Miss Meadows (2014) Directed by Karen Leigh Hopkins
This movie somewhat confuses me and not in a very good- or thought-provoking kind of way.
First of all; it's a movie that's filled with contrasts. On the one hand Miss Meadows seems like a well mannered, sweet and loving kind of person but on the other hand she's a stone-cold killer as well. It doesn't matter much that she only kills 'bad' people, it doesn't make her less of a killer. And on the one hand the movie is trying to be upbeat, light and fun to watch but on the other it's also dealing with some dark and more dramatic themes. I'm not saying that movies with extreme contrasts in them can't work out but in this case there isn't really ever a very good balance between the multiple different themes of the movie.
Since the movie basically is about a vigilante, people will compare it to all of the Death Wish movies of course but it's a totally different kind of movie in my opinion and if I would have to compare it to something it would be the Showtime series "Dexter". Big difference though is that people actually could sympathize with Dexter and feel involved with the story and main character. I just can't say the same thing about "Miss Meadows" as well. Her character is too much of an odd one for that. It feels like her character belongs in a totally different movie with a totally different atmosphere and tone, mostly due to the way how the character looks, talks and acts.
But there also is a different reason why I just couldn't ever get into the character and get behind her actions. It's because the character just isn't a very interesting or well written one. The movie tries very hard to put in some extra layers to her character but fact remains is that the character never goes through any interesting or emotional transformations. The main character starts off one way and by the end of it, she's still exactly the same person.
It's also a bit of a problem for the movie that it's entirely being told from the viewpoint of the main character. This has as a direct result that all of the other characters, who seemed like potentially interesting ones, remain terribly underdeveloped and in some cases also definitely underused.
Not trying to sound too harsh about this movie but it feels like one big missed opportunity really. This movie very easily could have worked out as a much better one, with only a few minor changes and additions to it. Instead now, the movie misses the depth to work out as an engaging movie. I feel that somewhere in all of it. the movie was really trying to say- and do something thought-provoking and original but in the end, none of it came through as such. The story actually mostly comes across as flat one instead, that also relies far too much on bad clichés and extreme stereotypes (priests like young boys, men are rapists and ex-cons are all evil crooks who can't better their lives).
Certain elements of the movie feel rushed and poorly developed, such as the romantic angle for instance. It seems like an interesting plot development; a vigilante falling in love with the police sheriff who's in charge of investigating the murders she has committed but there actually is absolutely never anything interesting, suspenseful or surprising about any of the romance. As a matter of fact; most things in this movie just happen and develop without a good build up. It all has as a result that there never is a suspenseful moment in the movie, never a surprising enough plot twist and never a powerful enough dramatic moment neither.
And speaking of rushed things...the final 20 minutes of the movie were absolutely horrible in my opinion. It was like the movie was desperately searching for a way for the movie to end and for it to end with a 'bang' but again; it all feels far too poorly developed to work out as anything engaging or suspenseful, also not helped by some absolutely awful and rushed editing.
On a more positive note; even though I didn't really liked her character, Katie Holmes' acting is really excellent and I wouldn't at all be surprised if she won some awards for it.
The movie seemed to have some good ideas in it and it definitely showed plenty of potential but none of it comes together well enough.
5/10
Watch trailer
First of all; it's a movie that's filled with contrasts. On the one hand Miss Meadows seems like a well mannered, sweet and loving kind of person but on the other hand she's a stone-cold killer as well. It doesn't matter much that she only kills 'bad' people, it doesn't make her less of a killer. And on the one hand the movie is trying to be upbeat, light and fun to watch but on the other it's also dealing with some dark and more dramatic themes. I'm not saying that movies with extreme contrasts in them can't work out but in this case there isn't really ever a very good balance between the multiple different themes of the movie.
Since the movie basically is about a vigilante, people will compare it to all of the Death Wish movies of course but it's a totally different kind of movie in my opinion and if I would have to compare it to something it would be the Showtime series "Dexter". Big difference though is that people actually could sympathize with Dexter and feel involved with the story and main character. I just can't say the same thing about "Miss Meadows" as well. Her character is too much of an odd one for that. It feels like her character belongs in a totally different movie with a totally different atmosphere and tone, mostly due to the way how the character looks, talks and acts.
But there also is a different reason why I just couldn't ever get into the character and get behind her actions. It's because the character just isn't a very interesting or well written one. The movie tries very hard to put in some extra layers to her character but fact remains is that the character never goes through any interesting or emotional transformations. The main character starts off one way and by the end of it, she's still exactly the same person.
It's also a bit of a problem for the movie that it's entirely being told from the viewpoint of the main character. This has as a direct result that all of the other characters, who seemed like potentially interesting ones, remain terribly underdeveloped and in some cases also definitely underused.
Not trying to sound too harsh about this movie but it feels like one big missed opportunity really. This movie very easily could have worked out as a much better one, with only a few minor changes and additions to it. Instead now, the movie misses the depth to work out as an engaging movie. I feel that somewhere in all of it. the movie was really trying to say- and do something thought-provoking and original but in the end, none of it came through as such. The story actually mostly comes across as flat one instead, that also relies far too much on bad clichés and extreme stereotypes (priests like young boys, men are rapists and ex-cons are all evil crooks who can't better their lives).Certain elements of the movie feel rushed and poorly developed, such as the romantic angle for instance. It seems like an interesting plot development; a vigilante falling in love with the police sheriff who's in charge of investigating the murders she has committed but there actually is absolutely never anything interesting, suspenseful or surprising about any of the romance. As a matter of fact; most things in this movie just happen and develop without a good build up. It all has as a result that there never is a suspenseful moment in the movie, never a surprising enough plot twist and never a powerful enough dramatic moment neither.
And speaking of rushed things...the final 20 minutes of the movie were absolutely horrible in my opinion. It was like the movie was desperately searching for a way for the movie to end and for it to end with a 'bang' but again; it all feels far too poorly developed to work out as anything engaging or suspenseful, also not helped by some absolutely awful and rushed editing.
On a more positive note; even though I didn't really liked her character, Katie Holmes' acting is really excellent and I wouldn't at all be surprised if she won some awards for it.
The movie seemed to have some good ideas in it and it definitely showed plenty of potential but none of it comes together well enough.
5/10
Watch trailer
