Beatus (2018)

Was really intrigued by the concept, one of the most promising concepts for any film seen recently. Likewise with the attention grabbing title. The cover was creepy. Although the rating is as of now low, decided not to take it to mean it was going to be bad despite a lot of films seen recently with low ratings actually being that bad. Due to that there are low-rated films that to me were decent.

Seeing 'Welcome to Mercy', it may not be a great film and could have done much more with its potential. 'Welcome to Mercy' doesn't completely squander this potential though and there are good, the best very good, assets to the film, so it's far from a bad watch and a long way from a must avoid. Instead one of those watchable if uneven film worth a view once but not one of those films that will hold up to repeat viewings. Personal opinion of course.

Lets start off with the good things. 'Welcome to Mercy' looks surprisingly good, would go as far to call it great. It is very slick and stylish, with photography that does not look amateurish despite not being made on a big budget, and very atmospherically lit, a creepy moodiness is effectively evoked. The sound has an eeriness and doesn't come over as over-bearing or obvious.

Atmosphere-wise, 'Welcome to Mercy' is quite effective quite a lot of the time. There is an unsettling vibe, tension and jolting creepiness that keeps one glued, the build ups not too foreseeable and parts did make me bite my nails and my palms sweat. The third act is where the film is strongest, with great atmosphere and kept me engaged and glued to the seat, capped off by an unexpected ending. The acting is better than average and even most cases quite good.

However, the pacing is rather dull to begin with, parts could have been tightened and less stretched and not everything felt necessary, and some of the middle act could have done with more clarity in explanations, not everything makes as much sense as ought.

Despite not having a problem with the acting, the characters are thinly sketched with vague motivations and there are decisions that don't always ring true. The script tends to be pretty weak in momentum and flow (needed to be tighter and more natural) and didn't seem complete.

Overall, watchable and not a film to avoid but could have been much more. 5/10 Bethany Cox