When horror movies go beyond what they’re capable of or when they decide to do some experimentation within the genre, it could go any direction. And the issue that remains with that dilemma is that whenever a horror movie that does come out that approaches its horror with a more irregular and unwonted style, audiences get angry because nothing about it feels conventional. Take Darren Aronofsky’s psychological “horror” movie mother!. Every TV spot or trailer for the movie was hinging on the possibility of this being a horror movie, and if you’ve seen the movie it’s not really classified as a horror movie because Aronofsky brings new material to the genre and audiences didn’t seem to be on board with it. You could also look at A24’s small little horror movie It Comes at Night. Critics praised the slowness and dreadful sense of atmosphere that it had to offer, yet the audiences that paid to see it felt as if what they saw isn’t wait they thought they were paying to see. Granted, that’s an issue where the marketing comes into play but suffice to say that when a horror movie, to a certain degree, attempts to go beyond the conventional routes within the genre, the success from the box office and the positive response from audiences is not a guarantee. Every genre needs to evolve to keep it afloat and to make it more exciting and fresh. That’s for every action movie, comedy and especially a horror movie. In the Earth, the latest horror film distributed by Neon and directed by Ben Wheatley, is a tough thing to swallow. It captures tension, dread and the anxiety of the unknown or non physical entities, in the ways that few modern horror movies don’t normally do. However, the concept, while the most intriguing ingredient in the movie, isn’t enough to justify the odd editing, weak characters and sluggish pace.
In a world where society is on a quest to find the cure to a disastrous virus, a park ranger and scientist embark on a mission deep in the forrest for a customary equipment run. Throughout their journey and with each passing night, things start becoming more threatening with the certain things they interact with in the forrest.
In the Earth is not a great movie, but what it’s trying to accomplish is admirable. The first thing that In the Earth does well is the level of tension is highly affective. The constant fear by showing us very little still feels as if we get the full picture and it’s something that most horror movies don’t necessarily do. You get the sense of fear and horror even from just staring at the woods, which is already a creepy environment, in of itself. Some of the shot selections that Ben Wheatley chooses hinges on the sinister and grounded vibe of the Earth. From a certain directing point of view, In the Earth offers some really interesting and credible shot composition that adds more to the trepidation of the movie.
The second thing that In the Earth surprisingly does pretty well is that it, oddly enough, has subject matter that’s not only topical but it’s also that echo a lot of what people might feel about the COVID pandemic. Without getting into spoiler territory, In the Earth address some concerns and dives into the issues about a deadly virus that grabs on to humanity and shatters it completely but what’s worst is the post pandemic world, and that’s something that In the Earth does with great effect. Just from one specific location, you really feel the complete desolation and crumbling of the entire planet, and considering where you stand on the pandemic, the movie is a deep reflection on where we are as a country, to a certain extent.
The overall premise of this movie is full of detail and imagination, unfortunately the rest of the movie doesn’t hold a candle to how fresh and inventive it’s narrative is. Fore warning, if you are prone to having seizures from constant flashing lights and an excessive amount of loud nosies then this is not the movie for you. Having said all that, there is a constant editing issue in this movie that almost felt like the first take during production. The overall editing in this movie is a bit all over the place, which was more of a headache than the constant flashing lights and violent nosies that the movie offers. The other issue is that our two main characters are pretty wooden and non attachable. None of the actor show off any kind of grit or passion for the roles they’re playing, and it’s almost as if they were more caricatures rather than actual characters. The material the actors were given was engaging, but maybe all the time and focus went to the style and aesthetics rather than it’s substance.
In the Earth isn’t going to be liked by the average movie goers. It does seem that a good number of critics appreciate what the movie wad going for and what it was trying to convey. Although, aside from a few redeemable qualities, this is a tough movie to explain to the point where it’s almost a guarantee that audiences will be too confused and won’t understand a darn clue as to what message it’s trying to suggest. Sometimes it’s great when movies can convey messages and themes with unnecessary exposition or characters basically telling the audience what the movie is about. The concept is cool and all but it doesn’t contribute anything fresh to it’s characters.
My grade for In the Earth: C
Zane's take at the Cinema's 