The Call (2020) follows a group of friends who must survive the night in a strange old couple's house while sinister forces are at play. This was a really disappointing film. It showed potential throughout but I feel the filmmakers weren't thorough enough with the plot and scriptwriting.
The cinematography was actually pretty good and there were some nice colour palettes, the visuals were definitely the best thing about this film. The visuals were noticeably better in the second half, with some really creepy and unnerving shots and some good camerawork. It's a shame everything else in the movie was poor because it really did show potential.
In terms of sound design, the film was very average. The score was basic with not much to it and I just found that the sound design added nothing interesting to the film. Also, the music didn't fit the tone and just felt bad it of place at times.
The acting, specifically from the high school students, was bad from the start and I found all their characters to be very unlikeable. They made too many dumb decisions and felt incredibly unrealistic. Tobin Bell and Lin Shaye, were in this film too, they felt wasted and they were way too good for this film. The actors weren't helped by the dialogue, which was way too cringeworthy!
Lastly, the movie was structurally messy and I had no idea what was going on throughout most of the film. It didn't set up the story well and therefore wasn't engaging in the slightest, I ended up getting bored really fast! It also wasn't scary enough because the stakes didn't feel too high. However, there was a plot twist that I didn't see coming and I actually really liked, but this was ruined by a dumb ending.
The cinematography was actually pretty good and there were some nice colour palettes, the visuals were definitely the best thing about this film. The visuals were noticeably better in the second half, with some really creepy and unnerving shots and some good camerawork. It's a shame everything else in the movie was poor because it really did show potential.
In terms of sound design, the film was very average. The score was basic with not much to it and I just found that the sound design added nothing interesting to the film. Also, the music didn't fit the tone and just felt bad it of place at times.
The acting, specifically from the high school students, was bad from the start and I found all their characters to be very unlikeable. They made too many dumb decisions and felt incredibly unrealistic. Tobin Bell and Lin Shaye, were in this film too, they felt wasted and they were way too good for this film. The actors weren't helped by the dialogue, which was way too cringeworthy!
Lastly, the movie was structurally messy and I had no idea what was going on throughout most of the film. It didn't set up the story well and therefore wasn't engaging in the slightest, I ended up getting bored really fast! It also wasn't scary enough because the stakes didn't feel too high. However, there was a plot twist that I didn't see coming and I actually really liked, but this was ruined by a dumb ending.