Long Version of the Review:

(Please note that this write-up has spoilers!)

I have long gotten bored of James Wan’s horror plots and epically the style and I don’t like it that it doesn’t really stick or scare me anymore. When I saw the trailer, it was hopeful and when I saw the movie, it was not too disappointing.

The lighting maintained all throughout the movie had a good impact, but the writing for the screen, parts of it worked well, parts of it sucked. The buddy cop equation was tiring while the weird equation between George Young (The cop) forensic tech Winnie was distracting. She is all over him, while he is trying to work and she’s flirting in all the wrong situations, idk, why it was even there. I mean, James, why?

And of course, this like below, something that pretty much comes up in so many movies, and here we have it way before the 20-minute mark. Again, distracting.  

So, it is about a currently-pregnant-too-many-miscarriages-in-the-past wife living with a physically abusive husband. Random fight, husband hits her, so loses her consciousness and wakes up to see a shadow-like demon. She wakes up and loses the baby and her husband.  

Post this, her sister comes steps in to take care of her, and quite a few numbers of murders happen after that. She is literally transported into the places where the murders happen when she initially thinks they are nightmares, she realizes that they are real murders and she is somehow able to “see” them.

Right at this moment after a couple of them, it was pretty clear where it was headed, broadly.

She is questioned by Detectives Kekoa Shaw and Regina Moss, who don’t agree with each other a tall. Annabelle, later she finds out that she is adopted, and they dig deeper into her past, and I won’t give out any more spoilers!  

On the whole, I loved the foggy basements, underground ruins, creepy suburban houses, and smooth floating camera angles. But the plot and making as such was neither scary nor interesting.

James started several horror franchises, and somehow, now for me, the jumpscares aren’t working anymore. Not at least for me! Malignant is a psychodramatic creepfest, I might not go back to it and I hope it doesn’t go and become a franchise.  

TL;DR

Bechdel Test: Pass

Rewatch: Maybe not.

Awards: None yet I suppose

My Rating: 2.5/5

Final Word: Camerawork, the settings were quite well done, and the CHASE!