Review: THEY REMAIN is Recommended To Any H.P. Lovecraft Fan
It's a difficult task to review a film where it's best to go in as blind as possible. They Remain's plot and characters are best kept as neatly under wraps as possible as the most enjoyable viewing experience is trying to piece it all together yourself. That being said, They Remain is an enjoyable albeit a bit flawed psychological thriller.
The barebones premise of The Remain is that two scientists are tasked with surveying an area of land of some importance. They are under the employ of a shadowy corporation that sadly never becomes more involved or integral to the plot.
The story starts out very strong and drops you right into the middle of what's going on without any handholding. In fact, I wish more films were brave enough to treat their audience like They Remain does. But sadly the plot and characters get somewhat boring to watch as the pacing loses its footing in the second half.
The first half of the film does an incredible job with playing with the stakes and ratcheting up the tension but unfortunately, in my opinion, the film doesn't culminate to any satisfying crescendo. If the film was 20 minutes shorter the ending could have had a lot more impact rather than feeling like a drawn-out conflict.
The production design and cinematography are the definite high points of the film and was the main thing that kept me engaged throughout. I definitely recommend the film to any Lovecraft fans as some of his famous themes are played with in this film.
They Remain is available now On Demand and Blu-Ray. The movie was directed by Philip Gelatt and stars William Jackson Harper (The Good Place) and Rebecca Henderson (Mistress America ). Here's the trailer: