Greetings And Salutations, and welcome to my review of Onirica; here's the breakdown of my ratings:
Story: 0.50 Direction: 0.75 Pace: 0.25 Acting: 0.25 Enjoyment: 0.50
TOTAL: 2.25 out of 10.00
The premise of this film will have all the Dario Argento fans and followers salivating. I'd drooled so much I had to grab the armbands and float. Some days I wished I'd learnt to swim. However, after watching this Italian imbroglio I would've been happy to go under for the third time that day.
I've had the pleasure of being assaulted by many stories in recent years, and Onirica is one of the worst. Nothing in this thriller is exciting or credible. Even when the writer reveals the killer's rationale in the finale, it reeks of imperfection. And truth be told, the writing in the whole story is poor, as is its structure, and the writer's research. From the first murder, the detective on the scene digs up a couple of unlikely suspects - Two writers who have written their own books and collaborated on one about Dario Argento. Her quick suspicion is because the committed murder is a reconstruction from Argento's classic Deep Red. But how did she know of these two authors or their work, and why would they be suspects? It's flimsy at best, and it's lazy writing at worst. Instead of researching the police and their procedures, the writer simply does as he pleases - it's the writer's prerogative gone mad. The audience requires the correct police methods to add realism. Without realism, everything becomes fake - Like Onirica is an incompetently forged Argento film. Add to this some of the shoddiest characterisations I've come across. I thought it impossible to get flatter than one-dimensional, but the writer somehow manages it. If you can relate to any person in this movie, I'd suggest going online and finding the nearest shrink.
At least the direction lifts the story a tad. He's a slightly better director than a writer is Luca Canale Brucculeri. He has a good eye for composition, except he holds the shot too long. Bless him; he tries to replicate some of Argento's techniques. Sadly it looks as though he uses colour filters for most and not lighting, and the shades he uses are too washed out and not vivid enough to make the same impact. Still, it's a decent effort. But he's also not averse to reusing segments, and sometimes it's too obvious, like the shrieking swifts flying through the Turin streets. It merely serves to pull the viewer out of the film. I also found the reuse of the Suspira setting, along with rehashed segments, annoying. Brucculeri probably meant it as a tribute, but it appears pretentious and inferior. But the saddest and most cringe-worthy section is Michael Tobias' session with Dr Mauri. The doc hypnotises him, and we get to relive his memories, and they are risible, to say the least. When you mix in the film's slow pace, it only allows the audience to spot all the directional flaws.
As for the cast, they are terrible. Even the fat lady's corpse is horrendous. She's not too awful in her initial scene. However, when she reappears in Michael's nightmare, all she has to do is slowly fall forward while blood flows from her mouth. The scene should be creepy, and she should scare you. But all I could do was snigger. Her huge wide eyes, slightly open mouth, and Brucculeri's filming render it unintentionally funny. But it's the severe absence of conviction and skill that makes the performances so dire. Well, that is everyone except Alfonso Defilippis as Dr Mauri. He's the only one who looks like he's making an effort.
I am a big fan of Argento's movies, and after watching this offal, I was saddened and embarrassed for him. Had a skilled scribe and director handled the project, Onicira could have been a superlative picture and a proper tribute to a superb writer and director. As it stands, I would recommend everyone to disregard this travesty for the movies of the master. Go and watch any of the Argento classics; even his bad films are preferable to this.
Please feel free to visit my Killer Thriller Chillers and The Game Is Afoot lists to see where I ranked Onirica.
Take Care & Stay Well.
Story: 0.50 Direction: 0.75 Pace: 0.25 Acting: 0.25 Enjoyment: 0.50
TOTAL: 2.25 out of 10.00
The premise of this film will have all the Dario Argento fans and followers salivating. I'd drooled so much I had to grab the armbands and float. Some days I wished I'd learnt to swim. However, after watching this Italian imbroglio I would've been happy to go under for the third time that day.
I've had the pleasure of being assaulted by many stories in recent years, and Onirica is one of the worst. Nothing in this thriller is exciting or credible. Even when the writer reveals the killer's rationale in the finale, it reeks of imperfection. And truth be told, the writing in the whole story is poor, as is its structure, and the writer's research. From the first murder, the detective on the scene digs up a couple of unlikely suspects - Two writers who have written their own books and collaborated on one about Dario Argento. Her quick suspicion is because the committed murder is a reconstruction from Argento's classic Deep Red. But how did she know of these two authors or their work, and why would they be suspects? It's flimsy at best, and it's lazy writing at worst. Instead of researching the police and their procedures, the writer simply does as he pleases - it's the writer's prerogative gone mad. The audience requires the correct police methods to add realism. Without realism, everything becomes fake - Like Onirica is an incompetently forged Argento film. Add to this some of the shoddiest characterisations I've come across. I thought it impossible to get flatter than one-dimensional, but the writer somehow manages it. If you can relate to any person in this movie, I'd suggest going online and finding the nearest shrink.
At least the direction lifts the story a tad. He's a slightly better director than a writer is Luca Canale Brucculeri. He has a good eye for composition, except he holds the shot too long. Bless him; he tries to replicate some of Argento's techniques. Sadly it looks as though he uses colour filters for most and not lighting, and the shades he uses are too washed out and not vivid enough to make the same impact. Still, it's a decent effort. But he's also not averse to reusing segments, and sometimes it's too obvious, like the shrieking swifts flying through the Turin streets. It merely serves to pull the viewer out of the film. I also found the reuse of the Suspira setting, along with rehashed segments, annoying. Brucculeri probably meant it as a tribute, but it appears pretentious and inferior. But the saddest and most cringe-worthy section is Michael Tobias' session with Dr Mauri. The doc hypnotises him, and we get to relive his memories, and they are risible, to say the least. When you mix in the film's slow pace, it only allows the audience to spot all the directional flaws.
As for the cast, they are terrible. Even the fat lady's corpse is horrendous. She's not too awful in her initial scene. However, when she reappears in Michael's nightmare, all she has to do is slowly fall forward while blood flows from her mouth. The scene should be creepy, and she should scare you. But all I could do was snigger. Her huge wide eyes, slightly open mouth, and Brucculeri's filming render it unintentionally funny. But it's the severe absence of conviction and skill that makes the performances so dire. Well, that is everyone except Alfonso Defilippis as Dr Mauri. He's the only one who looks like he's making an effort.
I am a big fan of Argento's movies, and after watching this offal, I was saddened and embarrassed for him. Had a skilled scribe and director handled the project, Onicira could have been a superlative picture and a proper tribute to a superb writer and director. As it stands, I would recommend everyone to disregard this travesty for the movies of the master. Go and watch any of the Argento classics; even his bad films are preferable to this.
Please feel free to visit my Killer Thriller Chillers and The Game Is Afoot lists to see where I ranked Onirica.
Take Care & Stay Well.