to discover that the group's beliefs may be more sane than they once thought.

This film is more clever than it first appears, because it operates on at least two levels. On the surface, it is a taut, well-crafted horror story about a (possible) "death cult". We have some mysterious rituals, a missing husband, and seemingly silly camp activities that may – or may not – have a darker purpose.

Some of this is vaguely alluded to in the opening quote from H. P. Lovecraft, and further still during the lake "reveal". The scare quotes here are just because what is revealed at this moment is entirely up to the imaginations of the viewer. A certain Lovecraft story may provide a guide, or it may be merely a coincidence or red herring. But once the big reveal comes, everything goes dark, and the suspense truly becomes horror.

The subcutaneous level is focused on a theme: the truth of religion, either this one or religion in general. Though this film really only explores the reality of one (fictional) religion, it does make us wonder: what if some religions we find strange are actually right? With so many religions in the world, it is certainly possible that one or more are correct. And if the strangest ones might be right, we ought to question our own beliefs: do we believe correctly? With so many choices, it is hard to say for sure.

Though this deeper meaning may not have been intentional, it nevertheless exists and makes the film even more interesting. The filmmakers previously had a hit with "Resolution" (2012), but all signs point to "The Endless" being an even bigger success. The film played at Tribeca Film Festival on April 21, and will no doubt be seen by a wider audience throughout 2017.

I have not seen the Spring movie yet (I bought it because it got recommended to me by a lot of people), but I have seen the previous stand alone future movie they did - Resolution. And let's say it did prepare me for this. Because while this looks like one thing and kind of is, there are layers upon layers to this. Usually when directors act in their own stuff, in low budget movies especially, nothing much comes out of that.

This is an exception if you want to call it that. Then again, you will only be able to enjoy this movie if you have some patience and if you are willing to get with the flow of the movie and the pace it sets. Also its weirdness ... a lot of weirdness going on. Many questions, not so many answers. Can you dig that? If so, this is really exceptional