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"ANI (The Harvest)" Movie Review - Flawed but Admirable

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 ...

"Annabelle Comes Home" Movie Review - A Snooze-Fest Saturday Night Spook Tale

When a nosy teenager barged in inside the basement of the Warrens, where all the possessed artifacts where locked in, strange things started to conjure and Annabelle, once again, is ready to harbor the evils that are eager to get a hold of her.

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Annabelle Comes Home
- Photo from IMDb

Maybe it's just me or this film doesn't have much going on when it comes to story. It's the 70s and the Warrens are basically the hot topics of the news for their appalling investigations about the paranormal. The movie starts with the Warrens having custody of the cursed Annabelle doll, who they deemed as the beacon of spirits. Locked on a glass cage imbued with some form sealing enchantment, Annabelle's presence was kept away from the demons that wants to attach themselves to it. 

The Warrens were scheduled for a one-day trip and their daughter, Judy (Mckenna Grace) is left under the custody of a babysitter named Mary Ellen (Madison Iseman), who, for the most part, were dutifully fulfilling her duties and a friendly one at that. Mary Ellen was visited by a friend, Daniela (Katie Sarife) who in secret, has an agenda of going inside the Warren's house which was later revealed to perform a seance and contact her deceased father. Unfit for the role, Daniela instead awaken a number of demonic entities inside the basement of the Warrens where all the ritual and possessed artifacts were kept, putting her life, Mary Ellen, and Judy's life in jeopardy, especially when she freed Annabelle from her glass box. 

As I was watching it, the movie got me intrigued especially at how they managed to create an ominous and eerie atmosphere to it from the get. A typical James Wan worldbuilding as you might expect. But damn, as it moves forward, I was left a bit bored and sometimes found myself wanting the said film to just be over. There was too much slow burn build up that didn't pay off by the end of it. Add to that is the clunky comedic flavor that cheapens the mood and the forced romantic subplot that makes the whole shtick as cheesy and as formulaic, teenage-love-affair 101 which only existed to add at least an entertaining quality and 5-second giggle to rather bland and been-there-done-that story. 

There were moments were I found myself reacting to the jump scares which I later realized were the only thing that's massively carrying the entirety of the film. That's it. That's the gimmick. Full-on jump scares that doesn't really expand the Annabelle backstory because in the end, it's a horror film and they got to do what they got to do, whatever it is that was left to tell and whatever it is that was greenlit at this movie's pitch meeting.

Let's Be Reel

Annabelle Comes Home is a film that promises to be the endgame of it all, the momentous event where all the demonic artifacts under the Warren's custody will finally unleash their evil, and yet the actual movie managed to somehow butchered it by focusing on too much slow-burn fluff that nobody cares about. 

Looks like the franchise has finally reached the bottom of the barrel when it comes to an actual solid plot and it's probably the best if they have ended it with Annabelle: Creation.


4/10
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