Anthem (2018) Movie Review

Anthem of a Teenage Prophet, a Canadian high school drama is produced by Sepia Films and Hand Picked Films. The film is directed by Robin Hays. Joshua Close, Andy Matic and Elisah Matic wrote the script. Tina Pehme and Kim Roberts Kim Roberts, whose full name is Kimberley Ann Robe >> Read More... are the producers of the film. It stars Cameron Monaghan, Grayson Gabriel, Peyton List, Juliette Lewis Juliette L. Lewis was born on June 21, 1973, in Lo >> Read More... , Aaron Pearl, Richard de Klerk, Alex McKenna, Beau Daniels, Patti Allan, Jasmine Sky Sarin, Jaden Rain, Spencer List and Raj Lal. Todd M. Duyn handled the cinematography. Austin Andrews edited the script. Andrew Harris handled the soundtracks.

Plot

Luke and Stan are best friends. Stan was one of the most popular guys in the school. On an ordinary day when they were hanging out, Luke got a vision of someone dying tragically. He tells his friends about the vision and that someone died by getting hit by a truck and other specific details. Nobody believes him. The next day Stan died the same way. Luke's vision turned into a curse. He starts getting attention from friends, family, neighbours and media. Luke soon becomes quite disturbed by this incident and starts behaving oddly. During this time he got close with Stan's girlfriend, Faith and his old childhood friend Fang. Everyone around him began to call him prophet of death.

Star performance

Luke is the main lead in the film. Cameron Monaghan is playing his character. The psychological aspect of Luke's character was the most important. Monaghan, using his fantastic skills, delivered an excellent portrayal of a teenager struggling with prophetic powers. Gabriel played Stan's character. He is only seen on the screen through flashbacks but his character had impacted Luke's life profound. The chemistry between Monaghan and Gabriel is breathtaking. Other minor characters like Peyton as Faith, Juliette as Mary hunter, and Spencer as Fang had done appreciable work. They successfully portrayed emotional depth in the movie.

Analysis

The film, being a high school drama, delivers moderate entertainment with a blend of thriller, supernatural events. It has many twists and turns. It explores themes of grief, guilt, hope, love, and friendship. However, the movie could have been better. In the first half, the film was pretty interesting. However, in the middle it lost its momentum. The title poses a dilemma as it had nothing related to the anthem instead it was more of an evil hinted movie. The script and direction were not perfect, it wasted the film's potential.

Although the cinematography was good. It was the only thing that hinted at peace in the character's lives. The plots were predictable and fragmented, leading to a sad ending. Towards the end, the climax wasn't left. The film missed its dramatical impact. The narrative has uneven focus, as sometimes it tilted towards love, friendship and sometimes towards hate, evil, and other supernatural events.

What's there?

• Coming-of-age narrative, the film has an adorable blend of thriller and supernatural elements.
• The soundtrack, cinematography, and visuals gave a realistic tone to the scripts.
• Individual struggle between characters is notable. For instance Luke transformation from a young helpless boy to a more mature young man.

What's not there?

• The narrative of the film loses its momentum somewhere in between which as a result makes it a slow movie.
• The plot was predictable. For instance, focusing on Luke's vision made it quite clear what would happen next.
• While the leads presented their characters beautifully, the supporting cast did trouble acting.
• The narrative's focus was uneven.

Verdict

For the audience who love supernatural shows and teenage drama, they should watch this. However, it is a one-time watch. Its storyline is not a unique one, instead it is pretty similar to 'final destination'. However, it doesn't have any horror elements.