The new Disney suspense film “Malignant” is visually pleasing, but the plot misses the mark. PHOTO CREDIT: imbd.com
James Wan’s, “Malignant,” is a messy and decidedly-weird genre flick that combines elements of suspense, slasher sequences and comedic levity to make for an uneven, yet slightly entertaining experience.
The film follows a widow named Maddie who begins to see murders as they happen. From the very beginning, “Malignant” switches from so many subplots involving domestic abuse or Maddie’s past, that it becomes a bit difficult to tell where scenes interconnect. Wan provides some great visual flair, as nearly every frame is undeniably well shot. Even as the main story becomes scattershot, the sheer amount of originality and odd choices make this film worth checking out.
Annabelle Wallis (“The Tudors,” “Peaky Blinders”) gives an inconsistent, engaging performance in the lead and the rest of the cast really tries to work with the campy script written for the film. The main issue is tonal; the film clearly doesn’t really know if it wants to convey a campy or serious tone because there are vast differences between the plotline of the adoptive sisters and the police procedural subplot. While the writing in the film does feel more fitting for a television show, “Malignant” does feature several creepy sequences with its main antagonist Gabriel (Marina Mazepa) and some effective emotional moments between Maddie and her sister Sydney (Maddie Hanson).
The aspect of family is pretty well-incorporated into the film as a few flashback sequences featuring child actor McKenna Grace as young Maddie provide some of the more suspenseful moments. Even the police procedural aspect of the film is decent enough to evoke a few chuckles out of the odd couple detectives Keota Shaw and Regina Moss (George Young and Michole Briana White, represectively). Once the film settles into its second act, “Malignant” becomes an interesting mirage of ideas that constantly subvert expectations beyond the predictable third act reveal.
Nearly all of the slasher sequences add a gory, yet fun, blend to the otherwise predictable scenes. On the other hand, “Malignant” truly suffers from its unpredictable nature that relies more on surprises rather than actual explanations. While most of the acting is serviceable for the horror material, the film’s inconsistent tone does result in some unintentionally funny moments.
One sequence where Detective Shaw is chasing after Gabriel starts with some seriousness before going through an over the top action sequence that goes on for far too long to take seriously. The central mystery of the film becomes too complex, and by the third act, “Malignant” really becomes too heavily stylized to build any tension. The third act reveal is both instantly memorable, but pretty predictable before one action sequence in a police station becomes one of the most violently entertaining of the year.
“Malignant” ends pretty abruptly considering its near-two-hour runtime, despite the finale being memorable in every way. Overall, “Malignant” is an anomaly of horror filmmaking that doesn’t truly work on a script or story level despite being bold, creative and fairly unpredictable until the very end. 4.5/10.