Angels Fallen (2020)

Angels Fallen: Directed by Ali Zamani. With Nicola Posener, Houston Rhines, Michael Teh, Li Jing. After the tragic loss of his wife battling the forces of darkness, Gabriel is persuaded to rejoin his former team of demon hunters traveling from relatively obscurity in America to the deep unknown regions of Europe. He is joined by his estranged best friend Michael who harbors a dark secret, the mystical Hannah whose visions predict the future, and a motley crew of demon slayers. After losing part of his team Gabriel must confront his tragic past and decide who really is friend or foe.

“BUG is a creepy psychological horror yarn directed by William Friedkin, the man behind such u0026#39;70s classics as THE EXORCIST and THE FRENCH CONNECTION. Is this film in the same league as those films of yester-year? Not by a long shot. While the premise has a great deal of promise behind it, by the end this is a huge disappointment, a film that sacrifices disturbing realism for over-the-top theatrics by the climax, which is a real shame.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eTheatrics is appropriate, as in the end this turns out to be adapted from a stage play, as evinced by the single-room setting. The first half is quirky and unusual, as we watch the film wondering how itu0026#39;s going to turn out. It flirts with a lot of themes and genres, without ever being easily pigeon-holed into a single one. Is it a psychological study of madness? Is it a creature feature horror flick? Is it a study of domestic violence, a romance, a two-hander character piece? Itu0026#39;s all of those, but by the end the intense script falls apart and ends up tackling over-the-top sci-fi themes and becoming somewhat laughable.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eOne thing that does keep you watching is the calibre of the acting, which is top dollar. Ashley Judd is a fine piece of casting as the put-upon, run-down heroine, and she lends this film a sense of gravitas that would have otherwise been missing. Michael Shannon is a scene-stealer, his quirky, paranoid war veteran one of the most charming performances Iu0026#39;ve seen in the past few years, and thereu0026#39;s a neat extended cameo from Harry Connick Jr, too.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe film has plenty of strong moments, a few bits of nasty violence, and a rather silly climax. It all mixes together into a rather unsatisfactory brew by the end, but hey, at least itu0026#39;s different.”