A One Mann’s Movies review of “Never Let Go” (2024).
When I saw the trailer for “Never Let Go” I thought… “Sigh” … this looks like a ‘same old, same old’ horror story set in spooky woods. And, yes, it is. But it is anchored by good acting performances and does actually, for once, keep you guessing.
Bob the Movie Man Rating:
Plot Summary:
‘Momma’ (Halle Berry) eaks out a frugal existence in the woods with her two sons Samuel (Anthony B. Jenkins) and Nolan (Percy Daggs IV). Foraging for what they can get, they are hampered by always having to be connected by rope to their home else “the evil”, that only Momma can see, will get them. But young Nolan starts to have doubts…
Certification:
UK: 15; US: R. (From the BBFC web site: “Strong horror, violence, injury detail, suicide, domestic abuse”.)
Talent:
Starring: Halle Berry, Anthony B. Jenkins, Percy Daggs IV.
Directed by: Alexandre Aja.
Written by: KC Coughlin & Ryan Grassby.
Running Time: 1h 41m.
“Never Let Go” Summary:
Positives:
- A level of intrigue in the story.
- Good performances from Halle Berry, Anthony B. Jenkins and (particularly) young Percy Daggs IV.
- A few decent jump scares.
Negatives:
- Scores minus 2 stars for originality.
Review of “Never Let Go”:
Lacks originality….
There’s a definite lack of originality about this one. The concept – something evil out in the woods surrounding a ‘safe’ refuge – is virtually identical to Ishana Shyamalan’s “The Watched” (aka “The Watchers”) from earlier this year. The plot is also very reminiscent of M. Night Shyamalan’s “The Village”. (Plus probably I could trot out a dozen other forest-set horror flicks.)
…but keeps you guessing.
This feels a lot more ‘Shyamalanny’ than other cabin-flicks (as noted by my references above). There is a clear dichotomy here between whether ‘the evil’ really exists or whether it is just a figment of Momma’s deranged mind. And to give the film credit, it keeps you guessing with that, even after the end-credits have rolled. (I was half expecting a monkey at the end, but there isn’t one!)
There are jump scares throughout, as you would expect of a movie of this type, and some of them I found half-decent.
Reliable Berry and two excellent young actors.
Halle Berry won an Oscar (for “Monster’s Ball” in 2002) so is a really reliable pair of hands for any film. It’s a good solid performance from her. But it could have been let down horribly if her two ‘sons’ had not performed. Thankfully, that’s not the case here and both of the young men do a really good job with their emotional roles. In particular, I thought Percy Daggs IV, playing the young Nolan, delivered an outstanding performance particularly with one amazing outburst.
Alexandre Aja Directs.
The film was directed by suspense expert Alexandre Aja (he most recently did “Crawl” (which I didn’t rate) and the claustrophobic and clever “Oxygen” (which I did)). He was brought in to replace Mark Romanek after things didn’t work out. He does a good job although there are a few bumpy scenes. In one (involving the opening of a trapdoor) I thought, for one horrible gasp-inducing moment, that they were going to do a “Bobby Ewing in the shower” with the whole past hour having been a horrible dream! This was not the case, and I’m not sure it was deliberate, but it rather derailed the film for me for a minute.
Summary Thoughts on “Never Let Go”
There’s nothing new worth filming in the woods, so everything tends to be a rehash of everything else. But this does a pretty good job with the hand its dealt and I must admit I enjoyed it a lot more than I was expecting to. (I wavered on a 3.5*s… so count it as 3.25*s!) Worth seeing if this is your sort of thing.
Where to Watch it (Powered by Justwatch)
Trailer for “Never Let Go”:
The trailer is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDfRp_ukHDU .
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