Orphan: First Kill - A Movie Review

Be careful about Esther. She has a peculiar background.

Orphan: First Kill is a 2022 prequel to the 2009 film. Orchestrating an escape from the Saarne Institute in Estonia, Esther impersonates a long-lost daughter of the Albright family. Traveling to America, Esther’s performance is not met by everyone.

Upon noticing that Orphan: First Kill was playing at a select theater near me, I went to see it. Orphan is one of my favorite horror movies. When it was announced that a prequel was in the works, I wasn’t sure how necessary it was or if filmmakers could pull it off.

Returning to her iconic role, Isabelle Fuhrman does not miss a beat as Esther. Fuhrman is once again unnerving in her performance. I am impressed with her techniques on how to perform this character, especially when performing it when she was 12. Fuhrman is easily the highlight of the film, having a ball as a disturbing girl.

Except, Fuhrman has grown since she last played the role. In a mix of CGI, practical effects, and camera angles, I’m amazed at how close they made Fuhrman resemble Esther from the original. Sometimes it worked while other times, it didn’t. It did make Esther look all the more off-putting.

A lot of the time a little girl was used as a stand-in for wide shots. I read online that actors wore tall platform shoes whenever they were in the same shot as Fuhrman. To me, it just looked like Fuhrman was sitting or standing on her knees for most close-up shots.

Posing as a missing child of the Albright family, I thought it was going to be the same story. Turns out, no. While occupying similar roles as the original family, writers thought up new dynamics and personality traits. Each interaction between Esther and the family is important.

Julia Stiles was a standout as Tricia Albright. I was not expecting the twist in her character. She was eerie in her performance. Now we know where Esther got some of her crude and intimidating behavior from.

Allen (Rossif Sutherland) is aloof just like John. His character could have had better motivation instead of repeating the same storyline. As for Gunner (Matthew Finlan), he is the nasty older brother with unspecified issues and that’s about it.

The production for Orphan: First Kill resembled more of a student film compared to the style of the first film. William Brent Bell conquered some technical challenges, but it’s the story that resembles a fanfiction work than an actual film.

The story for Orphan: First Kill is interesting. Immediately we’re pulled into the story starting at the Saarne Institute. Creative aspects were added to the film with well-written twists. The dialogue wasn’t as strong, copying most conversations from the original.

By the climax, the cinematography and effects are so grainy and weak. It’s easy to tell that the fire graphics were digitally added. Until the last act of the film, an effort was enforced to acquaint Orphan: First Kill with its original.

Overall, Orphan: First Kill is effective in gore, terror, and tension. It’s a very bloody film. I was on the edge of my seat, especially in the beginning at the Saarne institute. Seeing this film with Orphan fans present in the theater made the experience worthwhile. Awaiting for terror to happen, we all had fun seeing this movie.

If you’re a fan of Orphan, give Orphan: First Kill a chance. Playing in select theaters, it is streaming on Paramount+. Everyone is going to have mixed opinions on it, but it’s still worth a watch.