New Twist on an Old Standard

Rating: Null/10 (24 January 2010)

I LOVED Orphan and was completely blown away by how unexpectedly good and suspenseful and touching and well.. brilliant it was. Yes, the concept of an evil child wreaking havoc on a family is nothing new but please don't roll your eyes and assume that the movie is unoriginal too. The basis for the movie may not be unique but there is an original twist which has never done before regarding Esther, aka the evil child and even without that crazy twist, the actual movie held it's own. The acting was fabulous and the ending, without giving anything away was not one made of rainbows and puppies and everything sweet which is always a plus in my book since sunshine endings make me roll my eyes.
Isabelle Fuhrman who plays Esther, the adopted evil child was nothing short of fantastic. She plays this part masterfully and when the twist is revealed, transforms herself into a whole 'nother character and sells that aspect as well. I hope to see her get more work in the future. She was amazing.
Speaking of amazing, the little girl, Maxine, played by in real life, hard of hearing, Aryana Engineer, stole basically every scene she was in. Aside from being adorable, she really was a great little actress for someone with little to no experience. She's a standout.
Peter Saarsgard and Vera Farmiga are great as the parents and Jimmy Bennet, who plays the son, was also good.
I definitely recommend this thriller. I went into this expecting a run of the mill Omen like movie with some evil kid and the havoc being unleashed on the family but what I got was an original, well written, fantastically acted thrill ride that was above and beyond what I could have asked for when I chose the flick.
9/10 Now go watch it!