Franchise Longevity
The Insidious franchise, now in its fifth installment with “The Red Door,” has sustained impressive longevity over more than a decade. However, its success is more about financial gains than distinctive storytelling. Unlike other horror franchises with iconic monsters or unique narrative devices, Insidious has thrived without any memorable features, primarily banking on the “creepy thing that jumps out” trope.
Early Success and Direction
The first few films benefited from the steady hands of James Wan and Leigh Whannell, who maximized tension through skillful use of the camera. With Patrick Wilson directing “The Red Door,” the lack of innovative techniques becomes apparent, exposing the formulaic nature of the franchise.
Plot and Characters
The story follows the Lambert family, particularly Josh (Patrick Wilson) and his son Dalton (Ty Simpkins). After undergoing hypnosis to forget their past traumas, the family faces new challenges a decade later. Josh and Dalton’s relationship is strained, leading to a road trip for Dalton’s college move-in, where suppressed memories resurface.
Themes and Execution
Wilson attempts to inject depth with themes of repressed memories and generational trauma, but these are muddled by clichéd horror tropes and unsubtle symbolism. The screenplay, written by Scott Teems, struggles with disjointed plotlines and lackluster scares, making the movie feel disconnected and stale.
Technical and Artistic Choices
Wilson incorporates nods to genre history and classic horror elements but fails to bring a unique directorial voice. His overuse of facial close-ups reveals his actor-turned-director status, and the heavy-handed use of color-grading signals danger without subtlety.
Conclusion
“Shazam! Fury of the Gods” might have been better if it were more focused on both Billy and Freddy and their hormonal anxieties. Billy dreams of wooing Wonder Woman (in two scenes), and Freddy’s got a crush on new girl Anthea (Rachel Zegler, who sadly has no chemistry with Grazer). Billy keeps saying he’s all about family, but maybe he should focus on feuding with his surrogate brother and wrestling with his super-ego? That worked before, so why not an encore?
Most of the big emotional moments lack cornball vigor, though Levi still takes all the extra room he’s given to create a goofy character who, like an actual teenager, doesn’t have a filter or an indoor voice. This makes up for some things, especially in a movie where the big action scenes mostly sit there, and the gags need to be both sped up and punched up. You have to want to hang out with the Philly Fiascos, and Levi’s arguably the best combination of main character and lead performer in a recent superhero pic. It’s too bad there are several other characters in this movie.
