Eli (2019) is a horror movie directed by Ciarán Foy starring Eli (Charlie Shotwell), Eli’s parents (Kelly Reilly and Max Martini) and mysterious Dr. Horn (Lili Taylor). My Eli (2019) movie review is below
The movie opens with Eli and his parents going on a road trip where Eli is revealed to be extremely sensitive boy with a skin condition that makes him break out in red hives whenever he is exposed to sunlight. His parents, running out of options, promise him a cure if he is willing to Dr. Horn take over so she can help him, just like she did to many other past patients. Eli, skeptical at first, agrees to undergo the treatment.
The kid playing Eli is actually quite good, especially when he goes on a small rampage later on in the movie,trying to escape Dr. Horn’s assistants. He seems to be naturally skeptical of the treatment but he agrees to undergo it because his parents, supportive, seem to think it is the only thing that will help him live a normal life. Eli, knowing he doesn’t have much of a choice, agrees it is the best way to resolve his issues.
For most of the movie, Eli goes around snooping and trying to uncover any secrets that Dr. Horn hides while trying to be all normal in his parent’s presence. When he meets Haley, (Sadie Sink), he realizes that his treatments might not be as effective as his parents believe. He begins to snoop around more in order to find more about Dr. Horn’s past patients. This is where we got some horror cliches such as jumpscares. However, they are used sparingly so it doesn’t come too obvious or annoying. It becomes hard on Eli because he is trying not to disappoint his parents but at the same time he is trying not to attract too much attention to himself. However, it becomes unbearable because his parents don’t believe anything he tells him, becoming increasingly frustrating for him to share anything he experiences.
By the end of the movie, Eli becomes not only frustrated but the only soldier in a battle he doesn’t know if he can win. Nobody is on his side, yet he seems to be convinced that everything is not as it seems. With few twists here and there, the movie takes a detour and becomes rather unpredictable. While some hardcore fans will see the twist coming, I didn’t. It was unique and worth the time invested in the movie. Netflix seems to be coming out with a bunch of original movies and this one,is one of the better ones. It had a decent twist and a bunch of characters that did a great job with what they were given. Overall worth the twist at the end if you are not the biggest horror fan.
Thanks for reading my Eli (2019) movie review
