Missing (2023)

Missing (2023). Missing: Directed by Nicholas D. Johnson, Will Merrick. With Tim Griffin, Ava Zaria Lee, Nia Long, Kimberly Cheng. After her mother goes missing, a young woman tries to find her from home, using tools available to her online.

“LIKESu003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003e-Good Pacen-Movies likes these can sometimes be slow trudges through the digital mud that are boring.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003e-Fortunately, the movie does a great job of keeping pace and getting us to each point, helping to usher us to the end within 90 minutesn-And yet it, still did not rush through too many things, keeping you engaged and giving adequate details at each component to help you solve the clue.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003e-Itu0026#39;s charming use of some characters, and helping balance the clue integration in all showed great juggling and attention to details in the story.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003e-Acting Is Goodn-These arenu0026#39;t parts that are going to win any gigantic awards, but that doesnu0026#39;t mean they crafted great charactersn-Nia Long does a great job in the fleeting moments of her screentime. I loved the direction and her take as the mom, making these snippets feel like, well snippets of life to convey this intriguing charactern-The other two mentioned are good when they strike, but to be honest, they are first billed characters whose time is very cut dry for most, so Iu0026#39;m going to choose two other characters instead.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003e-Storm Reid the main actress was dominating this film, and I felt she was very good in the conveying of a teen caught in an odd situation.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003e-At first selfish and with a short fuse, the transformation over the course of the movie as the situation gets messier is startlingly good for this type of movie. There is class, there is realism, and there is an engaging character that is all about bringing the attitude and emotion of the movie to full forcen-Her chemistry with the rest of the cast is striking, and I loved, loved, loved her dynamics with so many people in this film, with seldom overacting being seen.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003e-Joaquim de Almeida is my favorite character, because of the way he played his character and the direction.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003e-Sort of the comedic relief at times, Javi as he is called, relies on delivery, logic, and that splash of realistic involvement that I couldnu0026#39;t help but clap at how much I related.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003e-Again, they all do a great job and really compose this intriguing relationshipu003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003e-Like The Charactersn-I said in acting, but the characters, at least the ones involved in more of the movie are characters I find very intriguing.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003e-June is a teenager with a lot of layers, many of which get exposed, developed, and sort of rubbed raw that I actually enjoyed the growing into something more.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003e-Graceu0026#39;s character starts out silly and sort of cliché, but soon turns into something with a bit more sustenance and relatability as the cyber chase continues.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003e-Javi is sort of a goof, and a side character that is engaging, charming, but still has more to him that we get into a natural mention, but never lose focus. An asset that sort of helps in more ways than one, I looked forward to more moments with him in this movie.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003e-And Kevin, the man of mystery, plays his role quite well too. I canu0026#39;t say much, but the key factor is trying to figure out which way he leans in this movie and the way this film continues to toy with you in this game of strings. Speaking of which.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003e-Several Twistsn-The movie is certainly not linear, and thrives on the ability of keeping you on your toes.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003e-Which leads are real and false will always be the question on many minds as June continues to look for the truth, and it really keeps things interesting for me.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003e-Youu0026#39;ll find your searching to be very fun as you seek out who is the person behind all this mess, and for much of the movie, I enjoyed being kept on my toes and trying to keep things straight.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003e-A Decent Hook To Get You Inn-These movies have had horror and missing reports as the primary story, so how do you make it interesting.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003e-Well, the twists mentioned above help much with that, itu0026#39;s the fact of great characters and this weird occurrence that helped hook me in.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003e-As the hook sort of slid for me, I quite enjoyed the attempts to reset it so to speak, adding some thrills, some teases, and a little more engagement with characters overall keeps the story interesting for those like men-And there is always an edge to the story that helps add that enjoyment, to show there are more stakes in the game than we thought would be the case.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003e-How Clever and Haunting It Isn-And with that edge and the twists, there is a haunting element to the movie, one that always played with the back of my mind.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003e-Missing is a movie that involves a lot of work and energy to cracking the case, and more so through the use of profiles and digital information.