I had some fairly high hopes going into this new horror film starring Ethan Hawke. The trailers and ads I had seen looked as if it could be a well done thriller. The Black Phone isn’t a bad film per say, it’s just sort of underwhelming in my view. The cast, particularly the child actors, do a really nice job and are actually the best part of the whole film. That in and of itself is a big red flag for a film of this genre. It’s great to have a capable and talented cast but when the cast is the big highlight of a spooky horror flick, there’s an issue. The strongest link in the chain for this kind of film should be the script.
Mason Thames and Madeleine McGraw are the strongest members of this cast and they both give very impressive performances. I’m sure they both have bright futures in this business as they mature. Thames is really the lead here and he does a very nice job captaining this ship, especially for his age. He plays his role in a very likable way so that we become invested in his character. Thank god for that because without it The Black Phone would have really been in trouble.
McGraw is also very good as the determined sister of Thames’s character. She has a lot of spunk and makes for an entertaining supporting character. Her performance isn’t quite as memorable as Thames’s but she still leaves an impression.
Miguel Cazarez Mora is another young actor I want to make sure and praise for his well toned performance as a boy Thames befriends during the film. The child actors are so good in this that they outshine the adult villain, Ethan Hawke. To be honesty, I was a little let down by Hawke’s performance here. He has done very well in other films of this genre such as Sinister and The Purge, but I felt he was lacking in this.
Hawke is undoubtedly a talented actor who has proven himself in past projects but to me he failed to convey the intensity needed. His lacking performance really matches the films overall take on horror though. I felt this films script and visuals really were not that scary and I didn’t feel that intense sense of suspense. I was surprised that this was as pedestrian as it is when it comes to scares and thrills.
There are a few surprise jump scares but they fail to elicit any genuine sense of suspense. The majority of the “scary” moments you see coming and just aren’t that exciting. I think that’s really the undeniable truth of The Black Phone; it’s just not that exciting.
To me, this is a pretty simple run of the mill kidnapping story. Now this is not to say that a simple kidnapping story can’t be well done and thrilling because it absolutely can be, but you’ve got to build a strong foundation and keep us on edge. This film just does an iffy job of that.
The first act gave me hope that they were on a decent trajectory but after the actual kidnapping takes place, it just goes downhill. It’s so funny because the point at which all the suspenseful juicy content is supposed to take place, it just becomes very average and so-so. The exact opposite of what I was expecting took place.
I know a lot of folks are praising this and I respect that, and yes, it has its moments. But at the end of the day, I just wasn’t impressed overall. I think they played it safe and didn’t reach far enough. I do look forward to seeing these child actors go on to do wonderful things though!
The Black Phone has its moments and the child actors do a very nice job, but this is pulled down by a so-so script and a lacking villainous performance by Hawke.
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