THE PARK (2023)

THE PARK (2023)

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(Sci-Fi, Thriller, Disneyland After Dark) [R]

Note: This movie was not given a rating by the MPAA, but it would have landed a [R] for language. It is given a TV—MA on streaming services. 

In this one, a virus wipes out all of the adults. It also wipes out any kids that get infected when turn into adults. Ines takes over a group of kids that have basically turned into killers to survive, stealing what they need to survive. Most of Ines’s group dies due to age and she and her friend Bui seek to find a legendary genius kid who might have the cure for the virus. 

First off, you kind of have to wade your way through the rocky beginning to get to where this movie is really going. One of the main concepts is that kids are really stupid and don’t understand much about the world. That message is spot on. I was one, so I can relate. You always know everything when you are a teenager or younger, then one day you get to that point where you realize. You were pretty much an idiot. 

The second message is that hope is out there and letting yourself become a sick crazy killer is never the solution, even in a psycho-world. Having a sense of humanity and really “faith” is what makes us human. The movie also covers the concept of redemption and doesn’t come across as preachy or pc.

This thing is pretty well shot and the acting is actually outstanding. Until this movie, I had never heard of Chloe Guidry, but she has been acting since 2015. From what I can find, she is only 10, but the source on that seems to not be able to verify it. She takes on the role of Ines and this and just absolutely crushes it. We also get a decent, but not as well-rounded performance out of Carmina Garay who plays Kuan. I was able to verify that Kuan is 18, but plays a much younger character in the movie. The rest of the main cast rounds out with Nhedrick Jabier who plays Bui. Jabier has been acting since 2018 and is 19. He does okay in this, but is off-screen for a large part of the film. I typically don’t focus on ages, but this just gives you an idea of the cast we are dealing with here. 

When it comes to the score it’s pretty effective but the soundtrack is pretty weak. I should also state that there is nothing "horror" about this movie. Not unless THE ROAD or HUNGER GAMES is "horror" to you. It doesn’t mean that the concepts aren’t controversial. Like in HUNGER GAMES, we have a situation where kids are killing kids, but the gore is thankfully left out. So at least for a few scenes be aware of that going into it. 

This is a pretty short flick and I like that they didn’t go in a certain direction with it. The relationship between Ines and Boi has jagged edges but shines over the course of the film. There are no wasted scenes and in spite of how edgy it is, there is some value in this. 

Overall this isn’t mind-blowing, but it’s definitely not what you would expect just by reading the synopsis. 

THE PARK gets a solid 4 out of 7, the redemption story brought this thing up a notch for me. It’s kind of like finding a bit of gold at the bottom of a dilapidated swimming pool. 

GRAPHICS ARE THE PROPERTY OF VANISHING ANGLE AND ARE USED FOR REVIEW PURPOSES ONLY.