Orphan Review

Review of Orphan (2009) by screenqueeen: 👍 3/5

HOOPTOBER 11 DAY 43 -12 DAYS REMAIN {EXTENSION GRANTED BY THE GREAT STATE OF TEXAS TO 10/31/24} {4 DAYS REMAIN IN CLEMENCY} TITLE 30 OF 39

There's a nice, mean tight sub-90 minute cut of this film somewhere among this overstated mess. The drama in the first 20 minutes actually worked for me (even though the twist has long been ruined), but the emotional stakes that get placed in Kate's character fade by around the 7th time we're shown how weird Esther is, and how she may not actually be a normal kid. I was actually tempted to skip through and see if anything would be lost pertaining to the details of how this would end.

That said this movie is perfectly fine, I just didn't need to be provided with constant and slightly shifting evidence that something weird is going on. It distanced me from what the movie clearly wanted me to invest in and I felt a little relieved once it was over.