Apostle

***Mysterious first half devolves into muddled half-baked horror cheese*** A man in 1905 Wales (Dan Stevens) goes undercover as a member of a weirdo cult to save his captive sister on an isolated island. "Apostle" (2018) has a similar plot to “The Wicker Man” (1973/2006) and a setting akin to “The Village” (2004) and “The Ritual” (2017), but it’s the least of these. The first half is a decent set-up; a little dull, but nice and mysterious with a fantastic setting and village set. Unfortunately, the second half devolves into half-baked horror cheese with a couple of random torture scenes to supposedly keep things "exciting." I was shocked at how bad the second half was -- bad flow, no finesse, ill-conceived, lack of consistency, too ambiguous -- just lousy wannabe-horror filmmaking. It’s like the director needed 20 more minutes to properly tell the story, but was pressured to keep the movie as close to 2 hours as he could and so clumsily forced the footage in the second half together. Nevertheless, the movie's provocative upon reflection, particularly its commentary on human-made hybrid religions and the potential for corruption and abuse thereof. Think Jeroboam's syncretic religion when the northern kingdom of Israel broke from Judah; he concocted two golden calf idols and appointed illegitimate "priests." It was influenced by Judaism and featured some of its trappings, but left out the most important part (God). The film runs 2 hours, 10 minutes and was shot in Wales. I would like to see a "Director's Cut" that runs at least 2.5 hours with all the expository footage that was unfortunately left on the cutting room floor. GRADE: C (First half B- / Second half D)

Apostle delivers a chilling blend of psychological thriller and dark fantasy with a well-paced buildup, strong performances, and eerie tension throughout. While some mythology remains vague, its unsettling atmosphere and layered narrative keep viewers gripped. An intense watch for fans of mystery and cult-based horror. Read the full review here: (Indonesian version : alunauwie.com) and (English version : uwiepuspita.com)

I think far too many movies that go for a similar vibe to _Apostle_ aren't willing to take that very important step into actually embracing your supernatural/fantasy/gothic elements. _Apostle_ on the other hand, goes full hog saying "fuck that", and in turn I'm saying "Please sir, may I have some more." _Final rating:★★★½ - I really liked it. Would strongly recommend you give it your time._