Circle Line

The plot for this Singaporean horror film is simple.

A reptilian beast is released by the mother of it's owner after her child dies (implied); where it takes up residence in the subway system; and accidentally triggers a switch, to route one of the trains onto an unused track...where it gets stranded...and open to attack by said monster.

But not a whole lot in the film makes sense.

There are so many questions that go completely unaddressed.

First and foremost, what the hell the alien looking beast even is.

How the kid in the intro came to own it?

How big it got before they released it?

How long it was running rampant in the underground tunnels for?

How it survived?

What it was feeding on?

Not to mention all the gaping plotholes we are supposed to ignore.

Mainly...how you could conceivably "lose a train" in a modern subway system, in this day and age.

How the student's father was able to find them...while the rest of management was left in the dark about their location (despite the fact he told them where he believed they were).

And how they lost contact with him.

Not to mention, how the beast managed to procreate...when there is only one of them.

Though, I guess we are to assume it possesses the capability to reproduce parthenogenetically.

It certainly requires quite a bit of assumption, to simply engage with the storyline.

Which isn't exactly "good" writing.

(I won't even get started on the lop-sided character development)

On top of this...the monster is rendered with rather choppy CGI.

To be fair, it's not the worst CGI I've ever seen.

It's certainly better than the what we see in Cocaine Bear (to offer a reference point), for example.

That's for sure.

But they were way too ambitious with the action scenes...when their tech (or budget) just couldn't handle it.

Plus...the acting is quite bad.

Particularly in regards to the mother and son characters (who are the main characters in the film).

The kid was so damn annoying...I found myself rooting for his death.

I just wanted him gone.

And the mother wasn't much more tolerable.

But, alas...

I don't think you can blame Singapore for this.

It was a valiant effort.

I place the blame on Netflix for producing this type of high concept trash on the reg.

It's always been their policy to aim for quantity over quality.

I've no doubt this was a one-line pitch when it was green-lit.

Cause it shows.

2 out of 10.

Dear Director, Please finish your film school. Storyline should be more tighter. No head no tale. How the hell that things is in the abandoned tunnel and nobody in the control room know about it. The monster practically screaming it's every second. Cannot hear at the tunnel.pple screaming. The only saving grace is the gal and the little boy like they are freaking hero. Jessica Liu acting pretty much useless in the movie. She not be three still the movie can be made.

Ending super lame. Have such high hopes. Maybe you can ship some Korean script writer over. Their horror makes more sense. Avoid this movie at all cost. Verdict👎👎👎

CL is the perfect example of what can be done with limited budget -- quick intro of characters and bam! The Action starts!

No doubt the run time is relatively short, but it still manages to provide a tightly paced storyline, effective terrifying scares, nail-biting edge-of-the-seat suspense (of not knowing what's gonna happen!) and tender character moments.

The direction, acting, cinematography, creature design & visual effects are all very well done, and again, well executed under a lot of constraints, I would assume.

It is definitely one of the better Singapore-made movies that has emerged in recent years.

This is a low budget monster film, poor storyline, poor cgi. So many logical flaws in this film. For starter, how come the monster did not kill the old man direclty? Why did it wait for the old man return to the train? It is also unclear how the monster did not kill anyone instantaneously, but spending view minutes walking around. The dialog is very shallow. There is not enough background story to make the characters real. The ending is even worse. Absolute trash. I really cant see any good point about this movie. Do yourself a favor, dont watch this movie and use your time for other useful activities.

In an ordinary subway car, people hurriedly get on and off, some immersed in their phones, and nobody noticed what was about to happen. Jesseca, with her daughter, faces unknown giant monsters emerging from the darkness. It feels like the sharp claws of a steel rhino. In the midst of chaos, from a third-person perspective, there are likely two scenarios: some would run frantically, while others would actively search for an escape route. When faced with such situations, Lucas's reaction in the movie can offer valuable insights. Unlike Jesseca, who confronts the monsters directly, Lucas observes more and tries to identify the weak points of the adversary. Perhaps, it's not about oneself but about setting up a strategy or a trap that can turn the tables.