Circle Line (2023)

Circle Line (2023). 1h 20m

“The plot for this Singaporean horror film is simple.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eA reptilian beast is released by the mother of itu0026#39;s owner after her child dies (implied); where it takes up residence in the subway system; and accidentally triggers a switch, to route one of the trains onto an unused track…where it gets stranded…and open to attack by said monster.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eBut not a whole lot in the film makes sense.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThere are so many questions that go completely unaddressed.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eFirst and foremost, what the hell the alien looking beast even is.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eHow the kid in the intro came to own it?u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eHow big it got before they released it?u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eHow long it was running rampant in the underground tunnels for?u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eHow it survived?u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eWhat it was feeding on?u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eNot to mention all the gaping plotholes we are supposed to ignore.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eMainly…how you could conceivably u0026quot;lose a trainu0026quot; in a modern subway system, in this day and age.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eHow the studentu0026#39;s father was able to find them…while the rest of management was left in the dark about their location (despite the fact he told them where he believed they were).u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAnd how they lost contact with him.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eNot to mention, how the beast managed to procreate…when there is only one of them.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThough, I guess we are to assume it possesses the capability to reproduce parthenogenetically.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eIt certainly requires quite a bit of assumption, to simply engage with the storyline.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eWhich isnu0026#39;t exactly u0026quot;goodu0026quot; writing.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003e(I wonu0026#39;t even get started on the lop-sided character development)u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eOn top of this…the monster is rendered with rather choppy CGI.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eTo be fair, itu0026#39;s not the worst CGI Iu0026#39;ve ever seen.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eItu0026#39;s certainly better than the what we see in Cocaine Bear (to offer a reference point), for example.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThatu0026#39;s for sure.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eBut they were way too ambitious with the action scenes…when their tech (or budget) just couldnu0026#39;t handle it.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003ePlus…the acting is quite bad.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eParticularly in regards to the mother and son characters (who are the main characters in the film).u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe kid was so damn annoying…I found myself rooting for his death.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eI just wanted him gone.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAnd the mother wasnu0026#39;t much more tolerable.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eBut, alas…u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eI donu0026#39;t think you can blame Singapore for this.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eIt was a valiant effort.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eI place the blame on Netflix for producing this type of high concept trash on the reg.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eItu0026#39;s always been their policy to aim for quantity over quality.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eIu0026#39;ve no doubt this was a one-line pitch when it was green-lit.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eCause it shows.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003e2 out of 10.”