Dark Forces is Netflix’s latest horror movie directed by Bernardo Arellano and starring Tenoch Huerta, Eréndira Ibarra, Mauricio Aspe and Johana Fragoso Blendl.
Wait, I’m confused
Dark Forces follows Franco, who, in his quest to find his sister, ends up in a dilapidated hotel where he meets many questionable guests, while romancing a mysterious waitress.
This is such a confusing movie. Let me just start by saying there is honestly too much information packed in such a short runtime. Maybe if the creators had decided to make it a series, and provided the necessary information in a particular pace, it would’ve been better. Additionally, the story goes in so many different ways that it’s very hard to keep track.
This seems to be a vampire movie, but with weird CGI alien-thingies coming in and out of people’s mouths. I love vampire movies, I think they’re really interesting when done right. However, this movie is just so confusing with so little (or so much?) backstory, and with those demon-thingies, it’s just very messy to understand. Dark Forces also gave me major Suspiria vibes. However, the latter had a much faster pacing with some real nail-biting moments, that never happened in the case of Dark Forces.
Additionally, there were so many cringy sex scenes that were so unnecessary that it made me a bit sick. You would understand that these scenes are absolutely not necessary and were added just for the sake of it. Even the action sequences were just no fun to watch, and the choppy camerawork just made me feel confused and slightly dizzy. Also, the CGI is horrible.
Dark Forces, in a bid to add in as much lore as possible, turned its interesting concept into a forced horror flick that failed to create an impression. The vampire lore, the symbols, the affair and even the people in the movie felt forced – added just to create something that is not there.
In the midst of all the horror elements there’s a kidnapping and, although I was interested to find out what happened to the sister, the movie spent too much time showing unnecessary sex scenes and other unexplained sequences, leaving the kidnapping as an afterthought.
However, Dark Forces does deliver some great performances. Both the main characters, Franco and Rubi, have been portrayed very well by Tenoch Huerta (Narcos: Mexico) and Eréndira Ibarra (El Candidato). They were true to their roles and added a lot of mystery to a movie that felt anything but. Additionally, the tone of the movie is extremely on-point. It’s dark and gritty and the colours are rich. The cinematography, as well, is really nice.
Summing up: Dark Forces
I really wish they made Dark Forces as a TV series. I would have loved to know the entire backstory behind these characters and how everything worked. The rushed storytelling and so much information did not do anything for the movie. Dark Forces honestly had a lot going for it, but still failed to deliver anything. I can, however, see people liking this movie. For me, though, this was a no.
Dark Forces is streaming on Netflix.
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