Assassination Nation (2018) Reviews

• Lowkey wild as hell

  shelbrahhh2019-03-22

  I didn't really know what to expect when I watched this but I looked up ratings before and set the bar low. I was pleasantly surprised that I really enjoyed it. I can see how some people wouldn't like it from the dialogue because it is very modern but I think that it depicts a real view of how most teenagers and young adults think and talk in 2019. Also, another thing I see people talking about is the fact that it's unrealistic. It's a movie. It's fiction. It's an imaginary world. That's what makes movies so cool, am I right? But I don't see how people can deny the fact that 1. The acting is great. Like I said, I set the bar low going in and I was looking for things that made it a bad movie. But I can honestly say that the acting wasn't cheesy and unconvincing at all. 2. The cinematography was done very well and there were some standout moments where I was like, this has its own unique style. I was impressed. 3. It was gory and shocking as hell and I think that it's hard to pull off that level of shock factor nowadays. 4. The message! I loved it. And I think a lot of people could benefit from hearing it and thinking on it and applying it to their own life. For the last half of this movie, my mouth was on the floor. I definitely recommend.

• Thoroughly Enjoyed 90% of it!!

  Jadestarz2018-09-20

  Didn't know what to expect when I saw this at a sneak peek tonight. My friends and I enjoyed it! Some unexpected storylines coupled with the director's use of close-up shots and bass created a sense of claustrophobia throughout the movie, which worked well with the script. Had a great take on current internet culture that felt real and not like some 50 year old executive's take on "being hip". Only gripe was the last 15 minutes or so seemed crammed together. Would have gladly sat through another 10 minutes to wrap up some things they skillfully built throughout the movie. Overall I enjoyed it and would watch again. The older people in the crowd were not pleased at all, however. Lolz! (You'll better understand that last bit after the movie.)

• Assassination Nation (2018)

  rockman1822018-09-24

  Just by looking at the poster for this I knew I was going to watch it. I love these types of teenager movies with violence, especially because they have the potential to achieve cult like status. I liked the trailer for the film because it had a lot going for it to make it interesting. Pretty girls, sex, blood and gore, bright lights. All the makings of a film that would bring the blood thirst entertainment. Assassination Nation actually has too many problems with it and I couldn't get past it. Stylistically the film is nice but man its a wreck otherwise. The film is primarily about a group of four teenagers. They somehow manage to get center circle in a hacking scandal in their small town of Salem. This causes mob mentality and the inhabitants of the town start to show their true colors and go into a bullying and murderous rage. Why is that? Because they are intolerant, bloodthirsty, and want to kill girls who act like sluts. The main character among the four, Lily, is affected greatly by the hack and she has a target on her back. The film stars Odessa Young, Suki Waterhouse, and even Bella Thorne. The films messages are current for sure. The way information is spread, nudes and incriminating information being leaked out, police brutality, mob mentality, rioting, and the importance and dangers of social media. Stylistically, the films scenes look nice at many stages. The cinematography is vibrant and pulsing at times and it looks the part. However, all else doesn't work for me. The characters are all unlikable and you don't care about their fate. The main core of girls are not developed well at all. Suki Waterhouse's character... whats her deal? Not developed even slightly. The film felt like a brainstorming of good ideas just jumbled together with current media issues injected in it for a drug fueled mess. The high school girls all know how to shoot guns and assassinate all of a sudden? They operate shotguns and assault rifles like nothing. People in a town are all blood thirsty loons all of a sudden? Even the characters you thought were good? Okay. I know you have to suspend your belief but this was ridiculous. It strives to send out ham fisted social messages and none of it worked for me. Sorry. I wanted to like this film but needed something that would engage my brain and not have me laughing at how stupid everything was. Nice try, but no go. 5/10

• An Awful Bore

  piggulu2018-09-24

  Tries way to hard to be edgy and poignant with the incessant hypersexualization and teen dream drama that completely dominates the 1st half, but it's all just numbingly dull. The characters are neither exciting nor memorable, and while some have a few ideological points to make, none of them actually make you care. Except for Joel McHale, who is all-around awesome :). The story itself doesn't do them any favors, either. The leaps in mob paranoia and violence make no sense, and though one can argue such things aren't rational in the first place, in here they really make no sense. Especially when it comes to the heroines being blamed and targeted for everything, despite no reasonable inklings or motives as to how they could be responsible for anything. And the ending is as dumb as can be. Don't be fooled by the film being billed as a cross between "Heathers" and "The Purge" since it shares practically nothing with the two. Don't get intrigued by the trailers (which, I'll admit, are good). Don't waste your time and money on this.

• What are you doing on IMDB?

  matdog3212018-09-22

  Assassination Nation is a "modern" take on the Salem witch trials, which, coincidentally takes place in Salem. Once a hacker starts exposing deep secrets from the townspeople ranging from the mayor to the principal to the students, all hell breaks loose. And when main protagonist Lily along with her 3 girlfriends are blamed, they find themselves fighting for their lives. I loved every minute of this film, the cinematography was not only stylish but necessary, avoiding borderline pretentious arthouse that leaves you feeling robbed. If you are going in for the violence, you won't get much of til half way into the film, but when it does come, it is a very satisfying and adrenaline filled rush. That's not to say I didn't feel exhausted from this film by the time we reached the last 5 minutes, but only because this story took quite a bit to spiral out of control that by the time sh*t hits the fan, you are left feeling quite full with what you are fed in the final act. I say this because if you are expecting those 4 girls to absolutely obliterate a whole mob of angry people, you will be disappointed to hear that the film ends before we see that carnage, but what you do see is fulfilling enough to forgive that cliche copout, which is why I take one star away from an otherwise perfect film. If you are the type of person that thinks 4 girls talking about male genitals and whose nude pictures they have on their phones, you might be a bit annoyed with our leads. But as for me, I loved every second they were on screen. Not to mention the polarizing use of modern trap music and the booming bass constantly playing in-between scenes and in the background that compliments the 4 girls aesthetics, whether they are simply walking down the school halls or doing something mischievous that will ultimately have consequences by the time things start going south. I ask you why you are on iMDB because, it's not that this movie is some "snowflake" SJW horror film trying to bombard you with the words "trigger warning" but that it is very political and seeing how the Purge movies are received, I highly doubt this movie won't take a beating from a few bothered people. Enjoy this movie for the hilarious and disturbing outcome of what happens when a paranoid town resorts to gory violence. You may walk away feeling pleasantly surprised