“In the Tall Grass” Movie Review

    It’s official, 2019 in now officially the year of Stephen King adaptations.  What is most amazing is that many of them have actually turned out well.  So when Netflix released their own Stephen King adaptation, “In the Tall Grass”, I felt extra compelled to check it out.  After watching the film, I also felt compelled to write this review.

    This film starts with siblings Cal and Becky (who happens to be pregnant) as they stop by a church.  From the nearby field, they hear the voice of a small boy named Tobin who appears lost in the grass field.  The pair are concerned as they hear Tobin’s mother pleading with him not to call for help.  Cal enters the field and Becky soon follows.  The siblings are separated and the distance between the pair seems to increase by the second.  The pair try to make their way back to the road but neither of them can find their way out.  While in the field, Cal encounters Tobin around the same time Becky comes across Ross, Tobin’s father.  Things clearly aren’t as they seem as Travis, the father of Becky’s baby, goes looking for them in what seems to be one day later but is actually weeks later for Travis.  The things the group discovers next can only be explained as supernatural as they try their best to find a way out of the tall grass.

    The film is based on a novella by Stephen King and his son Joe Hill and is full of all the suspense you might expect from the duo.  The film is sometimes shocking and horrifying in ways that took me aback some.  These graphic moments sometimes go a bit too far in my opinion but the film doesn’t shy away from some stomach turning moments so if that is your cup of tea, you are in luck.

    The film is intriguing from the beginning, giving the viewer the same sense of confusion that the main characters are going through.  The film does a good job of keeping the audience’s attention until revelations start to unfold.  While this style of storytelling does a decent job of retaining the viewers attention, it unfortunately creates a great deal of pacing issues throughout the film.

    The film definitely has an interesting premise but the answers provided in the film felt too simplistic to justify the film’s overall runtime.  As a storyteller, I personally believe that you shouldn’t open a mystery box if you aren’t willing or are unable to provide satisfactory answers.  It’s a shame since the field being at the center of a space and time warp of some kind is an interesting plot device.

    “In the Tall Grass” was directed by Vincenzo Natali and this film feels very much like one of his works.  I found his directing a bit frustrating in this film because he had some really interesting shots throughout some of the film but they were so poorly lite that it was hard to make out what was going on in the film.  As for the cast, they all do serviceable job with only Patrick Wilson really standing out.  Patrick Wilson is so over the top in this film and hammy yet it somehow works perfectly.  The man can do no wrong.

    The film is definitely not the best Stephen King adaptation this year but far from the worst overall.  The film doesn’t hit the heights the premise suggests it could but it is still enjoyable.  If you are looking for a spooky film with some good scares, this film is definitely worth a watch.

Grade: C+