It's set in a post-apocalyptic world where food is really scarce, and it follows a family that gets tickets to a mysterious dinner show that ends up being way more than they bargained for. The family wonders how these people have enough food to feed an entire audience, and soon after the play starts, they realize that something isn't right with the event.
I don't want to say much more about the plot because for about half its runtime, the movie is all about the mystery of what exactly is going on. Once you realize that something is wrong, the situation snowballs and gets weirder and weirder with just about every scene. This mystery is super intriguing, and it kept my eyes glued to the screen waiting to find out what was coming next.
On top of that, Cadaver is also a very atmospheric film. It doesn't just show you the mystery unfolding onscreen. It makes you feel the mystery as well. You feel all the confusion and disorientation that the main characters are experiencing, and that makes the plot all the more compelling. It pulls you into the story and makes you feel like you're right there with the characters.
Then, at about the halfway mark, the movie starts giving you some answers. It slowly pulls back the curtain and lets you in on its secrets, and the explanation is just as sinister as you expect it to be. There's some really nasty stuff going on at this show, and the main characters find themselves forced into in the fight of the lives.
That being said, the second half of the film is a noticeable step down from the great first half. While I did enjoy the explanation of the strange goings-on at this show, I also thought it wasn't quite as satisfying as the mystery itself. The first half built it up so much that I was expecting something a bit more interesting than what I ended up getting. Don't get me wrong, the second half of the film is still good; it just doesn't quite live up to the great setup in the first half.
Aside from the slightly disappointing payoff, the only other real flaw in this movie lies with the characters. They exist solely to serve the mystery of the strange dinner show, but there's not much to them beyond that. While they're not terribly bland, they're not particularly interesting either. They do their job well enough, but they don't really add anything to the movie on their own.
In the grand scheme of things, though, those aren't egregious flaws. They didn't ruin the movie for me, so I still walked away pretty happy after the credits rolled. It's admittedly not a must-see film, but it's pretty good. And it's especially appreciated during this pandemic-induced dearth of new theatrical releases. While there are a few good movies playing in theaters right now (like Come Play and Freaky), the immediate future is pretty bleak. Thankfully, we have nice little streaming movies like Cadaver to fill that void, so if you're itching to see some new horror, I'd recommend giving this one a shot. It's definitely worth a watch.
No comments:
Post a Comment