"The Golem" (2018) plays very much like a sequel to "Der Golem" (1920). It goes so far as to open with an earlier incarnation of the Golem, which is very reminiscent of the clay giant from the original story. In fact, I would have loved to have seen more than the glimpse of we get of that fabulous monster, but alas, it was not meant to be.
We, instead, are taken to a village, years later, under siege by outsiders who blame the small Jewish community for a plague that has spread across the land. That is, it has spread everywhere except into that small, isolated community. In order to protect her people a woman, who should have no knowledge of such things according to the laws at the time, decides to conjure a protector. But, despite her efforts to form a massive protector, instead a child rises from the clay.
The movie is slow to start. It may seem like nothing is going on, but like any good story, it is laying foundations for plots that will unfold later on in the film. And they unfold quickly and furiously once they start.
Despite his small size, the tiny Golem proves to more than an adequate hero. And he is no less violent that his gigantic predecessor. All of that is fine. I'm not sure about the strange "force-like" powers they seem to have endowed him with, but that just may be me. I like to see my Golems physically destroy things, like the Hammer Bridge in "It!" (1967)
Of course, like any good Golem movie (and they're all kind of cool), the creature has to somehow be less than heroic. It has to become frightening and threatening to those it was meant to save. The motivation for this Golem's changes are deep rooted and satisfying.
Overall, I enjoyed this movie. My wife even kind of liked it. Solid acting. Fair F/X even if a bit too much of the gore was computer generated rather than practical, and solid, well rounded characters. Not many likeable characters, but perhaps that adds to the realism.
The movie is a bit of "Frankenstein", a little "Forbidden Planet" and a dash of "Days of Our Lives".
I actually saw this one on Netflix. If you get a chance, I'd suggest giving a watch. I nearly checked out after the first fifteen minutes. It does pick up. Slowly, but it does.
Trailer
And this is the trailer for "It!" (1967)
Strangely, "The Golem" is by all objective measures, the better movie,
but I am more likely to watch "It!" over and over again.
And, the closest I ever came to making a Golem movie
was my Bog Mummy movie, "Bogged Down", part of "All Wrapped Up".
We, instead, are taken to a village, years later, under siege by outsiders who blame the small Jewish community for a plague that has spread across the land. That is, it has spread everywhere except into that small, isolated community. In order to protect her people a woman, who should have no knowledge of such things according to the laws at the time, decides to conjure a protector. But, despite her efforts to form a massive protector, instead a child rises from the clay.
The movie is slow to start. It may seem like nothing is going on, but like any good story, it is laying foundations for plots that will unfold later on in the film. And they unfold quickly and furiously once they start.
Despite his small size, the tiny Golem proves to more than an adequate hero. And he is no less violent that his gigantic predecessor. All of that is fine. I'm not sure about the strange "force-like" powers they seem to have endowed him with, but that just may be me. I like to see my Golems physically destroy things, like the Hammer Bridge in "It!" (1967)
Of course, like any good Golem movie (and they're all kind of cool), the creature has to somehow be less than heroic. It has to become frightening and threatening to those it was meant to save. The motivation for this Golem's changes are deep rooted and satisfying.
Overall, I enjoyed this movie. My wife even kind of liked it. Solid acting. Fair F/X even if a bit too much of the gore was computer generated rather than practical, and solid, well rounded characters. Not many likeable characters, but perhaps that adds to the realism.
The movie is a bit of "Frankenstein", a little "Forbidden Planet" and a dash of "Days of Our Lives".
I actually saw this one on Netflix. If you get a chance, I'd suggest giving a watch. I nearly checked out after the first fifteen minutes. It does pick up. Slowly, but it does.
Trailer
And this is the trailer for "It!" (1967)
Strangely, "The Golem" is by all objective measures, the better movie,
but I am more likely to watch "It!" over and over again.
And, the closest I ever came to making a Golem movie
was my Bog Mummy movie, "Bogged Down", part of "All Wrapped Up".
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