Amulet

Ten Second Review: It may loose you a little towards the end of the second act but it will certainly grab hold of you, unrelentingly, by the end.

I was looking for something to watch this week and it was looking like it would be Sing 2 until I noticed one single late night showing of a horror film called Amulet. I hadn’t seen any thing about it but when I looked it up, it had Imelda Staunton in it so I picked up tickets. I’m sure Sing 2 will still be there next week.

Tomaz (Alec Secareanu) is haunted by his dreams. Having emigrated to the UK from an undisclosed European state in the middle of a war, he works where he can and sleeps where he can too. When a nun (Imelda Staunton) offers him refuge he wearingly takes up the offer. As he begins to settle in to living with Magda (Carla Juri) and her mother, Tomaz will begin to wonder what lurks in the walls of this house.

The opening portion of this film really draws you in. Its slow roll, cutting between memories and the present, and the gentle tension leave you with a nicely balanced sense of dread. You know there’s something wrong, but you don’t really know what and you don’t really know why. 

If I’m perfectly honest, there were points where I fatigued a little. Just a few sections, mostly in the middle where I could have done with a touch more movement or happenings. I actually think the widely maligned trope of jump-scares could have been implemented better here. There are a few moments where director Romola Garai employs them perfectly and there were a few more places I wish she had dropped them in. 

This was quickly washed away by a third act that had me on the edge of my seat switching between grinning and a more slack jawed shock. Amulet delivered in a way I did not immediately expect, but that will certainly have me sending friends to see it.

If that wasn’t enough, it looks and sounds stunning. From the opening notes and shots, I could tell I was going to love it, but the haunting soundtrack paired with the perfectly constructed shots were themselves worth the trip to cinema.

This is not going to be on every list, but I think I will be telling people about it for a little while to come and I think it deserves the big screen if you can get to a screening.

Edit: I did indeed miss Sing 2 as it left cinemas quicker than i expected.