THE STORY – Years after the apocalypse, a devout cult of mute zealots hunts down Azrael, a young woman who escaped her own imprisonment.
THE CAST – Samara Weaving, Vic Carmen Sonne, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett & Katariina Unt
THE TEAM – E.L. Katz (Director) & Simon Barrett (Writer)
THE RUNNING TIME – 85 Minutes
After an off-screen event leaves humanity in a post-apocalyptic world filled with creatures hunting the survivors, a group of extremists have decided to give up speaking, referring to it as “the sin of speech.” This leaves the audience left to observe the chosen Final Girl, Azrael (Samara Weaving), as she maneuvers her way out of danger – from her captures who offered her up as a sacrifice and the creatures that have infiltrated the world. Now, while modern-day audiences have had their fair share of dystopian and horror films with human-like creatures that devour the living, the basics are still required for the film to be effective. And, even though the concept and parts of the film are done well, everything hinges on the entertainment value.
“Azrael” may seem simple on paper: a woman runs through the forest at twilight, trying to escape every obstacle that comes her way. She’s running from the danger of the numerous cults and the creatures now inhabiting the land and is outnumbered in every direction. Director E.L. Katz has employed talented artists to bring his and screenwriter Simon Barrnett’s vision to life, including Scream Queen Samara Weaving as their lead, but the execution of the film overall is not as strong as the craft that put the piece together.
Especially within a dialogue-less film, the weight of the film falls onto the screenwriter to establish an engaging narrative. The audience needs to be able to follow the hero’s journey and assess the risk through visual imagery alone. Having a lead like Weaving is one of the film’s strongest aspects, as she flawlessly showcases her character’s fear and determination throughout. However, the overall story is not strong enough to convey any merit. Little is shown to showcase how long the creatures have been on Earth and the survivor’s attempt at communication beyond spoken word or defeating the creatures. The different communities do not interact with each other, making Azrael, an individual who belongs to no community, an enemy to all. (Is she an outsider by choice? Exiled by her former community? We never know). While that justifies Azrael’s danger throughout the film, it is still satisfying since the audience does not know how the creatures fully behave or how the survivors reacted to this event. There are levels of religious symbolism here, but these images are never used to their full potential, which only increases the film’s overall ambiguity. There is minimal world-building in “Azrael,” which is disappointing, especially considering the level of craft put into the film itself.
Weaving continues to be a well-respected Scream Queen of the modern world. Just when Azrael escapes one horror, she must figure out how to survive another, and without words, she relies on her body language to convey the narrative. This is effectively done, as Katz keeps his camera close on Weaving throughout. The audience can see Azrael’s panic, fear, and rage, which makes the film worth watching. It is impossible not to root for her, especially when Katz refuses to shy away from the violence and gore the creatures and survivors are willing to instill in their enemies. The action-set pieces are engaging, incredibly violent, and filled with body horror and blood (caused both by humans and creatures). Additionally, cinematographer Mart Taniel and composer Tóti Guðnason turn in great work that adds to the eerie nature of the film.
“Azrael” contains some visually striking and engaging moments of violence and horror, but other than that, it is merely just another revenge movie that doesn’t disclose the narrative’s motive besides her innate survival instinct. This will be enough for some audience members, but for most, the amount of bloodshed will not answer the basic question of “why” and “how did we get here?” which will leave a frustrating and underwhelmed sensation when the credits roll.
