Homestead

This movie starts off well enough, it looks good and while the dialogue is iffy (as it remains throughout the movie), it clearly establishes the main characters. Once a new character enters shortly after, there's actually a great deal of tension. Then DDP shows up and it all goes limp, slumping to the floor and never getting back up. The synopsis and setup make you think this little girl is going to be a total badass and save her family. Sligh's acting was so good that I was actually becoming invested and looking forward to see her become that hero. But she is totally wasted and the story suddenly becomes ill-paced, generic, and predictable. The tension dies as the movie slowly and weirdly shifts antagonist motive, gives us action that is unimaginative and either happening offscreen or onscreen with terrible special effects, and becomes increasingly clear with us that we're not getting the David vs Goliaths battle we were waiting for. The character is actually given a disappointingly small amount to do. And that's too bad because the actress was ready to give us something special. The writing really let her down and the movie ultimately lets us all down. Bottom line, watch "Becky" instead.

Yep, I've read the reviews. I am not an expert reviewer, just a normal movie watcher here in NZ. I like westerns and this one was a bit different. A little "Little House on the Prairie" cottage. I had no huge expectations. The story develops, having no idea what Pa's previous history was but it develops. Strong acting from the daughter - she reminded me of my own sister. The movie cruises along at a reasonable pace. I think the expectations of previous viewers were way above mine. I like to watch, absorb, understand the story of the family which is not apparent from the kick off. The ending was unexpected. Grab your popcorn, enjoy!

Having a guilty pleasure for what read as the "darker" element of the genre, checked it out. The cinematography just brought back the 70s westerns that I grew up watching almost immediately, so settled in. Like most westerns, the antagonist is usual prevalent in the onset. Solid enough acting on all fronts, but what felt like it might head in the direction of interest...it plods along with very limited content, and even more limited expansiveness. Even the scenery, which can elevate these films, fell flat. It's basically a broken family, a cabin, and some bad dudes out for revenge. That's it. Where some take this next level, the more recent (and pretty excellent) "Old Henry" excelled in bringing forth that classic feel...The Homestead just spins it's tires for the better part of an hour filled with unspectacular series of missed opportunities. I found it reminded me of a made for television (are these still a thing?) film. Very short, very uneventful, short on captivating violence that comes with even the most modern of the genre, and certainly mislabeled along the way as "horror", which confused me about the half way point, as the violence was pretty tame throughout. I can handle crossover appeal with the implied supernatural elements entwined with western films (High Plains Drifter) and horror element (Bone Tomahawk), this was more comparable to a Little House on the Prarie reinterpretation. What comes is a very predictably boring run into the third act and an anticlimatic finish. Nothing stood out as anything more than mediocrity and a dud of a film.

Beware of any film that sets to improve on a very well defined genre. Westerns have given us some real masterpieces, films that stand out in the long list of great american films. It's really too bad when a director feels he can improve on the style by showing his own talent and aiming much too high. Here we have a situation that has been treated many times, a group of people, in this case a family, trapped in a house in the middle of nowhere under siege from a group of particularly mean killers. What could have been the twist is that the person who will fight back is the one you'd least expect : a litttle girl. Only every move every line of dialog take ages, it's so long and boring that it kills all tension, you just wish they would get along with the story and move on. The director wants you to see how clever and intelligent he is and to do this he really takes his time. Long shots on people who don't say anything, meaningful looks that lead nowhere.... Had he played the story and directed his film more humbly he might have had a really good film to show. This is not the case. Special mention to the cast and particularly the little girl, but it's not enough.

HOMESTEAD was the reimagining of a classic Western theme with a new twist as the heroine, a young girl, determined to take out the bad guys and save her family! Shot with wonderful landscapes and cinematography, the movie pulls the viewer in from the very opening scene. A small prairie home set to appear in the middle of nowhere does leave an impression of vulnerability from outside forces! A very well played cast with much depth and believability of people who felt as they just walked out of the past and onto the screen. The oppressive nature of the villains sets the tone and raises the bar of terror and peril as the days sunlight dims, while the night brings into play the true evil nature of these deeply disturbed and revengeful men. This is where the TRUE GRIT of Irene the young girl shines through and the other characters display their well casted and well developed personalities with equally seedy and devilish dialogue interwoven throughout the film! A great cast and truly believable and authentic acting with a stellar performance of Irene from Betsy Sligh and my personal favorite the evil preacher Ezekiel played by Scot Scurlock and the wicked sermons he distributes to his audience! Some truly great acting to bring forth the suspense and depth of despair that this family is enduring a must watch to the end! HOMESTEAD is a hold-onto-your-seat modern Western classic!!!