Fallen (DVD) – Movie Review
Follow Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Romance
Director: Scott Hicks
Distributor: Belga Home Video
Duration: 88 minutes

Fallen (DVD) – Movie Review

Site Score
5.0
Good: Has potential
Bad: Wooden acting, No depth
User Score
3.0
(1 votes)
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Rating: 3.0/10 (1 vote cast)

You know a movie project is quite wonky if the DVD edition only hits the shelves five years after the movie has been released. We reckon this is due to the fact that the film’s sequel has only been announced quite recently, thus making this first entry relevant again. That aside, Fallen is a film that could be the lovechild of both the Twilight Saga and The Vampire Diaries. The film tries to capture the essence of an eternal love that transcends through time and space, but also a tragedy that keeps repeating itself over and over. While not fully convinced by everything this DVD had to offer, we were moderately intrigued by the story. Keep in mind, this first entry is not a complete story and that a sequel is still not guaranteed. Much like the aforementioned titles, this one is also based on a series of novels.

Fallen tells the story of Lucinda Price (Addison Timlin), a troubled teenager who wrongfully takes the blame for the death of a young man. She ends up at the Swords and Cross academy, which is basically a school for those not fitting in our regular society. Upon her arrival, she immediately gets drawn to Daniel Grigori (Jeremy Irvine), who apparently is a fallen angel. Little does she know, that she is actually part of an everlasting struggle between heaven or hell, that would eventually decide the fate of several fallen angels. Love will set many free, but in this case, love is also what bounds many fallen angels to our mortal plane, only able to go home when one angel chooses between heaven or hell.

The flow is somewhat in sync with the fact that this is the first part of a bigger story. The movie trots along at a slow pace, clearly building up towards the big reveal at the end of this first film. This is certainly not a bad thing, but with a lot of uncertainty surrounding the movie franchise as a whole, it might also mean you’re only getting the introduction this way. We would have loved to see a bit more depth when it comes to certain aspects of the film, but as a casual tragic love story, it does still achieve what it sets out to do.

Acting performances are fairly okay, albeit somewhat shallow. Most characters don’t really get fleshed out, which is a shame as certain cast members are actually quite experienced. We see a very superficial experience from Daisy Head, who actually shines in Netflix’s recent Shadow & Bones series. Joely Richardson, a veteran in Hollywood, is only playing a supporting role without much meat on its bones. The leading cast members all feel like they are showing up to play the part, but don’t bring anything original to the table. This movie, in many ways, could have been a presentation of the script, rather than an actual performance. While emotions are shown during the parts that matter, it all feels a bit stale.

Even though this first movie speaks for itself in terms of story, it would have been nice to have some special features on the DVD edition. It could have been nice for potential fans to learn more about the source material, or perhaps how certain aspects of the movie were handled. While the effects in the film were quite shoddily done, some behind-the-scenes footage would have certainly been appreciated.

Conclusion

Fallen feels like a somewhat expansive home project that has a few enjoyable scenes in it. It does feel like a copy of the two aforementioned bigger franchises, but even so, it does have a certain charm to it, making it an okay experience for those looking for a tragic love story. While we expected a bit more, especially when looking at certain cast members that climbed aboard this battle between heaven and hell, it’s still a fairly decent experience for a quiet evening. We cannot recommend getting this one at full price, but when found in a bargain bin, this one could be entertaining.

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Rating: 3.0/10 (1 vote cast)
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Fallen (DVD) - Movie Review, 3.0 out of 10 based on 1 rating
Ibuki


Aspiring ninja.

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