Azrael

by Mike McGranaghan

Actors must love having a chance to appear in a movie like Azrael. There’s no dialogue, aside from one minor character who briefly speaks in a foreign language. Aside from not having to memorize lines, the actors get to rely solely on their physicality to deliver their performances. That’s the kind of challenge thespians love. This particular film is fortunate enough to feature a superior physical performance from Samara Weaving, an actress who often makes horror movies because she’s darn good at it.

Weaving plays the title character, who escapes imprisonment at the story’s beginning. The world has changed, thanks to what appears to have been the Rapture. Nobody speaks anymore and there are flesh-eating creatures roaming around, looking like they’ve been burned to a crisp. Rather than fleeing, Azrael attempts to locate and rescue her significant other, Kenan (Nathan Stewart-Jarrett), who was not lucky enough to get away. This puts her in conflict with their captors, a group of individuals who congregate inside an old church, where a pregnant woman in white seems to communicate with an evil force dwelling behind the back wall.

Director E.L. Katz (Cheap Thrills) and writer Simon Barrett (You’re Next) have cooked up a great example of what I call the “out of the frying pan, into the fire” movie. Every time you think Azrael couldn’t get into a worse situation, she does. Suspense is mined from her continual peril. How her predicament gets worse is where the movie reveals its cleverness. Layer upon layer is added until we understand what’s truly going on in that church. By the time Azrael figures it out, she’s got to make a bold move fast if she wants to survive.

Weaving is outstanding, saying everything that needs to be said with her facial expressions. Fear, determination, terror, empathy – all those and more come across vividly without a single spoken word. The actress excels in the action scenes, too. Her character is willing to be as aggressive as necessary, and she convinces us of that fact. As she did in Ready or Not, Weaving brings an emotional center to the very wild events of the plot.

Azrael deserves additional credit for mood-setting. The cinematography, editing, and production design combine to create a lawless post-Rapture world that feels menacing. Top notch effects work makes the movie’s blood and gore chilling. Watching those charbroiled creatures devouring an unlucky victim provides the exact sort of impact horror buffs crave. Squeamish viewers may end up watching chunks of the picture through their fingers.

Because of the nature of its tale, Azreal doesn’t offer a ton of depth in plot or character development. It’s basically an 85-minute thrill ride filled with daring escapes, brutal fighting, and unexpected shocks. In this case, that’s more than enough, thanks to the energetic filmmaking and the ever-dependable Samara Weaving.

---