In the Earth movie review & film summary (2021)


We’re also warned from the start that Olivia’s work focuses on the uncommonly fertile soil in the forest, so we prime ourselves for the possibility that we’re going to get invasive fungus action (the hero even tells us that he had ringworm recently). The film delivers on this promise, though not in the way you might expect. One character rephrases the famous observation that, to members of primitive civilizations, high technology is indistinguishable from magic. 

From that point on, “In the Earth” conflates modern scientific research and theory with ancient rituals meant to communicate with (and appease) Parnag Fegg, an ancient eldritch force that may have summoned all the humans to the woods in the first place. There’s a touch of John Carpenter’s “Prince of Darkness” in the script’s exposition-heavy lore, which postulates that science might eventually find a way to perfect the approximations of scripture, ritual, and spell-casting.

All of this stuff connects rather glancingly, or vaguely. For the most part, that’s good cinema praxis (better to leave the audience guessing or a bit confused than explain every little thing to death), but still there are times when it seems as if Wheatley is fudging things, like a magician who asks “Is this your card?” and then takes it away just fast enough that you can’t be sure. Razzle-dazzle flash-cuts, disorienting jump cuts, and incessant strobe effects amplify dread and confusion in the film’s most intense scenes. There’s a lot of screaming and crying and lot of pain, and it would all be unbearable if Wheatley didn’t exhibit such mordant wit. He’s constantly setting up scenes where you know exactly which horrible thing might happen to one of the characters, then making you wait for it, and wait for it, through false starts, digressions, and clumsy mistakes that require a do-over. And when it finally does happen: wow.

Where the film fails as a substantive statement about this or that or the other thing, it succeeds as a visceral exercise in audience torment. Throughout, Wheatley observes a horror movie version of Chekhov’s principle, where you can assume that the rifle hanging on the wall of a set isn’t just there for atmosphere. This movie features Chekhov’s Hatchet, Chekhov’s Bow and Arrow, Chekhov’s Fungus, and Chekhov’s Guitar (used to lull characters to sleep through repetitive phrases that hit them like incantations). Like another low-budget 2021 film, “Lapsis,” it uses nature’s splendors to give a small movie an epic feeling, and its skill at making you squirm suggests that, for all its poker-faced wonderment over the machinations of the universe, Wheatley identifies most strongly with Zach, a grandiloquent sadist who has a captive audience where he wants them and revels in that fact. After a certain point, I stopped finding the ostentatious, close-up brutality funny and started howling at it, and my experiences with some of Wheatley’s other movies (particuarly “KIll List” and “Free Fire“) confirm that not only is he OK with that sort of reaction, he thrives on it. 

You can view the original article HERE.

Nicki Minaj’s Latest Hit Sparks Debate Over TikTok Overplay
Nicki Minaj’s Latest Hit Sparks Debate Over TikTok Overplay
Chris Johnson Sends Message To Cam Ward After Titans Pick, ‘We’ve Got Your Back’
Chris Johnson Sends Message To Cam Ward After Titans Pick, ‘We’ve Got Your Back’
Boosie BadAzz Sparks Outrage With Anti-Trans Comments
Boosie BadAzz Sparks Outrage With Anti-Trans Comments
Jeff Fisher Issues Caution to Tennessee Titans Ahead of NFL Draft
Jeff Fisher Issues Caution to Tennessee Titans Ahead of NFL Draft
Chaz Ebert Says ILLUMINATE Film Festival Will Help Light The Way | Chaz’s Journal
Chaz Ebert Says ILLUMINATE Film Festival Will Help Light The Way | Chaz’s Journal
Netflix Action Thriller ‘Bullet Train Explosion’ Finds Quick Success on Streaming
Netflix Action Thriller ‘Bullet Train Explosion’ Finds Quick Success on Streaming
Francis Ford Coppola’s 2024 Box Office Bomb Is Already Getting Remade, But in an Unexpected Way
Francis Ford Coppola’s 2024 Box Office Bomb Is Already Getting Remade, But in an Unexpected Way
Prime’s Magnetic “Étoile” Is Guaranteed To Be Your Spring TV Obsession | TV/Streaming
Prime’s Magnetic “Étoile” Is Guaranteed To Be Your Spring TV Obsession | TV/Streaming
EFF YOU! I’m Living My Dream!
EFF YOU! I’m Living My Dream!
Modest Mouse have announced a second new festival
Modest Mouse have announced a second new festival
Cillian Murphy’s iconic ‘Peaky Blinders’ suit up for auction
Cillian Murphy’s iconic ‘Peaky Blinders’ suit up for auction
Addison Rae officially announces debut album, ‘Addison’
Addison Rae officially announces debut album, ‘Addison’
5 Reasons Sports Betting Is the Ultimate Game-Day Companion
5 Reasons Sports Betting Is the Ultimate Game-Day Companion
Butler exits Game 2 loss to Rockets with pelvis injury
Butler exits Game 2 loss to Rockets with pelvis injury
Bears great Steve McMichael dies at 67 after battle with ALS
Bears great Steve McMichael dies at 67 after battle with ALS
AI Boyfriend & AI Girlfriend NSFW Chat Passion
AI Boyfriend & AI Girlfriend NSFW Chat Passion
Every Season of ‘Bosch’ & ‘Bosch: Legacy,’ Ranked
Every Season of ‘Bosch’ & ‘Bosch: Legacy,’ Ranked
Elsbeth Season 2 Episode 18 Shocks Audiences with a Pivotal Character’s Murder
Elsbeth Season 2 Episode 18 Shocks Audiences with a Pivotal Character’s Murder
‘The Accountant 2’ Can Be a Box Office Hit by Avoiding One Mistake
‘The Accountant 2’ Can Be a Box Office Hit by Avoiding One Mistake
Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos Claims Streaming Is “Saving Hollywood,” Replacing “Outmoted” Movie Theaters
Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos Claims Streaming Is “Saving Hollywood,” Replacing “Outmoted” Movie Theaters
I Let My Spotify Daylist Pick My Outfits For a Week
I Let My Spotify Daylist Pick My Outfits For a Week
Lisa Sun: The Confidence Catalyst Redefining Fashion and Empowerment
Lisa Sun: The Confidence Catalyst Redefining Fashion and Empowerment
Linda Evangelista’s Powerful Beauty, Tina Knowles’ New Book, & More!
Linda Evangelista’s Powerful Beauty, Tina Knowles’ New Book, & More!
Healthy Snacks for When You’re Craving Something Salty
Healthy Snacks for When You’re Craving Something Salty