As horror remakes go, this one's got some pretty solid direction. Between the striking camerawork, the moody score, and the dark undertones, Nia DaCosta establishes some wonderful atmosphere, right down to one of the better opening credits sequences I've seen in a while. But the movie starts to lose me a little when it comes to the writing, which somehow manages to be both confusing and over-explained.
On the one hand, the social commentary is heavy-handed and the dialogue is often far too on-the-nose (though I guess that's Jordan Peele for you). But then, on the other, I'm just not seeing much of a narrative throughline here, especially in the back half. It's a lot of hazy character motivations and random plot developments, making the whole thing feel a lot more muddled than it really ought to be. And the rushed third act certainly doesn't help.
Still, on an individual basis, most of these scenes are pretty gripping, and the use of angles and sound are incredible at times. I just wish they were in service of a script that relied less on theme and more on actual scares (you know, like the original).
Grade: B-
P.S. If this is how you're going to use Tony Todd, you're better off not using him at all.
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