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003e-And as the closets are open, and the skeletons within reveal, the movie takes that True Crime element into the mix and helps make the thrills even more engaging and personaln-Throw in how one has to pay attention, remember clues, pay heed to details to get to the answer and figure out the element and well, itu0026#39;s very smart writing that incorporates so many things into one movie and had me enjoying the ride.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003e-The Scary Messagen-By the end of the movie, you are going to have a potential new factor for how much is shared online.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003e-As stated, June has to dig through a lot of things, and in that, you realize how vulnerable we all are on the web.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003e-VPN companies and other securities may thrive on this, but you can certainly see just how crazy cyberspace is in the hands of the determined and smart.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eDISLIKES:u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003e-Not Necessarily Originaln-It both is and isnu0026#39;t original.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003e-Weu0026#39;ve had movies of disappearing people through webcams, Searching, and we have had mystery films that sometimes do it better.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003e-However, the way this is blended together, really helps shave than unoriginal block away to round out the edges we are familiar with.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003e-I can also say that the fact I have not seen one of these in some time is also something that helps with continuing to blunt this, so well done there.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003e-Some Gaps in Knowledgen-I have to say this because the characters sometimes make changes that are out of character and it gets a little cheesy.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003e-After everything going on, when the big moments hit, there is surprisingly idiotic choices made.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003e-Do they help mix things up and keep the drama on tone? Sure, I wonu0026#39;t lie and really helps with the edge/chill factor we mentioned earlier.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003e-But, the intelligence of the character being hit that much is where you lose me, and I think that is where this dislike comes in and how stupid we can be in the right moments.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003e-It just seems a little dramatic twist given the state of the character.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003e-The Convenience Factorn-Letu0026#39;s face it, these always happen, and there is sometimes where the catch of the characteru0026#39;s clue searching results in a leap to solve the trail.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003e-Again this is minor, but it relies on a gimmick sometimes that is out of character for the other people involved in this story.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003e-Most of the caseu0026#39;s other leads and stories help really mitigate this though, so I canu0026#39;t say Iu0026#39;m the most upset, but, that does not mean itu0026#39;s without its own leaps in the story.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003e-And how in the world do all these apps stay open or donu0026#39;t have a shut down time, is beyond me as it helps big time with the movie.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003e-Slight Character Skewingn-The character usage is well, itu0026#39;s okay for the most part.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003e-About three characters have the majority of the movie and are the ones shouldering the weight of the movie more than others, and thatu0026#39;s fine.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003e-However, there are characters with these build up moments that sadly get the shaft and feel they had been edited out at parts for me.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003e-The best friend, the momu0026#39;s best friend, even Javi at point become like extras and just miss the mark for me. And for a reviewer like me, thatu0026#39;s an annoyance I hate to experience when the rest of the movie is good, collected and shows what could have integrated them in.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe VERDICT:nMissing had a lot of steps to take to be awesome in this web screen genre, and for the most part… it worked. This movie may seem simple and low budget, but I honestly found the adventure engaging, refreshing, and fulfilling as I watched it in my showing. Itu0026#39;s one that is above all very smart in its story layering, details, and mystery planning, doing its best to keep you engaged in the film and piecing things together. The characters in this movie are actually likeable and believable and it makes the difference in going down this familiar rabbit hole. Throw in the gripping edge with some twists to keep things fresh and fun, and it really does hit more nodes that make for a wonderful adventure in the horror/thriller footage document. Certainly it has faults with the convenience factor that you just have to watch and get over, and the gaps in knowledge of characters can be frustrating. However, these are rather trivial factors in a footage genre that works so well for me. Thus, I would encourage to see in theaters, but this is one for home viewing definitely if you have the time.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eMy scores are:u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eDrama/Thriller: 8.5nMovie Overall 8.0.”