MALIGNANT (2021)
Label: WBHE
Region Code: A
Rating: R
Duration: 111 Minutes
Audio: English DTS-HD MA with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (2.35:1)
Director: James Waan
Cast: Annabelle Wallis, Maddie Hasson, George Young, Michole Briana White, Jacqueline McKenzie, Jake Abel, Ingrid Bisu
Malignant opens with a prologue that is set in 1993 inside a creepy psychiatric facility perched atop in sea-facing cliff where an unseen character name Gabriel is tearing through the medical staff with ferocity, its so over-the-top and heightened that I felt as thought it would reveal a Blow Out styled pull back to reveal a b-movie with-a-movie, but that doesn't happen.
Moving ahead 27 years we meet the pregnant Madison Mitchell (Annabelle Wallis, The Mummy) who while looking out her apartment window notices a shadowy figure lurking nearby. A short time later her abusive douche-nozzle hubbie Derek (Jake Abel, The Host) slams the back of her skull into a wall during an argument, causing her to retreat to her room and fall asleep. While she's slumbering Derek is attacked and murdered, but somehow Madison has a nightmarish vision of the murder. She wakes up the next day in the hospital where her sister Sydney (Maddie Hasson, God Bless America) informs her that she has lost her baby, her fourth miscarriage we learn, and that Derek is dead. Madison reports her vision to the police, who are embodied in do-nothing form by investigating Detectives Kekoa Shaw (George Young) and Regina Moss (Michole Briana White), who don't give much weight to it.
As the film moves along a series of doctors who once worked at the medical facility from. the prologue are viciously attacked and murdered in their homes by a creepy figure in a trench coat, who moves very unnaturally. During each of the murders Madison experiences visions of the murders, these visions have a very Synchronic sort of feel the way her reality melts away around her until she finds herself in the room of the victims as an observer to the horrific crimes. As she has detailed knowledge about the crime scenes, and because the police discover she has undisclosed connection to the victims, she becomes the prime suspect in the case.
After the inital high-strung opening the film plays it pretty straight, a bit too straight maybe, though we do get some visually terrific murder set-pieces, but my interest did starting to lag a bit, the story in burdened by some trite dialogue and one-dimension characters, but at a certain point the movie flicks the switch and goes absolutely bananas - and that was it, I was onboard and absolutely entertained till the closing credits.
Wan has crafted a fun flick that pulls heavily from some notable cult-classics, and to mention any of them would be spoling the film and I don't want to do that, because I think its worth seeing it without knowing what you're in for, if that's even possible in this day and age. What I can say without spoiling anything is that its a stylish and well-executed film that is heavy on atmosphere and some brutal kills, including a victim who is stabbed in the face with an improvised weapon that is quite visceral, and a bit gory.
In what I can only assume is a nod to The Night Stalker (1972) there's a chiiling sequence that happens in the Seattle Underground that also quite nicely done. And later we get a great action-packed foot chase with Det. Shaw giving chase to the seemingly super-human killer. The design of the killer is cool, with a specific and off-putting range of motion and fighting-style that is pretty unique, which is highlighted in a certain scene at the police station that is a total stunner, and also features Zoe Bell (Death Proof).
Audio/Video: The digitally shot Malignant arrives on Blu-ray and Digital in 1080p HD framed in 2.35:1 widescreen. The 8mage is terrific with deep shadows and attractive coloring throughout. Its a deeply shadowy production and the transfer is up to the challenge with inky darkness with solid shadow detail. Audio comes by way of uncompressed English DTS-HD MA 5.1 with optional English subtitles that is pretty great. Action spins around you through the discreet channels, the visceral kills are good n' squishy sounding and the score from Joseph Bishara is fantastic and well represented in the mix.
The only extra is a 14-min EPK style featurette with the director, which is cool, but this is a film I wanted to know more about and I would have appreciated appreciated an audio commentary and more probing featurettes, deleted scenes, etc.
Special Features:
- Malignant: James Wan’s Visions (14 min)
