They Reach

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source: They Reach

If you decide to give this movie a go, you might get a peek at some new emerging talent. But it's like someone gave you a piece of fruit that's not ripe; it's got potential but it's time hasn't come yet. It feels like this movie was rushed thru production probably by budget constraints' it could have used a rewrite or two and while the pacing was good for most of the movie it seemed to rush in many places especially building up to and during special effects. The 3 kids as the main protagonists were diamonds in the rough and definitely have talent. "They Reach" borrows from Stranger Things and 8mm so least you can say is the writers have good taste.

I love this movie! I can watch it multiple times. It is fun to see filming locations that are places I have been. The acting and directing are great. I'm looking forward to watching these young artists moving forward and seeing where their talents take them.

Awkward horror comedy looks good but is full of unsuccessful tone shifts. Balancing horror and comedy is possible but it didn't work here. In reviewing a bad film, I try to look for something positive to say. The highlight of They Reach is the delightful Eden Campbell as Cheddar, best friend of lead girl Jessica. Campbell easily steals the film. Her funny performance makes me want to see her star in a teen comedy as that type of character - a bold, boisterous, fast-talking, quick-witted, rambunctious girl eagerly embracing mischief and shenanigans. She reminds me a bit of Eden Sher, in being someone who isn't just giving a good comic performance, but who comes across as a funny person. Give her a film with a better script and more focus on her as a comedic lead, I think she'd be fantastic.

They Reach is a..sort of bad movie overall. In all honestly very little does happen, and if they went for the Let's show less on screen in order to provoke the viewer's imagination.. well first of all, give me something, the bare minimum, let me have a starting point no? I wish I'd like it, it has a cool vintage vibe, good characters, good development until one point, and once the third act begins, it feels like we're still trapped in the second one. Almost anything interesting happens off screen, and I get it, perhaps to make it more friendly, maybe because of the budget, but shadow actions will get you only so far, and I think this was the movie's biggest problem. It had so little to show for, and no clear, obvious danger on screen...just some..well, you'll see. I don't want to ruin it for anyone, just lower you expectations as much as you can and just maybe, perhaps you might enjoy it. I simply felt that it dragged itself for too long without ever making that one step, that would get you there, in the middle of the action. I do not recommend it but I will do so with Summer of 84. It has a similar feel but manages to give the viewer some closure, it's not perfect in any way but manages to bring up some nostalgia. It's just much better done than They Reach. Cheers!

They Reach starts off badly and gets worse from there. The movie begins when a Dr. Quinnley and his son Alex are visiting a woman whose son is possessed by an entity. The movie skips 10 years and continues with a girl called Jessica getting a tape player from an antique store in 1979 after the death of her brother. The same tape player used to record an attempted exorcism ten years earlier. Jessica cuts herself while trying to fix it and bleeds all over it. Soon weird stuff happens, there are apparitions and people start seeing things which are not there. The movie is badly written and the family reaction to the death of their son is not very well portrayed in the film. They seem to come back from the funeral and within minutes the mother is asking the girl about a science project. The characters are mostly one dimensional and wooden and most of of the acting is bad although the kid actors are ok more or less and seem to have the most fleshed out characters and show the most promise out of the whole cast. The dialogue gets worse and worse and the dialogue between the two main cops in the movie is cringeworthy. Not really worth watching as there are many other horrors out there that do the material better. A 3/10.

A lot of reviewers, some of whom, I supect have not seen this film, have, in my opinion, been very unfair to it. "They Reach" is by no means a bad little horror film. There's a real "Stranger Things" meets "The Goonies" vibe on offer here, rounded out with a 70's nostalgia trip, that's done extremely well. This is balanced by surprisingly excellent acting from younger cast members in particular, who really steal the show. The horror effects are nothing special but they don't really need to be. In spite of the blood and minor gore, this is on a certain level a dark horror comedy. Its not supposed to be taken too seriously. In short this ones a winner. Its inherently likable, watchable and entertainingly silly in a scary demonic kind of way. 7/10 from me.

Don't take this too seriously and you will enjoy. I watched it blind and it held my attention from start to end. It is a bit of a mess at times but overall an enjoyable flick. Casting is good. Characters are likeable. Female lead is definitely the standout. FX are competent. Storyline is a bit silly almost to the point that it appears diliberate? Maybe a tongue'n'cheek tribute to Stranger Things/Goons genre? If you like those I am sure you will enjoy this.

Went into this with low expectations. I thought the acting was descent and while fx was good enough give that the writer and director was going for a late 1970's feel. The movie takes place in 1979 and the feel of the movie felt to some degree to the Stranger Things series. The 3 teen characters (13 or 14) are nerds of the era. I was in high school in '79 and the cars and low tech are authentic. The under 30 movie goer my not like it I liked it and I'm 58. Read the movie summary for the story idea.