Orphan, released in 2009, received great acclaim with its finale, shocking everyone. I always liken the movie to Sleepaway Camp due to its climax. Having names like Vera Farmiga and Peter Sarsgaard in its cast was also a reason to watch the film. But despite its strong cast, young Isabelle Fuhrman managed to get ahead of the movie. She seemed born for this role. Isabelle, who appears again as Esther in the second movie is, unfortunately, the only reason to watch the film. There is neither a strong cast nor an impressive story as in the first movie. In fact, I have to say that we are all victims of the title of the film. What we expect is not the same as what we get.
Let’s briefly touch on the subject… After a long time, the Albright family finds Esther, whom they thought was their daughter. While they thought they had found the girl they lost, they actually brought a murderer into their home. Of course, an unpredictable twist occurs while we believe the story will proceed as in the first movie. While we think the family is the victim of our little murderer, we learn that our little murderer is actually the victim.
The first movie was the average of many ’80s movies combined. Orphan, which is a mixture of Stepfather and Sleepaway Camp due to its finale, was about the monstrosities of a baby-faced killer in the background. While trying to solve the case, we were finally faced with a wonderful twist. I thought that the second film would continue on this theme as well. I even thought we’d focus on Esther’s early days because of the “First Kill” title. I thought we’d discover her penchant for killing. However, what we get, is nothing like the title it promises us.
The twist that everyone likes, including me, is the movie’s main theme. Esther, who thinks she has infiltrated the house, actually falls victim to a maniacal family. But as surprising as the twist is, the rest of the process isn’t surprising at all. I would have expected that the two parties’ secret attempts to kill each other would have been much more effective. Unfortunately, the second film is too weak to come close to the first in terms of cast, story, or direction.
The only good thing about the movie is Isabelle Fuhrman. It’s obvious she was born for this role. She was the only reason I watched the film without getting bored. Everything else is bland and unimpressive, including the low-contrast colorless image of the film. I leave aside the fact that we were fooled by the name; the film is far, far from impressive, even in terms of mystery and suspense.
To sum it up… Oprhan First Kill is an unimpressive film that, although surprising everyone with its twist, fails to fill it with the necessary mystery and suspense afterward. I have to say that the movie, which can be watched without getting bored in memory of Isabelle Fuhrman, failed to return the hype it created before its release. The disappointment I experienced because I was sitting intending to watch the birth of a murderer caused me to approach the whole film with prejudice. When the movie, which looked like a weak adaptation of the first movie, didn’t give me what I wanted, and that is why I tried to relieve my pain with the acting of Isabelle Fuhrman. At least there is something we can call beautiful in the movie.
Cast & Crew
director: William Brent Bell
writers: David Coggeshall(screenplay by) David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick(story by) Alex Mace(story by)
starring: Isabelle Fuhrman, Julia Stiles, Rossif Sutherland
USA | 2020 | 99 MINUTES |