Pandemonium (2023)

Pandemonium (2023). 1h 35m

“After a devastating car accident, several survivors get up from the wreckage only to realize they are involved in an existential crisis over their past indiscretions coming back to haunt them, and after learning of the fates of several others like them must find a way to deal with their situation.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThis was a highly disappointing and pretty underwhelming genre effort. The only aspect that really works well here is the initial setup and how it all starts which manages to bring about a highly effective use of chilling imagery to figure out whatu0026#39;s going on. The whole idea of the characters being stuck in the afterlife with no idea themselves comes about rather well and the moody location offers the kind of intriguing starting point that gets this going on a high note. As well, with the way the filmsu0026#39; approach to things includes a well-worn treatise on grief and the processing of trauma the way he comes across the other individuals who are stuck there like they are manages to be a highly effective setup that discusses the nature of sin in such a way as to be quite impressive overall. Beyond that, though, thereu0026#39;s not a whole lot to say about this one since the structure of whatu0026#39;s going on isnu0026#39;t all that enjoyable. This is due to the anthology structure present which makes very little sense for how itu0026#39;s incorporated. The inclusion in the middle of the film with very little warning that isnu0026#39;t that interesting beyond a one-note setup makes for some cliched stereotype setpieces to come about while only dealing with some rather bland and pedestrian themes. That they take up so much of the running time in the middle of the film offers up the kind of non-genre guilt trip that these stories are based on that it feels so shoehorned into this with the story of the murderous child being so confusing with where it takes place and how it all comes together with the imaginary friend that itu0026#39;s hard to enjoy it while the second story is barely genre-related at all about the bullied teen with so much of it about the motheru0026#39;s guilt for what happened. These arenu0026#39;t that interesting to watch and really just turn this off overall.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eRated Unrated/R: Graphic Violence and Graphic Language.”