Dir. William Brent Bell | Now Streaming On: Prime | Rating: 2/5

This was one of my most highly anticipated releases of this year, especially considering my love for the franchise’s first installment. I saw pretty consistent positive feedback from the community and felt like I was in for a treat. Maybe it was a combination of the hype and my feelings for the original, but First Kill was such a let down. ⁠
⁠
First Kill feels like a flimsy copy of its predecessor. The script and acting, with the exception of Isabelle Fuhrman, has much to be desired. The dialogue between the characters is clunky, painting each of them as flat and unlikeable. The twist at the midway point feels cheap, shoehorned, and clumsy. Maybe it just wasn’t to my taste, but I didn’t find the twisted arch of the Albrights even slightly amusing. ⁠

Critics are calling this “campy” and maybe that’s where it’s missing me. What I enjoyed about the original was its ability to hold suspense and seriousness, setting a nauseating and eerie tone for the twist. The tone shift felt too far off from its source material for this to land for me. ⁠
⁠
My biggest critique of First Kill is how far we’re supposed to suspend our belief for any of this to make sense. Plot points aside (but honestly, we’re we really supposed to believe not a single immigration authority wanted her fingerprints at any point in this process?) there are a lot of strategic camera angles, costuming, and lighting as an attempt to disguise the fact that Isabelle Fuhrman is no longer a child acting as a child, but an adult acting as a child. The fight scene in the kitchen was just the camera spinning in a circle at that point. ⁠
⁠
As a fan of the original, this felt hollowed out and unsatisfying for me. A lot of folks had a good time watching this, but for me – this is a hard pass. ⁠
⁠
Know Before You Watch: Features death, blood, gore, flashing lights. ⁠