Him Review: One step backward for each step forward
Hearing that this was produced by Jordan Peele and was a genre-bending sports horror got me really excited for this film. The low ratings didn't worry me because I often love films with lower scores... I mean, one of my favorite movies has a 0% critic score and 25% audience score, so, you know, if I'm intrigued by a premise, I'm still going to go check out the movie. Before I get into this review, I just have to say: much of the hate for this film is overblown, even if the root criticism is entirely valid. Many of the film's great aspects go under the radar, and those who enjoy it are usually relegated to having only one or two likes in comments sections flooded with hatred. This is a film that is fun to talk about due to its spectrum of greatness and weakness, so let's get started talking about it already in today's Reel Ranker review.
Usually, I talk about the negatives first and end with the positive, but with this film, everything is too intertwined for such an approach to be reasonable. Since it's a sports film at heart, I'm going to talk about that first.
I love the premise of mixing a psychological horror film into the world of sports. I'm honestly surprised it hasn't really been done before. The introduction establishes many of its themes really well. This film almost entirely focuses on the psychology and never really shows any football being played. As somebody who did sports and understands how they take a toll on you, but isn't all that interested in watching them, instead preferring the stories of how sports can shape us and help us overcome difficult challenges in life? The angle this film took was a whole lot more interesting to me. While I know some people were disappointed we didn't get to actually see football being played in the film, I didn't mind.
The themes here were great and extensive. I've seen very mixed opinions on the theme here, with some saying they were too heavy-handed and some saying they were too subtle. It's odd to say, but I'd agree with both of them, if that even makes sense. It simply depends on a scene-by-scene basis for me. Regardless, they were still all around great, with a couple of exceptions. Any Biblical shots or references that were in this film didn't really go anywhere, unfortunately.
I enjoyed the theme that sports can sometimes become too much of a ritualistic affair, where people sacrifice everything they ever had for glory. That onlookers watch in glee as young men destroy their bodies for the fame, for the money, or whatever it may be. In such, it also explores toxic masculinity and how many men are forced by society and by those around them into situations where they can't catch a break, or they'll be considered weak. I really feel for Cade here as we see how societal expectations and his own desire for greatness begin to control him, as I've been in situations where I've fallen into those pits, and it is not easy to pick yourself back up out of those situations.
There are a lot of other themes that can be extrapolated and picked apart here. Parents and other influential figures, who peer-pressure children into becoming things, organized "religion" (or in this case, football), is destructive, et cetera.
While I thought the acting was great, especially from the two main characters, a lot of the dialogue was so cringeworthy and self-contradictory. There are times when the film would take itself quite seriously, and other times when it was super campy. Overall, I didn't find the integrity of the script to hold a candle to the visuals that were being displayed. The script was certainly the weakest part of this film, and the main reason I didn't enjoy the film.
Also, the execution of the story was simultaneously very basic, but framed in a way that was quite complex to the point it felt a tad pretentious. The script wasn't witty enough to take the simpler story and elevate it to what it could've been... which is a shame, as the leaked original script was more witty all around, even if it wasn't perfect either. With such a great premise, it was rather disappointing to see such a mediocre execution of the story. The most grating element for me was the fact that, with how eccentric the visuals were, it was often hard to tell if what was on screen was literal or symbolic. Obviously, I love myself some symbolic, dream-like shots that take us into the minds of our characters, but when it cuts between them in a way that is annoyingly ambiguous to interpret, it's just decently disappointing. There were also some little plot holes, and plot jumps that were a tad dissatisfying; not terrible, but could've been better. With its execution, the narrative here very much fits under the time-old adage of 'style over substance', making the film not resonate in the way it certainly could have.
Yet the style is incredible, and is a major contributing factor to why I highly respect this film, even if I don't love it. With beautiful, surreal imagery boasting popping colors and intriguing cinematography, I felt like I was taken back to Kubrick's The Shining. Seriously, Justin Tipping has a serious eye for the craft. I want to see him make more cinematic films right now, because this looked great. While the psychological and supernatural elements of the film were seriously underbaked in the script, the way they were shot was distinctly fantastic.
The element I'd like to end on is the ending. While it was perhaps my favorite scene of the film, it felt thrown in at the last minute to make the film more entertaining. While it succeeded in being a gore-fest action sequence, it really highlighted the film's eventual convolution and narrative downfall. What should've been a compelling psychological thriller suddenly becomes supernatural, then R-rated action, and then it ends. The tone and genre shift near the end of the film, while entertaining, failed to deliver what was set up, instead paying off solely on the front of superficial entertainment.
The Reel Ranker Verdict
Reel or Unreel? - Reel
The Reel Ranker Score: 52%
Letter Score: B-
Star Ranking: 2.5 out of 5
Like how I felt about Jordan Peele's Nope, this isn't at all an average movie, but I still have to give it an average score because, again, I enjoyed a ton of things and really disliked a lot of things. It is, again, one of those films I love researching and discussing much more than I enjoyed watching. While its story fell apart and the script lacked cohesion, Him's impeccable cinematographic flair, great performances, and solid theming offer enough that I can see the good drastically outweighing the bad for some—just not for me. For that reason, I still recommend this film.
Check out my Nope review below!
Brighton Nelson
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