Echo Valley (2025) Dir: Michael Pearce

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I hadn't heard much about this Michael Pearce directed Apple TV original thriller, but when I read its synopsis, I can't deny I was intrigued. Furthermore, I rate the iconic Julianne Moore quite highly, so the prospect of seeing her in a starring role didn't hurt my interest in the slightest. I knew the film hadn't blown people away, critically speaking, but I had a feeling that this could be a bit of an underrated one.

Visually speaking, this was an understated but fairly interesting looking film. It didn't blow me away, but it did utilise its setting fairly well, providing some pretty shots, particularly of the lake. The summer vibes were immaculate, despite the sinister events of the film. I think some of the underwater shots looked really good, considering the low-lighting. I would've liked to see some more interesting shots used for the fire sequences, but the ones that were selected weren't terrible.

There was some rough writing in the first act, and the dialogue was, generally speaking, pretty terrible. However, the mystery element of the story still compelled me greatly. It was a little bit predictable, but there were one or two moments that really worked for me, and were conveyed effectively. If there was one point of contention, it would be how believable the behaviour of the parent, Moore, was, in response to her daughter's behaviour. It pushed the notion of 'unconditional love' for one's children to its limits and beyond.

Julianne Moore was as consistent and as professional as ever, and was a big reason for my enjoyment of this film. I found her very easy to watch, for the most part. It wasn't a perfect performance, but it engaged me and drew me in. She had good chemistry with her co-star Sweeney, although I didn't quite feel the same about her chemistry with Gleeson. Regardless, this was a very solid performance in a film where she could arguably have phoned it in way more if she wished.

I think Sydney Sweeney gets very unfairly judged by a lot of people, due to her ovely abundant sexualisation in the media and online, particularly by men. I actually think she can act extremely well, especially when the role suits her strengths, such as in the film 'Reality' from 2023. Her acting in this film was more reminiscent of some of her more famous 'Euphoria' clips, which is not a negative thing. This wasn't her best performance by any means, but it was still pretty solid, all things considered.

Domhnall Gleeson's villain wasn't the most compelling I've ever seen, but his acting was functional enough. I felt like he could have gone a lot further with his persona, which was a real missed opportunity, in my books, albeit not one that was necessarily Gleeson's fault. My one significant disappointment on the acting front was that Kyle MacLachlan and Fiona Shaw were heavily underutilised, especially the former, who was only in one scene.

Overall, I must admit, I enjoyed this a lot more than I expected, despite its many issues. It wasn't especially well-written, particularly in regards to its dialogue, but the thriller element was certainly there, and I can't deny that I was engaged for pretty much the entire film. It may not be a classic, but it did what it needed to do to leave me a pleasantly surprised viewer, who wouldn't be opposed to revisiting it at some point down the road.