Muse (2017)

The Worst Film Ever

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

A British poetry professor (is there even such a thing?!) is having an affair with one of his students, the filthy bastard! Suddenly she dies for reasons that are never clearly explained, which serves him right. What a dick.40 years later...The professor somehow discovers that the Muses of Greek mythology are real, and that they screw around with human affairs by manipulating people through... poetry. (Yes, that is literally the premise of this film). Why? Because fuck you, that's why. :confused: Those of us who are familiar with Greek mythology will know that there were nine Muses: Calliope, Clio, Erato, Euterpe, Melpomene, Polyhymnia, Terpsichore, Thalia, and Urania. The film reduces their number to six (or seven? the plot seemed rather confused on this point), changes their names, and completely rewrites their respective roles.It took me three attempts to finish this movie, because I kept falling asleep.I rate Muse at 13.32 on the Haglee Scale, which works out as a turgid 4/10 on IMDB.

English professor Samuel Solomon (Elliot Cowan) has spent a year in depression after a student he was having a secret affair with committed suicide in his apartment. He is rocked from his lethargy when he begins having dreams of a ritualistic murder for a week and then finds out it really happened on the news. He travels to mansion where the murder happened and runs into Rachel (Ana Ularu), an Eastern European woman who also had the same dream. With the help of his colleague Susan (Franka Potente), Samuel discovers a group that worshiped a coven of witches called the "Seven Ladies" and he goes to seek out the last remaining member of that group.I've been a fan of Spanish director Jaume Balaguero ever since seeing THE NAMELESS (1999) years ago. That Ramsey Campbell adaptation was bleaker than bleak, establishing a constant thread of nihilism that flows throughout Balaguero's subsequent work (DARKNESS, FRAGILE, REC, and SLEEP TIGHT). The only misfires for me have been his REC sequels (he co-directed part 2 and handled part 4 on his own), which seemed to have no idea where to take things. This is a return to form after the disappointing REC 4, but might actually be guilty of having too much plot. Balaguero, who co-wrote this with Fernando Navarro and José Carlos Somoza, seems to have been heavily influenced by Dario Argento. Not in terms of style, but in terms of plot dynamics as Solomon's quest is similar to what David Hemmings had in DEEP RED (1975) and the "Seven Ladies" definitely echo Argento's "Three Mothers" coven. The first hour builds the mystery well, but there is throws way too much into the mix in the mid-section. Yes, I'm complaining a horror film has too much plot (the mixing in of classic lit authors element really could have been excised). Cowan is quite good in the lead and Ularu is really good. Also, Joanne Whalley is excellent in her first feature in years as one of the witches and Christopher Lloyd (!!) show up in a few scenes as a dying old man. Definitely worth seeing, just make sure you have a notepad ready to suss it all out.

Great acting, interesting story line and cinematography. I am confused on the low score on this movie it was a great watch

Well, I must confess that I love almost all work of Jaume Balaguero.That being said, I learned something a while ago: when the movie have an awesome opening credits sequence that give me the lead that it wont be a good movie.And I was right. This movie have a SPECTACULAR opening credits sequence, and it wasn't very good.Why, then, I rated 8/10? Becuase it have all what I like from Balaguero's work. Wonderful special effects, good actors/actresses, great visual sequences (beautiful, let me say) and a supernatural mythology that could be expanded. But it let me with no surprises, I knew where it will lead, it was predictable, and most of all, the story wasn't very good developed to feel for any of the characters.Some things were rushed (like the two leads atraction) and the secondary characters were not good.The good: the cinematography, atmosphere, visual effects, and creepy scenes. Good acting.The bad: not good story, not good development on characters.Watch at your own risk.