A kid had to face the world in his own animated version and conquer life's biggest monster. ANI (The Harvest) It's as if a child's imagination is a safe haven, a place where the world is a playground for all the possibilities the mind could think of. And even the tight and humble space called home, situated on a busy Metro could not hinder the inquisitive headspace of a young Mithi (played by Zyren Dela Cruz), a boy who accomplishes the day by playing with his colorful toy robots that perform a vital role in his imaginary narrative. With a loving father and a mother that sings him a self-assuring lullaby, Mithi is blissfully unaware of the harsh reality. But life decided to toy with his fate, and Mithi's perfect little world is now showing its cracks, putting his vulnerability to the test and slowly depriving him of his happiness he thought would last forever. And through his eyes, the world suddenly transforms itself into a menacing monster. Set in a lush
A promising psychiatrist turned priest has spent his time solving cases of supposed demonic possessions. Little did he know that what's to come is a raging evil force that's beyond his level of expertise.
If someone's going to tell me that in 2019, Mark Meily, the director of 2008's Baler, a beloved romantic historical drama and arguably an instant Filipino classic, would direct a horror flick that not only classifies as a horrible film but also qualifies as vehemently unwatchable, then I will label you as a complete moron.
And yet here we are, and to my dismay, Meily did hit rock bottom with this one. It's as if Meily thinks that he's onto something grandiose, a genre-defining feat which in reality, never really worked and came off as a cheap knock-off and probably one that will leave a bad reputation in his movie portfolio.
To begin with, even with the trailers and tv promotions, Maledicto really screams predictability. It follows an ex-psychiatrist, now turned priest whose specialty revolves around exorcism.
Tom Rodriguez, Jasmine Curtis-Smith, Miles Ocampo stars in Maledicto - Photo from Philstar
Failing to help her sister who murdered herself years ago, Father Xavi (Tom Rodriguez) is on his journey to solve different cases of supposed demonic possession, or rather, disprove their existence in an attempt to find scientifically supported explanation behind the suicide of her dead sister, closing her condition as a product of extreme mental illness.
On his aid was Sister Barbie (Jasmine Curtis-Smith), a catholic school teacher who also involves herself at salvaging the life of Agnes (Miles Ocampo) who was possessed by a demonic manifestation of one of the seven deadly sins.
Together, they both unravel a rather ominous mystery that will challenge their faith and moral beliefs.
On the surface, the premise of the film isn't so bad when you think about it. What makes the film so disgustingly sinful as a film is the lack of coherent narrative and solid script.
( Official Trailer Footage) An exorcism rite as scene in the film - Photo from WhenInManila
How bad of a film it was considering that they actually never bothered to let the audience establish a connection to these characters. So bad that throughout the film, the actors themselves feels like they were just portraying a role rather than being that character.
It also doesn't help that Tom Rodriguez's character is written as an every-dude arrogant schmuck and you don't believe his motivations, so much so that he registers as a typical one-note lead. Same goes for Jasmine Curtis-Smith's character who is by and large useless and didn't add anything to move the story forward, even as a blatant plot device.
Added to the frustration is the odd edge blurring filter which doesn't make sense specially when they didn't used it throughout and sometimes doesn't focus enough at the character on screen. Cinematography-wise, this film looked so low budget and outdated that the overall quality fits as a regular Saturday night TV movie.
I remembered watching William Friedkin's The Exorcist as a child, a 1973 movie which uses practical tricks to effectively showcase unsettling gore and just pure scary ambience, thus still holds up to modern movie standards.
With Maledicto however, practical effects were rarely used and for the most part, resort to underwhelming digital effects which looked laughably bad and fake.
And did I mention that this was a horror film? Because sadly, Maledicto is not scary at all.
Yes, as subjective as that statement was, this movie failed to even remotely grant the audience that very crucial atmosphere and tone as a horror film.
Let's Be Reel
Maybe I was tripping or the movie was just a big troll. As much as I think Mark Meily is a good director, this film didn't do him any favors.
From being so predictable to looking like a jarring parody in itself, Maledicto's only exciting factor is the fact that it ended and I will erase it from my memory, like cleansing your palette from a badly-cooked meal.
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