Adaline (2015) Reviews

• An Obnoxious Insult To Its Audience

  hieulee2015-12-31

  Having had the opportunities to watch some surprisingly good indie films, I stumbled upon Adaline and decided to try my luck on it today. Unfortunately, the movie was just too painful to watch. Firstly, the poor writing as well as directing makes Adaline worse than a child play and just randomly develop without proper pace or any logical connections between each scene. There was so much nonsense that it seemed like the director just got rid of characters from the screen or resurrected them whenever he felt like doing it. I found this ridiculous and hilarious at the same time as it left the whole audience with uncountable WTF moments throughout the film. Secondly, the acting looks stiff, boring and fake, making it hard to evoke people's curiosity and to terrify them as a thriller/horror movie was meant to do. In fact, I could not tell if it is thriller or the kind of horror where you die of boredom. The only bright spot of Adaline is its cinematography peppered with some nice shots of Golden Gate Bridge and interesting use of angles. I am glad I finished it at the end of 2015 rather than wait until 2016 to torture my brain at the beginning of a wonderful new year. Believe me, I really try to leave a positive review on every film I have seen but this so-called movie is just impossible. It was funny that the whole audience in my room actually gave a big round of applause when Adaline ended. I guess they were really happy that they could finally escape their mental abuse with courtesy.

• so so bad

  sarahyearwood2015-12-03

  I have always tried to leave positive feedback. I like the idea of making someone feel good when they deserve it. Unfortunately, I chose to leave feedback that isn't good today. This movie was so bad, I just spent the last half an hour searching for it on Google, finally locating it on IMDb, and now leaving a review. It was not scary. It was so boring. I regret watching it.the main character doesn't scream until the end. I couldn't tell if this was a murder horror or a ghost horror. Its neither. Its the type of horror where you die from boredom. I'm trying to post this review, but IMDb wants ten lines. I don't even want to make the effort, but I feel like other people need to know how terrible this movie was. How did this even get a 7.6 on IMDb!? That rating beats Rocky 5. I would rather watch Rocky 5 on repeat for the rest of my life than be subject to this movie again. Please, whatever you do, don't watch this!

• Gives TV Movies a bad name

  tarquinotterfield-124562015-12-10

  To compare this to TV Movies really insults TV Movies as some make the effort and produce something actually watchable on a similar budget. This film was terrible, 1 dimensional characters, poor writing and just a complete muddle, it wasn't clear what genre it was aiming for and managed to underwhelm in several. In essence a poorly acted lady inherits a house and starts to see dreams or visions of herself in a wig from another life. It really never pans out to mean anything and eventually turns out to be a film about abusive exs or something? Also there's a pretty offensive mentally handicapped dude for really no reason at all, unsure if its the writing or the acting but his handicap appears to be just dressing and talking funny, hes pretty much just a normal otherwise. Stick a dude in dungarees and glasses and suddenly hes mentally handicapped WTF??? Poor effort all round people avoid like the plague.

• Well Acted, Well Produced, Well Done

  tonyurgo-970652015-12-13

  Adaline has good production values with a solid cast and a well told story. It looks great and the story has plenty of twists and turns and elements of surprise. The pacing is good and the different locales - San Francisco, then a rural town in Marin County - offer a nice contrast to setting and atmosphere. The lead female protagonist, a frustrated painter trying to get her work seen, inherits an old house and sees it as an opportunity and new start to her work and life. Of course the house comes with a past and secrets that spill into the present when she arrives and settles in. It's an interesting mix of horror, suspense, supernatural and mystery genres - there's something in it for everyone. Recommended.

• Good late night flick

  robbinlee-12015-12-16

  I thoroughly enjoyed ADALINE - it was full of surprises, suspenseful, and beautiful to look at. Being an indie film one might expect the production values to be a bit uneven, but the film flows along and keeps all the balls in the air. The cinematography in particular stands out: foggy moonlit night scenes, a dusty spooky attic filled with mystery, the hustle and bustle of the city. The music and the soundtrack deserve mention as well. The audience I saw ADALINE with was very absorbed with the film and seemed to find several plot turns genuinely surprising. Always a good sign. Overall a positive viewing experience. Recommended!