Immaculate

Screened at Regal Cinemas, Rancho Mirage, California.

Usually when actors are having a moment and they seem to be in every movie released, I tend to get tired of it very quickly and moderate my in-take of their offerings. The reaction however for Sydney Sweeney has been quite the opposite. Not sure totally why, but there's something about her that seems to pull me in every time. While this film is not one of her best, it confirmed why I'm drawn to her work. The reason is, she's simply a good, and very much underestimated actor in my view, and the end of this otherwise mostly forgettable film proves why.

In general, this is one of those films you'd expect to come out in January. It has that "short running time, not scary like it should be, I should've just streamed it" vibe, but while I didn't feel the "stay home" element to that statement, it was basically chock full of dumb jump scares that did absolutely nothing for me. In fairness, I would attribute that to age, and "having seen it all before." However, in terms of quality of the production overall, it was quite solid, so if you find jump scares to be effective, you'll likely enjoy this if it interests you. But if you're looking for something a bit deeper too, that is where this needed some improvement. The character development is adequate enough, but I think even the average viewer will be able to watch this and see where the holes need to be filled in.

Where it really shined though, and stood out, was the ending. I of course do not want to give anything away, but what I can at least say is, the conclusion to Sweeney's story arc here is epic, and epic because of her performance. There is a lot of screaming, and even that screaming is brilliantly done. It hits home, it's anguished, it's painful, it's intense and it's memorable. She really gives it her ALL in that scene, and reminded me in a way of Mia Goth's now-famous "solo" in Ti West's Pearl from a few years ago. It leaves that much of an impression. So much so, that I agree with the sentiment that if she were to continue in the horror genre, her place as one of the top "final girls" of all time could be cemented, thanks to just those few minutes alone. It's that good. Highly recommended for horror buffs.