Movie Name: The Black Demon
Release date: 28 April 2023
Director: Adrian Grunberg
Writers: Carlos Cisco, Boise Esquerra
Cast: Josh Lucas, Fernanda Urrejola, Julio Cesar Cedillo, Venus Ariel, Edgar Flores, Hector Jimenez, Jorge A. Jimenez, Raul Mendez, Omar Patin, Carlos Solórzano, Luis del Valle
Language: English
Genres: Horror, Thriller, Sci-Fi
The film, The Black Demon, presents a perplexing experience as the significance of the shark in the story and the characters' perilous situation are overshadowed by the filmmakers' apparent emphasis on water pollution and the carelessness of oil executives. Paul Sturges, played by Josh Lucas, delivers his intense dialogue in a manner reminiscent of a wrestling promo, which unfortunately detracts from the quality of his performance. As a family man, Paul plans to use an upcoming oil rig inspection as an opportunity to take his wife, Ines (Fernanda Urrejola), and their children, Tommy and Audrey (Carlos Solórzano and Venus Ariel), on a vacation to Baja.
Upon arrival, the surroundings appeared abandoned by locals, leaving Paul to struggle to find someone willing to transport him to the oil rig, despite offering to pay extra due to his wealthy executive status. His family remained behind while his son, Tommy, delved into researching the Aztec God Tialoc and its potential correlation to a curse causing rainwater issues. In the meantime, Ines and Audrey were harassed by a group of men, causing them to flee and take control of a boat in order to meet up with Paul. Upon arriving at the oil rig, they found that only Chato and Junior, the remaining crew members, had joined Paul.
The opening sequence of The Black Demon attempts to conceal the shoddy shark CGI with a brief scene of destruction. However, this tactic raises a question: why would the filmmakers resort to causing characters to hallucinate when they cannot even get the shark's appearance right? As the movie progresses, it becomes evident that it is too talkative, with too much focus on corporate politics, ecological messages, and family conflicts. This last aspect is particularly jarring since it is introduced out of nowhere, with Audrey randomly mentioning that her parents have been fighting a lot. Besides, the film also includes other unimpressive revelations about Paul's role in the morally corrupt oil business.
The Black Demon movie's narrative deceptiveness doesn't necessarily make it a terrible movie. However, the filmmakers failed to fully develop the various ideas and subjects presented in the film. It seems like the shark, Aztec mythology, and human drama were all crammed into an ecological story without any regard for how they would tie together. Even the overdramatic finale, which is supposed to be exciting, ends up being more comical than anything else. While the movie's message is valuable, it should have been wrapped around a compelling or entertaining experience. Unfortunately, The Black Demon falls short in this aspect.
Unfortunately, The Black Demon attempts to convey an overly serious lesson to a rich white man, which does not add any value to the movie. The performances are lackluster, and the children bicker in unnatural ways, detracting from the overall viewing experience.
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