Disney buying out 20th Century Fox has got to be one of the worst outcomes that has acquired in the past decade. Not only did it lead to countless jobs being lost and Blue Sky Studios being shut down, but any films completed prior or during the acquisition have little to no care put in them from Disney. The film that managed to get the worst treatment would have to be "The Empty Man". It had no marketing until a week before release, the release itself was in a middle of a global pandemic, and the few people and critics that did see it slammed it because it was not what they were expecting. Disney has so little faith in the film that there's not even a DVD release for it or even change the Fox opening to 20th Century Studios. However, is it really that horrendous? Based on the graphic novel of the same name (yet has nothing to do with the source material), the film follows James Lasombra, a former cop who is in a state of heavy depression due to the sins he has made in the past. When his friend's daughter disappears, he tries to find her, discovering the link between her, a mysterious and creepy cult, and an urban legend known as the Empty Man. I won't go into spoilers, since I do believe that the mystery contained in the film is super intriguing. I will admit however that the ending could lead people to a level of disappointment. Not only does the ending get extremely confusing for those not picking up the themes of the film and it feels like nothing was worth it by the end of the two hour plus film, but it also causes some inconsistency as it never explains why the Empty Man kills when it's said to unify all under one. Regardless of the ending, I actually got really invested in the mystery and wanting to find out more while also attempting to figure out what's been going on. The film takes itself seriously and it's not meant to be a straight-up horror film with jump-scares and cheesy dialogue. It's more built up on atmosphere and the somber tone rather than gory kills and overuse of fake-out creepy moments.
James Badge Dale as James Lasombra does a great job as the grieving ex-cop who is fixated on solving this case and wanting some type of redemption. Dale helps add a bit of charm and personality to the character to keep him from being dull while also playing up a sense of vulnerability, which is hard to do for an adult lead protagonist in horror films. Marin Ireland as Nora Quail, the friend and former fling of James, is obviously a fantastic actress and does sell the grieving mother role really well. Newcomer Sasha Frolovo as Amanda Quail, Nora's teenaged daughter who disappears after summoning the Empty Man, is good in playing up the eerie dread that her character is experiencing and hopefully will continue to do more stand-out performances in the future. Ron Canada as Detective Villers is great as usual for the type-casted actor, but he doesn't really get to do much in the overall story. Lastly, there's Stephan Root as Arthur Parsons, the leader of the Pontifex Institute who only appears in one lengthy scene as he describes to James what the purpose of his cult is, to which Root does a fine job in controlling the scene. Aside of Amanda's friends and a few other minor side characters, that's really all the cast has to offer with Dale having the most amount of focus. All of the actors and actresses are talented and play their jobs well, but they don't exactly stick with you much after watching the movie. While I would chalk it up to a negative, the ending does actually help making the lack of memorability or care of the side characters work to its effect with James Lasombra being not an amazing, but still riveting, protagonist.
David Prior worked for Fox for decades in the home media department before finally managing to make his own movie thanks to befriending some of the biggest producers in the studio. The fact that Disney sabotaged his directorial debut should be a crime as Prior shows that he has a talented gift and vision. Despite this being his directorial debut, Prior completely nails the atmosphere and mood of the movie to have a creepy and, at times, terrifying nature to it. The colour is all washed out, but the shadows and gothic imagery pop out as Prior makes his film have this dream-like, almost ethereal aesthetic. There are tons of visual motifs that are sprinkled throughout the film that connects overall with the film's themes and it's practically genius on every level. The cinematography by Anastos N. Michos is fantastic with unique angles, pans, iconography, framing of people and objects, and some inventive transitions helped made possible by editors Prior and Andrew Buckland. I'm dumbfounded that Michos wasn't even nominated for an Oscar this year, because his camerawork is freaking phenomenal. The music by Christopher Young and Lustmord is perfectly eerie and foreboding that it feels like it's ripped out of a "Silent Hill" game. The audio design and editing is also pitch perfect with the whispering and subtle instrumental cues. There's not much in the way of effects, practical or digital, but whatever is seen in the film is pretty decent. The Empty Man himself is creepy in his cloaked form and the few deaths present in the film are really brutal yet creative in its imagery. While there are some dodgy digital effects with green-screen and the climax, it's not too distracting or out of place in the film. Overall, the filmmaking by Prior and the crew is fantastic and I hope Prior gets to direct more films in the future.
"The Empty Man" is not perfect and not for everyone. Aside from diehards of the obscure graphic novel that will offend them, the film does suffer from an ending that tends to not successfully pay off the otherwise brilliant mystery it had along with the film being too long and philosophical for the average horror movie. Despite these issues, I think this is a great film regardless. The suspense and premise hooked me right off the bat, the serious nature of the film and philosophical metaphors made me brainstorm and be in sync with the mind of the filmmaker, Dale is great in giving charisma and vulnerability to the character of James Lasombra, the rest of the cast are acted flawlessly for what characters they were given, the cinematography by Michos is brilliant on a visual and artistic level, the score by Young and Lustmord is perfect horror ambience, and Prior's directorial debut shows that he is a horror master in building atmosphere, dread, effective uses of dark colours, imaginative transitions, use of audio and visually-interesting horror and death sequences. This is a film that may have a bad ending, but everything is just so excellent that it doesn't make the film and the viewing experience awful. Disney is at its lowest point of creativity and respect of the filmmaker when they tossed this movie like trash rather than attempt to put their best efforts in making the film be seen in awe by audiences.
Verdict: 8/10. Really good, but keep in mind of how disappointing the ending can be. Still one of the best horror movies I've seen in recent years!
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