Horror films seem to be all the rage. The production companies want to see if they can be the one to send that shiver down the spine of the audience. Whether it’s hack and slash or the paranormal, the race is on to see who is scarier. Orphan is a movie that tries is its hand to terrify.
Orphan Synopsis
The Colemans, Kate and John, are mourning the stillborn birth of their last child. They decide to adopt to help ease the pain. On a trip to the orphanage, Kate and John hit it off with a nine year old girl from Russia named Esther. They decide she would be a perfect match and bring her home.
Esther seems to hit it off with the Coleman’s deaf daughter, Max, but their son, Daniel, is jealous. Other than the hiccup with Daniel everything thing seems to go well. Or does it?
Esther is blamed for pushing a girl off a slide severely hurting her. Then other things start happening leading Kate to think something is wrong. Fighting against perceptions of those around her, Kate fights to save her family, but is she too late?
Orphan: New Twist on Old Story
There have been many movies done about a sweet kid that’s really evil. There’s The Good Son, Problem Child, or The Omen. Well the Damien was the actual son of Satan so that might not be fair.
Many times the story is the same. The kid is sweet and wonderful at first then cracks show. One person gets suspicious and tries to find the truth. The sweet little munchkin does what they have to do to, even kill, to keep their evil a secret. Then they are found out and killed or sent away or sit around and learn from their mistakes and sing kumbaya.
The twist in Orphan comes in from out of nowhere, but it is a very interesting one. How realistic it would be is debatable, but it is enjoyable. The twist comes in the last twenty minutes or so, but viewers may pick up on some clues through out the movie.
Orphan: Shaky Story Underpinned by Great Acting
As a thriller, Orphan feels forced. There are many times, even before they meet Esther, where they try to make the audience jump out of their seats. Oh surprise! It was just John. These false scares are unnecessary.
The character development was good, but it also slowed the movie down. At just over two hours, it plodded along at some points. It could have been cut down and tightened up.
What helped the audience forget the issues with the Orphan was the acting. Finding a good child actor is hard enough, but all three kids in Orphan are stellar. Aryana Engineer plays, Max Coleman, the youngest daughter who is also deaf. With all of her lines done through sign language, she is so expressive. She has a huge role developing the story carries the weight like a pro.
The Coleman’s son, Daniel, was nailed by a young actor named Jimmy Bennett. He transitions from a jealous brat to a caring brother naturally. It was as if he lived through this. Isabelle Fuhrman has the burden of being the title character. As Esther she is supposed to be from Russia. Her accent is right on throughout the movie. She has to play many roles in Orphan and she is up to the task. The twist asks a lot from her but she handles better than most adults would.
Orphan is a Good Thriller
Despite the story issues and plot holes, Orphan is a treat for any horror movie fan. It’s more than just a slasher film. There are some wonderful psychological elements to it. It’s worth the two hour investment.
Shane Werlinger - Shane Werlinger has been published in anthologies and written reviews and articles for BuddyHollywood.com and reviews for Infuze Magazine ...
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