It is not uncommon for a prequel to nearly match the original. But sometimes it happens anyway. A good example of this is the horror film “Orphan: First Kill”.
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Orphan: First Kill – a description of the plot of the film
The action of the film “Orphan: Rise of Evil” takes place in 2007, that is, a few years before the events of the first part ( to be seen, among others, on Netflix ). In it we meet Leena, who is in a psychiatric hospital in Estonia. At this stage, I have to reveal the key information, which is a powerful spoiler for the first installment of the series.
The authors of the film “Orphan: First Kill” do it in the first minutes, revealing that Leena, who looks like a 9-year-old, is actually a 30-year-old woman with limb disorders that block her growth and a psychopathic urge to kill. Returning, however, to the main storyline – Leena managed to trick the factory and impersonate Esther, the missing daughter of an American family years ago. After arriving in the States, he begins to plot his intrigue.
Orphan: First Kill – good bad movie at its best
The strength of the film “Orphan: First Kill” is its self-awareness. The creators are well aware that the general concept of this series is not of the highest quality. Just like the previous movies. Which does not mean that you cannot play well and skillfully with these themes. And so they do.
“Orphan: First Kill” plays with its strengths and weaknesses all the time to its advantage. So instead of serving us another mainstream scarecrow with a predictable plot and the proverbial “jumping around the corner”, we get an interesting mix of psychological thriller with a B-class slasher and a really successful twist in the middle. The authors also approached the story of the age of the main character in an interesting way, on the one hand, the fans of the series got to know the twist associated with her, quite famous in some circles, at the end of the first film. But we’re getting a prequel anyway, so you might have wondered how they’ll try to surprise us when all the cards are exposed.
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And as I mentioned above, the creators consciously revealed the secrets of Leena / Esther in the first minutes of the screening, because they had a completely different and unexpected twist up their sleeve, which you will see in the middle of the screening. Of course, I will not reveal what it is about, but I must admit that this twist turned out to be really unexpected, surprisingly intelligent (for this type of production), perverse and even … funny, but in a good sense of the word.
There are prequels that were created only for money, while the story ones have no justification for their existence. “Orphan: First Kill” does not belong to this case. This is not a horror masterpiece of course, but I fully understand the desire to create this movie. A good idea plus an intelligent man playing with B-class themes can give us a really good screening. And this is the case here.
Orphan: First Kill – film evaluation
Of course, “Orphan: First Kill” is no revelation, nor will it be among my top horror films in recent years. It is simply a successful entertainment cinema with a thrill that successfully exceeds the average. The plot is actually bizarre, even for a slasher, but if you are able to accept it and know and like the previous installments of the series, “Orphan: Rise of Evil” should be a pleasant surprise for you. The more so because both its formal layer (good, atmospheric photos and editing) and acting (both Isabelle Fuhrman in the role of Esther and Julia Stiles in the role of her “mother” are just great) present a solid level.
So if you are looking for a horror movie that tries to introduce a breath of fresh air into the series, skillfully plays with slasher motifs, not taking yourself seriously, but also respecting the audience, then “Orphan: First Kill” can bring you 100 minutes of movie fun at a higher speed.
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