The Strange Ones

There are positive and negative things about The Strange Ones but overall the movie is not good enough to be remembered. The positive things would be the acting and the filming, that wasn't bad but unfortunately not good enough to make this movie special. The bad thing is that the story is slow and it doesn't have a high entertaining level, and even if there is some mystery building in the end it just fails to deliver. To me The Strange Ones is just an average movie, a movie you watch out of boredom and continue to watch without much interest. I didn't fall asleep while watching it but it was a close call.

This is a somber, atmospheric thriller that moves very slowly but is never boring. It centers around a boy who is on the run after enduring a severe traumatic event. He travels with his brother, whom we see as his protector. The small, skinny boy appears to be a gentle soul who loves animals and the brother is the polar opposite - large, and rough around the edges. Things unfold slowly and we learn what the child has seen and the roles the brothers have played in this horrific chain of events. You will really like this one or you will hate it. There isn't much in between, because it is so somber. I really enjoyed it.

I like atmospheric. I like edgy. I like esoteric. I just don't like to be bludgeoned into a stupor with it. That's what watching the mega-weird murder mystery drama "The Strange Ones" conspired to do to me.

The only remotely redeeming aspects to recommend here is the spooky score by a pair of killer flutists and the performance of the great character actor Gene Jones.

The rest of this plodding trash can be tossed deep into that creepy cave and abandoned.

(No spoilers -- this is intended to be vague because you really want to watch this one and get your perspective from it)

I know the critics seem to be heavy on this one and many who have reviewed this movie either love it or somewhat don't know what to say. Let me help those who would rather watch movies with not so easy plots and scene sequences to guide you through the story/narrative.

I will start by saying this movie hits well on mystery and/or unanswered questions. If you want the normal thrills that easily hand you the plot from start to finish you will probably not take so well to this one.

I love the beautiful scenes of somber to horrific type footage. The story and plot was woven into those scenes very methodically so to not give you a linear way of grasping the whole of the movie. They should make more like this. The directors and actors were on point. Casting could NOT have been better....no big time stars to overshadow the story -- just some good old original creativity. Watch this movie with your mind on...not off.

Prepare to be perplexed. I don't know what I watched, but it was well played. I may have to re-watch it a couple of times to bend my mind around what is happening in the story. It's surely confounding, but it doesn't feel like a mind-trip. It nags on me as if, perhaps, I wasn't following closely enough and missed important plot artifacts.

This one firmly classifies as a psychological thriller, it is far more cerebral than action-oriented and it's not suited for lazy popcorn viewing. It's strongly atmospheric and leads the viewer questioning what is real, imaginary or a dream. The film nods at several interpretations of events.

The run time seems short, and I've read elsewhere online that this movie is based off of a short film, a possibility that does makes sense. One element I found distracting is how much Pettyfer resembles Ryan Phillipe both in appearance and mannerism, it's like Phillipe was deliberately channeled.

I may change my rating following subsequent viewing. I suggest watching a trailer or two before deciding if this film thrills you or kills you.