Orphan: First Kill (2022) Dir: William Brent Bell
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An hour after watching the first film, I went to the cinema and watched this. Set prior to the events of the original, this prequel very easily could've played it safe and told essentially the same story in a new setting.
Instead however, director William Brent Bell has a very surprising little twist, which I did not see coming. It does exactly what any sequel or prequel should do and subverts the audience expectations.
The film's narrative is really fun to go along with and works as both a horror and thriller, depending on how easily you scare.
The soundtrack is easily a step up from its predecessor, as is some of the cinematography, although I wouldn't say that is particularly spectacular either.
As expected, Isabelle Fuhrman returns to her starring role as the 'orphan', and provides what is a more varied performance compared to her previous attempt. There is far more personality on display, which Fuhrman exhibits well.
Julia Stiles, who many will recognise from the iconic '10 things I hate about you', also has a substantial role here, and gives a really strong portrayal of her character. She shows some real acting quality in a number of scenes, and aided her character in being one of the best of the film.
Matthew Finlan has some decent moments, but they aren't consistent enough for me to say he gave a genuinely good performance. Instead, I'll call it rather middling.
Rossif Sutherland gives a better showing, but still not as strong as the two leading women. He does have some pretty string scenes though.
Finally, I'll give a quick mention to Hiro Kanagawa, who didn't get much screentime, but was pretty competent regardless.
Overall, this was a really fun and wild horror film that succeeded in telling a fresh story with its lead character that is genuinely enjoyable, if not perfect. Either way, the film is an improvement on the original, which is not something I get to say too often.
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