'Never Let Go' Reviews: A "truly scary film that marks one of Berry’s best work in a long while"

         On September 20, 2024, Lionsgate releases 'Never Let Go', which has received predominantly positive reviews from critics, currently holding at 71% on Rotten Tomatoes. In the film, "as an Evil takes over the world beyond their front doorstep, the only protection for a mother, played by Academy Award® winner Halle Berry (Actress in a Leading Role, 2001 -- Monster's Ball), and her twin sons is their house and their family's protective bond. Needing to stay connected at all times -- even tethering themselves with ropes -- they cling to one another, urging each other to never let go. But when one of the boys questions if the evil is real, the ties that bind them together are severed, triggering a terrifying fight for survival." The ensemble cast includes Percy Daggs IV, Anthony B. Jenkins, Matthew Kevin Anderson, and Stephanie Lavigne. But what did the critics say?

        J. Don Birnam of Next Best Picture says, "Fans of niche horror rejoice at the arrival of Academy Award-winner Halle Berry into the genre. In her latest film, “Never Let Go,” she plays Momma, a woman living with her twin sons in a post-apocalyptic world, stalked by monsters. Captivating and ferocious, Berry’s Momma must fight back against the forces of darkness that are stalking her and her children while facing renewed doubt about the reality of the evil that surrounds her. The end result is an enjoyable and, at times, truly scary film that marks one of Berry’s best work in a long while."

       Laura Potier of Starburst praises the film, stating, "While this reviewer can’t decide whether Never Let Go would have been better as an ultra-serious, Gothic chamber piece or as an all-pulp, jump-scare extravaganza, Aja’s latest is still an entertaining, polished horror... perfect for spooky-season viewing."

       Courtney Howard of Variety notes, "Never Let Go” isn’t interested in reinventing familiar formulas when it comes to its unsettling spin on sinister spirits visiting a secluded cabin in the woods. With its inclusion of a protective mother and her two young kids attempting to escape an evil entity plaguing their world, it’s also unafraid to invite minor comparisons to “Bird Box.” Still, director Alexandre Aja’s psychologically taut feature blazes its own trail, dropping us into the middle of one family’s ghastly, worsening crisis, craftily drawing its scares from their interpersonal and intrapersonal strife. Though not all of its clever ideas come together efficiently in the finale, its thematic ruminations on grief, sanity, rebellion and redemption are intrinsically intertwined to harrowing, claustrophobic effect, heightening the hallucinatory horrors and dread-soaked atmospheric pull." Adding, "As demonstrated in Aja’s previous films, ranging from “High Tension” to his “The Hills Have Eyes” remake, the French genre director’s strength lies in stories dealing with ordinary people trapped in seemingly insurmountable, nightmarish experiences. Each is told with brevity in mind, streamlining the narrative’s pacing and twists. The same can be said of the way Aja fearlessly explores similarly bleak mounting circumstances in “Never Let Go,” sensing how to tap into the shared universal fears of both the characters and the audience rooting for their survival."

       David Rooney of Hollywood Reporter was less impressed, stating, "Splat Pack veteran Alexandre Aja tries his hand at family-in-peril horror along the lines of the Quiet Place franchise with Never Let Go. But mostly, the French director just succeeds in making us miss his entertainingly trashy swerves into B-movie pulp, with creature features built around ravenously bitey carnivorous fish (Piranha 3D) or giant Florida gators riled up by a hurricane and flood (Crawl). Whatever their strengths and weaknesses, those movies were fun popcorn entertainment with teeth. Fun is banished from Aja’s latest, which starts out mildly intriguing and chalks up a few bracing jump scares before running out of juice." Concluding, "Part of the problem with KC Coughlin and Ryan Grassby’s feeble screenplay is the laboriousness of its setup. Halle Berry plays a woman, initially identified only as Momma, living in woodlands isolation in an old timber family home with her preteen nonidentical twin sons, Samuel (Anthony B. Jenkins) and Nolan (Percy Daggs IV). Whenever they step outside the house in search of food, they must remain tied to its foundations with thick ropes and: Never. Let. Go. That way evil can’t touch them and make them do bad things, explains Momma, so many times you want to scream, “Jesus, we get it!”

Photo by Cody Chan on Unsplash

'The Union' Fails to Unify Critics

         On August 16, 2024, Netflix released 'The Union', which has received a mixed reception from critics, currently holding at 44% on Rotten Tomatoes. In the film, a construction workers joins his ex on a dangerous U.S. intelligence mission. The ensemble cast includes Halle Berry, J.K. Simmons, Mark Wahlberg, and Mike Colter. But what did the critics say?

        Grant Hermanns of Screen Rant writes, "Mark Wahlberg and Halle Berry's chemistry is off the charts in The Union, but the rom-com vibes aren't enough to boost Netflix's action movie." Adding, "With The Union, co-writers David Guggenheim (Designated Survivor) and Joe Barton (The Lazarus Project) try to come up with their own system for the titular agency being comprised of former blue-collar workers. While some characters' backstories are left to our imaginations, others are far more bluntly laid out with their agency codenames, including Jackie Earle Haley's Foreman, so named because he used to be one. Rather than feeling like a clever take on the genre, though, it frequently becomes preposterous as the movie goes on."

        Peter Debruge of Variety was less impressed, stating, "A lazy wish-fulfillment fantasy from Netflix’s star-service department, “The Union” is actually the story of a reunion — Mike and Roxanne’s — set against the backdrop of a crisis we’ve seen one too many times in recent spy movies. For Wahlberg, the wish in question is wanting to be James Bond, which will never happen for the Dorchester-born American. And the fantasy is getting to play the next best thing, recruited by former Bond girl Halle Berry (sporting her weirdest haircut since “Swordfish,” an anime-style pixie cut, shaved on one side, spiky and blond-tipped on top)."

        Jason Flatt of But Why Tho? A Geek Community says, "The movie is so fine. Most impressive is that it isn’t outright bad, given Netflix’s recent track record. There’s nothing offensive about it. The characters don’t have chemistry necessarily, but they at least seem somewhat interested in being there. Wahlberg and Berry do anyway. J.K. Simmons and Mike Colter: Maybe a bit less so. The Union has a very clear target audience: middle-aged men who like action movies and think with a few weeks of training, they could probably be in one, too." Continuing, "And that’s certainly what The Union delivers. The action is mild, the dialogue is poor but filled with countless dad jokes per mile, and the male characters themselves are as disheveled and “regular” as possible. Meanwhile, all the women are bombshells with all of the tact and guile in the world. What middle-aged man wouldn’t be glad to see Halle Berry back on the screen as a no-nonsense love interest for the first time in a while? And again, fortunately, The Union doesn’t play any of these cards offensively. Its tropes are all matter-of-fact, not exploitative. While the movie is far from interesting or exciting, it’s neither dull nor appalling, either."

       Michael Clark of Epoch Times praises the film, stating, "Every penny (the exact amount unknown) Netflix sunk into it was money well spent. It’s a spectacular visual and narrative feast on every level. I’m surprised Netflix didn’t release it in theaters exclusively for a couple of weeks prior to streaming."

Photo by John Jackson on Unsplash