The Ritual - A Netflix Movie Review

If we go into this dark forest, I have a feeling that we are going to regret it.

Entering the dark forest in 2017, The Ritual is a Netflix film. A group of friends goes on a hike through the mountains of Sweden. Venturing through the dark forest, they are met with a foreboding presence, watching them at every turn. Will they make it out alive?

The storyline for The Ritual is what caught my attention. Evolving around the psyche of four men who each are battling their own nightmares, part of the message of The Ritual bequeaths audiences to let go of the demons or they’ll get lost in the shadows.

Rafe Spall, Arsher Ali, Robert James-Collier, and Sam Taunton did an excellent job bringing their friendship to life. Each man differs in personality. That’s my favorite about this film.

Clearly, they tend to get one another’s backs with quirks, complaints, or past mistakes. The friends have learned to live with them. Friendship is a gift, and you learn several valuable lessons. Never underestimate it.

The cast dug deep into their emotional arcs. Getting into the right mindset for a startling film like this, their terror-stricken faces were effective.

Cinematography plays a character of its own. A few years ago, I went on a trip to Sweden. Camera angles spoil audiences with gorgeous scenic shots of the large mountains and grassy lands. I wanted to join the men on their adventure - for a time. Once they enter the dark forest, every stick that snaps puts you on the edge of your seat.

David Bruckner did a fantastic job conveying the ambiguous nature of the film. Focusing on certain areas of the first, specifically the trees, he wants us all to pay attention to the subtle details. Something is lurking in this forest and we don’t know what.

Bruckner’s remarkable attention to the atmosphere as a whole sold the moral of the story. The unknown stays the unknown - until the last act of the film. The ending for The Ritual felt out of place like it was part of another film. It ruined the mysterious tone of the film.

Designs for the creature were terrifying. You must pay attention closely because there are several blink-and-you-miss-it details strewn into the film.

I did not think that I was going to enjoy this film. Based on its cryptic tone, I doubted that it was going to convey and story, depending more on jump scares. The story is deep. It contains layers.

The layout of the film is also remarkable. Nightmare sequences are fun to do. Intercutting a crucial set into the forest is presented as a creative feature. It looked like we were in the mind of one of the characters.

More attention could have been aimed at the ending. The ending wasn’t as strong as the beginning and middle half. The ending started to derail itself away from the story. It did not feel like closure despite what the message entails. Aside from the ending, the film was great as a whole. It delivered a spooky essence, playing with your mind.

If you’re looking for a new film for the Halloween season, The Ritual is a suspenseful film that keeps you on the edge of your seat at every moment. It’s genuine. Characters and cinematography make you feel the dread of the situation, which is the definition of how a horror film should impact viewers.

If you have not yet seen The Ritual, I recommend that you look into it on Netflix the October. Give it a chance and enjoy it.