Nutshell Review: Relic

PG Score: 5.75/10

Relic was a bit of a snooze fest to be honest. It had a few creepy and unsettling moments, but for the most part it’s much too slow. This is not a straight up horror flick. In fact, it’s more of a drama than anything else. It has horror elements sure, but it’s a drama at its core. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again...I like slow burns, but there’s gotta be some payoff along the way. There’s simply not enough of that here; it just drags and drags. I will say that it did end on a semi-high note, but it’s still not nearly enough to justify the slog it takes to arrive there and even then, the payoff isn’t anything groundbreaking.

There are only three characters who are really in the movie (a few others have a scene or two at most) and the actresses all do a nice job. The familial drama and character interaction works well enough for awhile, but at a certain point, it just becomes dull and repetitive. Aside from a few satisfyingly gruesome images and cleverly crafted bits of eerie horror, this one is a miss.

Relic is another movie that I feel is heavily overrated by critics. I get the message that the movie is trying to convey and I even did my post movie reading, which sometimes will boost a rating for me if I better understand something I missed, for example. That is not the case here, unfortunately. A 93% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 77 metascore is outrageous. The 6.0 user-rating on IMDb is more accurate, but I’m landing on a 5.75/10. I was looking forward to this one so I must say I’m disappointed. I can’t in good faith recommend Relic. I won’t say steer clear of it at all costs or anything, but if you decide to take the plunge, bump it down to the bottom of your watchlist.

PG Score: 5.75/10

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