Apostle (2018) Review

 "The promise of the Divine is but an illusion."
-Thomas Richardson



When his sister is kidnapped by an island-dwelling cult, Thomas Richardson (Dan Stevens) sets off on mission to infiltrate the cult and rescue her.  Things grow complicated as a struggle for power occurs on the island and the cult's beliefs might not be as phony as Thomas thinks.


What Works:

I love a good cult movie.  When done right, it's often my favorite horror sub-genre.  A mob of crazy religious fanatics is about as scary as it gets in my opinion.  And Apostle is scary.  It keeps you on the edge of your seat as Thomas does his best to avoid being caught.  The cult itself isn't even the only scary part.  What Thomas sees in the bloody tunnels is genuinely horrifying.

Speaking of Thomas, Dan Stevens is fantastic in this movie.  He isn't some generic horror movie protagonist.  Stevens portrays Thomas as angry to the point of being reckless.  He's a fun character to watch because he is simply pissed off about everything and he has every right to be.  I found myself relating to him a lot and he's the perfect protagonist for the film.

This movie is very similar to The Wicker Man in terms of story.  Obviously the tone is very different, but in The Wicker Man, we only get to see the perspective of the protagonist.  In Apostle we get to see the inner workings of the cult and the internal strife.  We get to see what the antagonists are thinking, which sets it apart from The Wicker Man and makes for a very interesting game of cat-and-mouse.

The pacing is surprisingly relentless.  I was expecting to watch Thomas keep his head down and blend in for the first chunk of the movie, but Thomas isn't that type of character.  As soon as he gets a chance, he goes.  It caught me off guard just how breakneck this film is and it makes for an exciting watch.

Finally, the gore is pretty awesome.  We get some excellent kills and over-the-top amounts of blood.  I'm always here for creative and gnarly kills and Apostle gives that to us in spades.


What Sucks:

My only complaint about this movie is I feel that some parts could have been developed more.  Thomas' relationship with his father, the relationship between the three founders of the cult, and the beliefs and practices of the cult all could have used more time to develop.  I think it would have helped us understand the characters and their motivations a bit more.


Verdict:

Though some aspects are a tad undercooked, Apostle is a great cult movie.  It's genuinely scary, has excellent pacing, awesome gore, and a phenomenal performance from Dan Stevens.  It has definitely got it going on.

 9/10: Great 

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