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Intrusion is missing key elements

This Netflix original misses the mark.

By Reel VibesPublished 2 years ago 3 min read
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Reusing tropes is not a bad thing. Almost every modern movie or TV series rehashes something from another work of similar design. Netflix's Intrusion definitely uses the home invasion trope and tries to do so in a creative way.

The key word being tried. While it does its best it often feels slow and predictable. That doesn't mean it is horrible by any means, just that it does not stand above other films that are similar. For a film that clocks in at just 94 mins, the slow part is what is very frustrating. It is a plot that can be seen from a mile away and one can only wish it would have made it to the end faster. Not the literal ending but the reveal of the truth. It would have added tension to confirm it and then play it as the audience knows more than the lead. Why? It's not like we could not already see it unfolding that way. They were not saving the twist because it never felt like a twist.

Leads Frieda Pinto and Logan Marshall-Green are likable in their respective roles. Marshall-Green is given more to work with especially as the truth begins to unravel. The final 20 minutes are very tense and easily could have made a very impressive short film. It's the filler and build up that does not work in this film. The effort it takes to create a sustainable action thriller is a lot. Most films with a break in plot have a twist or two that comes at you. The biggest one this has is that someone you love may be harboring a deep dark secret. That is not shocking enough in a film that is supposed to be filled with tension that we cant see coming.

It's enjoyable to pass the time but nothing special when held against other films. It has no real visual impact either as the primary setting is just a massive house in the middle of nowhere so later in the film the isolation factor can be used to up the tension. Another thing evident from the first break in. That was another issue. The film had not one but two break in sequences which all but let us know there was a secret being kept. Every potential villain along the way was a red herring or killed off to leave one trail to the inevitable reveal.

One redeeming factor is that a film of this nature comes at no additional cost with a Netflix subscription so they never feel like a complete waste even if they do waste high concepts a lot of the time. Netflix seems to either produce under valued gems or run of the mill thrillers with potential. The latter is a shame because it does suck seeing such potential squandered on just another movie. So much of the motives are called into question so early that by the time the actors are able to showcase their moment it feels so far disconnected from that original potential.

One aspect the film showed briefly was Pintos Meera seeing one of the perps briefly before snapping back to reality. That could have been a way to play up the tension leading up to the big finale and yet it was a very brief 15 second scene that essentially went absolutely nowhere.

This one can be chalked up to a brilliant idea with very boring execution when attempting to drag it into a feature film. With film, length and subject are no issue so filling it in with actual development would have been a better response than basically playing it completely safe. It is a missed opportunity that fortunately did not cost the big bucks as a viewer which I can only breathe a sigh of relief for now that it is over.

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About the Creator

Reel Vibes

All things pop culture. Movies, TV, Music,Comics as well as some dabbling into the Sports world. If you can record it, watch it and play it back. I have an opinion.

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