Azrael review
Samara Weaving doesn’t need to speak to be a badass…but Azrael would have benefited from having a word or two.
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Azrael
Directed by E.L. Katz
Written by Simon Barrett
Starring Samara Weaving, Vic Carmen Sonne, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, Vincent Willestrand, Sebastian Bull and Eero Milonoff
Azrael Review
Azrael probably isn’t the first movie that hinges on a great Samara Weaving performance. It almost certainly won’t be the last. This time, Weaving has one arm tied behind her back due to the story’s insistence on making its characters silent. An opening text screen explains why. Don’t expect it to pay off in any big way later. After a while it begins to feel like the gimmick is in place to cover for how slight the story is. That said, the direct nature of the narrative is one of Azrael’s highlights. Let’s call the decision a mixed bag.
Azrael (Weaving) lives in a post-apocalyptic world set years after the rapture. She, and her partner, are abducted by a religious cult. Azrael manages to escape their attempt to sacrifice her to the strange creatures in the woods. Her bloody, fiery path of vengeance leads her on a journey of discovery…and murder.
Azrael’s lack of dialog covers for the story’s lack of ideas. Without anyone explaining what’s happening…the movie can slow play things as you try to figure it out. There’s nothing overly complex about the story, mind you. The cult is protecting a pregnant woman who is going to deliver something special. Let’s just say the antichrist. No one can tell us that…but antichrist births are way up this year in horror…so I feel safe in assuming.
The majority of Azrael involves watching Samara Weaving hide from or attack the encampment full of zealots. She’s great in the role. That’s enough to elevate Azrael to a good watch. It’s not enough to recommend going out of your way to see it, however. It’s a competent production…but its insistence on silence is reminiscent of the problem with last year’s also good but not great No One Will Save You.
Azrael provides a more logical reason for the lack of speech…but it isn’t as strong thematically. In No One Will Save You, Kaitlyn Deaver (who also delivers a strong performance) is an outcast. It makes thematic sense that she doesn’t speak, and that no one speaks to her. It falls apart when she is alone, fighting off aliens, and doesn’t give so much as a “huh” over the situation. The movie tips too far into gimmick for the sake of gimmick. People in Azrael have decided speech is a sin and renounce it. Their silence works narratively…but there is no thematic payoff or use of the gimmick beyond having it.
If anything, Azreal uses it as a cheat. Expelling dialog extends what slight mystery there is here. It also prevents definitive, overly explained answers…which is a positive in this case. It allows the script to leave any B-plots underdeveloped. Azrael’s journey doesn’t require speech to be effective. Nor does Weaving need it to deliver in the role. The rest of the movie, however, would have benefited from changing up the formula and exploring deeper concepts. Instead…any other character or storyline sits uninterestingly in the background.
Luckily, Weaving nails her part and keeps the proceedings interesting enough to cover for it. There isn’t a lot going on in Azrael…and when it is fully focused on Azrael’s mission…it works. When the movie leans in any other direction it comes up empty. It never drifts too far into new territory…but that’s kind of the problem. There’s less here than there could be. A rich world is shown with little information or backstory. People exist in the woods…few housing structures to be seen. Yet, they drive around in cars. Gas is still available…why aren’t neighborhoods? Feels like something that would benefit from a monologue. Or, at least, a brief discussion.
Azrael feels like a short story expanded into a feature film. Instead of adding lore or expanding on characters…it strips speech and lets the concept do the work. That said, Samara Weaving is, as usual, terrific. The movie is bloody when it needs to be. The third act action works well. The final image is interesting. There’s enough to land in the category of “good”. Or, more accurately, “good enough to watch if you have Shudder in October”.
Scare Value
Azrael is a solid feature. It’s coming to Shudder in October…and is worth checking out when it lands there. The no talking gimmick never rises above feeling like exactly that. It doesn’t prevent Weaving from delivering another great performance. The simple story is easy enough to follow but you won’t be getting much nuance out of the ordeal. Stripping the dialog probably does make it more interesting in the long run…but it feels like it just excuses the movie from having to deliver a deeper story.
3/5
Azrael Link
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