Devil

I was home for the weekend. I'm not sure why I came home. It was convenient because Brock was driving back, but I didn't have any desire to go to homecoming, so I don't know why I went. Maybe to see Cassi and Cari and my family. Yeah, I think that's it. Anyway, at the football game, I talked with Weathers about films, and we decided to see "Devil" the next day. I wish we had theaters that charged $4 for the matinee.

As a whole, I liked the film. I thought the plot was creative and suspenseful (and the film held that suspense the whole way through), the twist was not expected, and the actors took their roles seriously when they could have easily leaned towards caricature. In short, five people get stuck in an elevator, and one is the Devil. We learn that these people have histories of deceit, violence, and theft, and that the devil brought them here to pay for their injustices. This film has several qualities that are similar to the first "Saw" film, but this film is not about pervasive gore and unending torture--this film is about the choices people make and how, even if it seems like you got away with it, there are always consequences.

Tak Fujimoto was the cinematographer for the film, and I am curious as to how he got the shots in the elevator. Did they build a larger elevator, or did they just manage with shooting one person and acting as if everyone else is in the elevator? Also, I thought the point-of-view shots were clues as to who the devil was, but I was mistaken; nevertheless, they were good shots.

I'm undecided as to whether I think this film is too preachy, if this film is up there with "Facing the Giants" and "Fireproof." Although it is a powerful message, it is spoon-fed to the audience. I'm not sure if I like that. Forgiveness is freeing.

Don't be scared, the mother tells her children, because if there is a devil, then that means there must be a God as well. What does this mean? That if bad exists, then we can know that it is bad because we have something that is the exact opposite of it? I just ran through a "what if bad is actually good and we've been wrong the whole time?" argument in my head, but I don't think I want to dive into that.

Overall, I enjoyed this film. It did what it intended, which was to maintain suspense and entertain the audiences. And, if it causes some to think more about the existence of supernatural beings, then it did more than it was supposed to. M. Night, I think your Dark Chronicles are are 1/1.