"Linh Luc: Quy Nhap Trang" attempts to exploit Vietnamese folk horror elements, thereby incorporating many messages about cause and effect in feudal society. However, the film is still limited in terms of special effects, script and acting.
Horror movie Lynx: Possessed attracted attention when gathering familiar faces such as Hong Dao, miss Thuy Tien, Samuel An, Thien An… Behind the project are director Luu Thanh Luan and producer Vo Thanh Hoa. Last year, the duo created a “fever” Demon Dog - achieved impressive revenue, over 108 billion VND.
With this comeback, the crew is expected to continue to bring a quality work, promising to create a new fever for Vietnamese cinema. Unfortunately, the film still has many limitations in both script and image.
Borrowing ghost stories to tell human stories
According to legend, the lynx is a black cat with a tuft of hair in the middle of its forehead that looks like a third eye, allowing it to see supernatural forces. When the lynx jumps over a corpse being embalmed in the house, the deceased will slowly sit up and become a possessed ghost.
Based on that idea, the film takes viewers back to Hue in the 1960s. The story revolves around the Duong Phuc family - a wealthy aristocratic family whose eldest grandson unfortunately had an accident and fell into the river.
During the funeral of the nephew, a black cat with red eyes suddenly appeared and jumped over the coffin, after which the dead man suddenly woke up. Next, a series of strange events continued to occur in the house, including someone being murdered for unknown reasons.
That makes people believe that the Duong Phuc family has been cursed by demons because of past sins. Me Bich (Hong Dao) - the most powerful person in the family - and her two sons Vinh Trong (Van Anh) and Vinh Thai (Samuel An) must find a way to help the family overcome the storm...
Lynx has a simple plot, similar storytelling Demon Dog when not overusing jump scares to scare the audience. The script also has calculations when continuously inserting twists to surprise, arouse the curiosity of the audience and at the same time solve the knots set at the beginning of the film.
Through the story of the lynx, the script criticizes feudal society when male chauvinism and superstition are still deeply rooted in people's minds. The film also incorporates the familiar message of evil being punished. After a series of events, the characters all realize the lesson of cause and effect, thereby changing their way of life, turning to goodness and finding ways to atone for their mistakes.
Still limited
Learn from experience The crew invested a certain amount in the setting and costumes. In the film, the ancient capital of Hue is portrayed as both poetic and terrifying. The ghostly image of the faceless palanquin procession or the image of hungry ghosts are highlights, bringing novelty to Vietnamese cinema.
However, the special effects are still not impressive enough. Many horror scenes are ruined by the fake, unnatural computer-generated images. The appearance of the lynx also does not create the necessary feeling of fear. Many scenes are too dark, somewhat reducing the viewer's experience.
In the second half, the script is a bit weak because the plot is still predictable, lacking the creativity needed to keep the audience interested. The content gradually becomes rambling, lacking highlights. The ending is also simple, somewhat reducing the emotional flow. build from the beginning
In the cast, Hong Dao scored points with the role of Me Bich - the most powerful woman in the Duong Phuc family. On the outside, she is cold and always upholds tradition to the extreme. However, inside the character there are many conflicts and hidden corners of her heart that she does not know how to share with anyone.
Miss Thuy Tien is a notable factor because it is her first time entering the film industry. However, she did not leave much of an impression in the role of maid Phuong. Standing with professional actors, Thuy Tien revealed her weaknesses in acting, especially her lack of diversity in handling characters.
Returning to the silver screen, Van Anh also created sympathy with the role of the eldest son Vinh Thai. He acted naturally and showed understanding of the character. Meanwhile, other actors also overused the dramatic acting style, leaning towards screaming and rolling their eyes, somewhat reducing the emotional flow of the film.
Lynx: Possessed launched at the time Vietnamese movies is being strongly suppressed by Hollywood blockbusters and Korean films. Thanks to a good promotion strategy, the work was well received by audiences right from the first screenings.
According to statistics of Box Office Vietnam (an independent box office monitoring unit), the film quickly earned more than 20 billion VND after only three days of early screening, topping the box office chart. At the current rate, the project is likely to soon reach the 50 billion VND mark this week.
The crew said this is the “opening shot” for a series of 14 horror film projects, each film corresponding to a different animal, associated with Vietnamese folk beliefs and long-standing mysterious stories. Therefore, at the end of the film, there is also a plot that hints at other works.
In general, Lynx: Possessed There is an effort in wanting to exploit the elements of Vietnamese folk horror. However, a few limitations make the film lack the depth and weight needed for an impressive horror work.
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