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Lights out full movie5/25/2023 ![]() Spoiler alert: suicide is not only present but acts as the climax to the main story of the film when a woman is shown brandishing a gun before turning it on herself and discharging it while it is against the side of her head, however no gory visuals are present and the lack of lighting conceals details in the scene. It acts as one of the few character development points for said characters indicating the woman's avoidance of a committed relationship. ![]() A premarital relationship is a major component of two of the main characters' situation which is pushed on the viewer in a fairly drawn out scene about the woman not allowing the man to stay at her residence for the evening after an implied sexual encounter. Be aware that some complex topics are intertwined with the story such as mental health, abandonment, estranged family member situations, and suicide. The character development rises just above completely flat, and very little can be said of cinematography beyond utilizing lighting as a plot device. That story, coupled with the jumpscares, keeps the movie above monotonous drivel. ![]() A semi-complex backstory is revealed, but explained thoroughly, so most children of at least twelve or thirteen should be able to follow. Lights Out opens nationwide on Friday, July 22.Lights Out relies mostly on jumpscares to frighten but is held together by a clear and cohesive story. ![]() Lights Out is an impressive debut by Sandberg that offers enough inventive scares out of a fairly simple idea and gives you characters you care enough about that you’re on the edge of your seat hoping they can overcome what’s waiting for them in the dark. Then again, for better or worse, all the best horror movies had sequels, with the exception maybe of Rosemary’s Baby, so if people really want to see more of Diana, they can probably figure out a way to bring her back. We don’t need a sequel to every horror movie. Unfortunately (or fortunately), the movie is left in a place where the story is really over and it might be hard to find a way to do a sequel, but maybe that’s a good thing. The quality of the acting and writing puts the film on a level with last year’s It Follows where it feels there’s a strong vision at work behind the camera. Bateman (previously in Annabelle) also does more to make Martin more interesting than most horror movie kids. Lights Out might have been a complete disaster without such a strong cast, but Palmer in particular brings more to the character of Rebecca than a less skilled actress, making Rebecca infinitely likable, especially in her rapport with DiPersia. They find a lot of inventive ways to have the four of them interact and counteract Diana’s ability to get around in the dark after she finds a way to take out the entire power grid in their location. There’s a point in the movie where it relies too heavily on the drama and the exposition, losing sight of why most will be interested in it, but it more than makes up for it during a fast-paced last act where the four main characters are trying to outsmart Diana before she kills them all. Produced by James Wan ( The Conjuring), the film has all the benchmarks found in his movies, including strong character development and storytelling, although in this case it feels slightly more unbalanced between the drama and the scares. Either way, Diana is a horror antagonist similar to Samara from The Ring and others, only with more of a personal connection to her victims. There’s much more to Diana’s backstory and how she became this mysterious and murderous figure, but that seems better left for when you watch the film. We soon learn that shadowy figure is what’s left of Diana, a childhood friend of their mother who suffered from a skin condition that wouldn’t allow her to be in light for any amount of time.
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