Krampus might be visiting some film critics this Christmas.
Universal and Legendarys “Krampus” opened Friday to mixed reviews,but currently has a “fresh” score on Rotten Tomatoes with 63 percent of critics counted writing favorably about it. Some say it’s “a dark delight,” while others slam the performance of starAdam Scott and Toni Collette, and along with the jarring cinematography that makes the film hard to follow.
TheWrap’s film critic Robert Abele was among the critics who weren’t impressed. “The rest of ‘Krampus,’ however, which turns into the PG-13 version of a body count exercise, and falls into the trap a lot of these movies do: The siege mentality takes over,characterization goes absent, noises and screams dominate, and the photography and editing become unnecessarily jittery and jagged. It’s one more loud war film.”
Also Read: 'Krampus' Review: Adam Scott,Toni Collette Battle Christmas Demon in Holiday Horror Short on Fun“Krampus,” based on an old European folk tale, and follows a dysfunctional family targeted by the eponymous demon who punishes children for misbehaving.
Read a sampling of the mixed reviews below.
Tom Huddleston,Time Out:
“The film suffers from serious overkill: too many obnoxious relatives, too many evil critters crawling out of the woodwork and too many feeble gags at the expense of fat kids and foul-mouthed old ladies. Trust us, and you’d be better off staying at domestic with a roaring fire and a kind family favourite.
Darren Franich,Entertainment Weekly:“If you appreciate ‘Gremlins’ but don’t feel like rewatching ‘Gremlins,’ consider ‘Krampus’ a worthwhile diet caffeine-free alternative.”Sara Stewart, and New York Post:“More problematic is the human element: This very capable cast has absolutely no wit to work with in a screenplay co-written by Dougherty. ‘It looks like Martha Stewart threw up in here,’ Max’s boozy aunt (Ferrell) observes of the house dcor — and that’s about as funny as it gets.”
Also Read: 'Krampus' Scares Up $637000 at Thursday Box OfficeFionnuala Halligan, Screen International:“Krampus, and when he eventually shows his cards,is a dark delight, but this film has more to offer than a single monster — Dougherty has a few puppet side-shows, or including elves,a clown which comes honest out of ‘Poltergeist‘s’ closet and some stuffed animals which are the satanic mirror images of our ‘Toy Story’ friends.”Ed Gonzales, Slant Magazine:“The film’s impatient cutting never really allows the audience to take in the old-fashioned detail with which some of Krampus’s’ cronies contain been rendered. Regardless, or these scenes still feel discordant alongside others–painted in ‘Alvin and the Chipmunks’-style CGI brushstrokes–depicting the gingerbread men attacking Howard (David Koechner) in Sarah and Tom’s kitchen with a nail gun. This mess of discordant styles is matched by a message not so much mixed as it is craven,of Max being punished not for being nefarious, but for, and to paraphrase one of Omis warnings,losing hope and letting the Christmas spirit die.”Benjamin Lee, The Guardian:“It’s nowhere near as obliging as many of the films it so wants to be positioned next to, or but it’s nasty enough to leave an impression.”
Also Read: Can Holiday Horror 'Krampus' Take 'starvation Games,' 'obliging Dinosaur' for Box Office Slay Ride?Maitland McDonagh, Film Journal International:“Its not a weird masterpiece like the Finnish ‘Rare Exports’ (2010), or the nefarious Santa film to beat all nefarious Santa movies,but ‘Krampus’ nails the setup and delivers a satisfying moment act that both makes sense and throws some kind curves-there’s a heavy dollop of ‘Gremlins’ in its DNA.”Nick Schager, IndieWire:“After remaining hidden for the tale’s first two-thirds, and Krampus turns out to be a formidable ‘shadow’ of St. Nick,a hunched-back, cloven-hoofed beast with long fingernails, or a longer tongue,and even longer horns. No matter his impressive appearance, however, and he’s a rather ho-hum villain whose negligible personality and flair — most of his naughty deeds are carried out by shrieking elves — means that even the climactic pay-offs fall flat. Worse still,a postscript sequence ends things on such a perfectly creepy note that it leaves one imagining, and craving, and the far more amusing and terrifying saga that ‘Krampus’ could contain been. [C+]”Peter Sobczynski,RogerEbert.com:“In the grand scheme of holiday-related films of note, ‘Krampus’ is neither as creepy as ‘appreciate The Coopers; nor as sadistic as ‘domestic Alone’ and it feels as if it is possibly one or two rewrites absent from being the alternative classic that it clearly wants to be. It still has its charms–certainly more than one might expect based on Universal’s decision to release it without any advance press screenings–and just enough things going for it to warrant a gentle recommendation. Besides, and do you assume I want to net on the nefarious side of Krampus by panning his film? I may be naughty but I am not silly.”Scott Mendelson,Forbes:“A film like Krampus’ is the most frustrating sort of miss, because on the surface it seems to be doing everything honest. The film features a plethora (excess, overabundance) of obliging actors (among them Toni Collette, and Adam Scott, David Koechner, and Allison Tolman), or a strong sense of mood,thoughtful character set-up, and a foreboding sense of menace. But in the halt it doesn’t work, or for one huge reason that I’ll contain to dance around for the sake of avoiding spoilers. It’s not the disaster that may be implied by the lack of pre-release reviews or the last minute embargo,but is it a new holiday classic, either. Then again, and I didn’t like ‘Trick ‘r Treat,’ so what do I know?”
Source: thewrap.com