Crimson Peak felt like a guilty pleasure for me. I couldn’t tell if it was good or bad because I’m a sucker for Victorian Era stuff. I loved this film since I first saw the trailer for it; actually seeing it was just confirmation. But if you like the trailer, you’ll love the movie. It is exactly as advertised.
In the aftermath of a family tragedy, an aspiring author is torn between love for her childhood friend and the temptation of a mysterious outsider. Trying to escape the ghosts of her past, she is swept away to a house that breathes, bleeds…and remembers.
The acting was great. I was happy to see Jim Beaver (Bobbie from Supernatural), I’ll watch him in anything. Jessica Chastain and Mia Wasikowska were convincing, as was Charlie Hunnam, but the real star was Tom Hiddleston. I just loved him. The thing he does so well is chemistry – his interactions with the other characters were so fraught and genuine. He even took his shirt off at one point, so full marks there.
I wasn’t a fan of the writing so much. The dialogue was a bit awkward; characters talked like they were out of fiction from that time rather than people from that time. I might be splitting hairs here, but it just felt… clunky. The pacing was a bit off as well. We were never sure what characters were trying to do or needed to do, sometimes it seemed like they just wandered around while this magnificent movie unfolded around them. There was even one point where I felt I watched the same scene play out twice with the same result. It is worth noting, though, that this movie well and truly passes the Bechdel Test. Much of the plot revolves around the interactions of the two female leads.
Rating: [star rating=”4″]
