'Premonition' Review- A Contradicting Climax
This film was released in 2007.
Mennan Yapo directs the supernatural psychological thriller Premonition. The film was ridiculed by the mainstream critics when it was originally released and audiences seemed to be ambivalent about it as well.
Linda Hanson’s (Sandra Bullock) relationship with her husband Jim (Julian McMahon) is drifting apart as he prepares to go to an interview for a promotion at his job. However, Linda gets informed that her husband was killed in a car accident, forcing her to relay the news to their two daughters. Her mother Joanne (Kate Nelligan), and her best friend Annie (Nia Long) try to help. After she goes to sleep, she awakens to find that Jim is still alive, but makes some startling discoveries about their relationship. Going to sleep again, she discovers that her husband is dead and ponders whether she can save him or not.
The movie is kind of mixed up when it comes to the plot. It relies way too much on the “premonitions” with its bouncing back and forth. They are also not told in chronological order. That made it difficult to follow at times. It goes past a whole week in the future, only to swing back to a different point, though it was not clear at first. If they had given some sign earlier that they were yo-yoing with the timeline, I think it would have made it a little clearer. Now, you could still sit down and have it on for just regular entertainment, but no deep dive here.
Julian McMahon did not put his best foot forward either. His performance felt dull and uneven. Amber Valletta has a very small role in the film, but she showed way more interest in her character. Sandra Bullock, on the other hand, did a good job. She brought all of the gusto she usually does, and that made the film a bit passable.
Logically, the film also backs itself into a corner. If Linda is having a premonition, she should be able to solve several of the problems from the past. If she is just moving through time, why is it called “Premonition?” It wanted to hint that fate could be changed, but then seemed to contradict itself toward the climax.
Bottom line, Premonition is a good chill movie that is more entertaining when you do not try to take a deep dive into all of the tiny details.
PARENTAL CONCERNS: Violence, Disturbing images, Strong foul language
FAVORITE QUOTE: You see, history’s full of unexplained phenomena. Nobody knows why. Some people thought they suffered from what the ancients called “Blasphemare absens fides”: The dangers of the faithless.
Check out the trailer below:
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