Orphan Review

Throughout the years, many famous movies such as The Omen and The Bad Seed have played on one simple concept to gain fame: small children are terrifying.

This concept proves true in Orphan, a thriller from director Jaume Collet-Serra. Orphan stars Vera Farmiga (The Boy in the Stripped Pajamas, The Departed) and Peter Sarsgaard (Jarhead, Rendition) as Kate and John, a married couple recovering from a tragic miscarriage. The couple decides, in order to share their love with a child who needs it, to go to an orphanage and adopt a child. There, they meet Esther, played by Isabelle Fuhrman (Hounddog, TV’s Tonight Show with Jay Leno), a 9 year old Russian girl with a passion for painting. Esther is very mature for her age and makes an instant connection with Kate and John. After they adopt her, they soon notice that strange things begin to happen around her. Trouble seems to follow Esther, and Kate and John discover that there is more to their daughter than originally thought.

Orphan is an excellent movie, even to those who normally don’t enjoy scary movies. The plot is incredibly well-developed, with so many twists that you begin to stop trying to figure out the movie on your own and allow the movie to shatter your expectations. The acting was refreshingly believable: Fuhrman plays Esther so terrifyingly convincing that you forget the actress is only 12 years old. Farmiga, who plays Kate, is able to add an interesting level of vulnerability to her character that allows the audience to both sympathize with and ridicule her.

The movie is branded with the horror genre, though in reality, it is much more of a suspense/thriller. Orphan’s scares are not through excessive gore or things popping out at the screen, but through the constant, almost tangible tension that hangs over the whole movie’s atmosphere. At multiple times, it withholds the scares from when the audience thinks they will happen. By doing this, the mild nature of the shock has more of an impact.

Many movies that have recently been released have suffered from a weak plot, but Orphan’s plot is the driving force of the movie. From the first meeting with Esther to the final climactic scene, the audience is, whether they like it or not, suckered into the story.

Similar in shock value to thrillers such as Fatal Attraction, the movie prides itself from moments that make the audience gasp and groan. Many instances throughout utilize not excessive, but still stomach-churning visuals, such as blood splatter or broken bones. The movie makes them rather graphic, and they’re sheer eye candy to someone with a strong enough stomach.

A refreshing change from other horrors, the movie has many instances of dark humor, allowing the movie to diverge from the plot while still maintaining its dark atmosphere.

Among critics, Orphan received many mixed reviews. It received only a 55% out of 100% on RottenTomatoes.com, with many critics calling the movie “formulaic” and “sleazy.” Other critics disagreed, praising the movie for its originality: Roger Ebert says, “You want a good horror film about a child from hell, you got one.”

Orphan was easily one of the better movies to come out this year. Its combination of shock value and dark humor make it a winner, warranting multiple viewings. Its interesting premise, twisted by so many unexpected occurrences, keeps the audience at the edge of their seats the entire time. The movie is not for the faint of heart, but for the people who can stomach it, you’ll walk out of the theater with a smile on your face. The movie may not have been very helpful to orphanages, though: after seeing this movie, most people are going to strongly reconsider going out and helping a child in need.