Joshua (limited)
| release date | July 6 2007 |
| studio | Fox Searchlight Pictures |
| director | George Ratliff |
| writer | George Ratliff |
| starring | Sam Rockwell, Vera Farmiga, Celia Weston, Dallas Roberts, Michael McKean, Jacob Kogan |
| trailer 1 | Trailer #1 |
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It was enjoyable most of the time, though I don’t think it’s anything I’ll watch again (so it’d make a good rent).
That said, it really shows the parents steadily going crazy with the problems of the new child, and the family slowly falling apart. Joshua’s part is very well done and creepy.
While some of it is a bit slow moving, it is made up for in the parts that give looks into Joshua’s mind. The horror parts are horrifying (being 16, I can only imagine how hard the scene with Joshua/his dad near the end is to watch for a parent).
The scenes showing the family slowly falling apart are quite depressing, the horror scenes are quite horrifying, and the whole movie is very intelligent.
Not a full on horror movie, but certainly worth the time it takes to watch it.
The creepy-kid thing has been played out for a long time and if you want to be successful you got to bring something different into the genre but, sadly this film didn’t.
This was a great movie. However, I can’t say I enjoyed watching it due to the numerous heartbreaking scenes. It’s strange how I can applaud when a person takes a buzz saw through the chest but I can hardly bear to watch a family tear itself apart. This movie made me feel terrible and it actually caused me to question the value of parenthood. But this film deserves much recognition for causing such deep impact on me.
Joshua is a dark movie with alot of disturbing scenes. This isn’t a real horror type movie but a suspenseful thriller. It is slow paced at times but I’m still not sure I liked it. This kid is really screwed up. One wierd flick.
“There are kids who are adorable, and kids who just gets on your nerve. Joshua gets filed under the latter, with a creepy look to boot. No offense to child actor Jacob Kogan who gets the titular role, but when he’s brooding with that psychotic glint in the eye, you just want to throw him into a cage and toss the key out of the window.
But this demonic kid pales in comparison to The Omen’s Damien, although both will score high marks for their diabolical scheming mind. The latter is the devil incarnate, but Joshua turns out to be your atypical child who feels threatened by the coming of a new born sibling. You know, the jealous rage that permeates as they perceive the lack of attention and love bestowed upon them. Dad Brad Cairn (Sam Rockwell) used to be his best buddy, but Joshua feels that his own lack of athleticism might be that barrier between them, and given his personal preference for the arts like the fondness for dark musical pieces on his piano. Mom Abby (Vera Farmiga) on the other hand, turns out to be a nervous wreck, which works to Joshua’s advantage in pushing the right buttons. It’s revenge of the neglected kid basically.
The movie tried to be creepy with the employment of usual shock tactics seen in most horror movies, and they do feel a little out of place here, especially when it tries to position itself as a psychological thriller. It’s nothing very cerebral about it, and for the most parts, its extremely slow pace brings about a sense of frustration, especially when plot loopholes, or irrational character behaviour that you’d come not to expect, gets so blatantly glossed over, thinking that audiences are idiots.
You can’t help but to feel that the story development was too contrived as incidents happen too conveniently, with nary any actual resolution except toward the inevitable ending. There’s nothing chilling about it, except that you now realize that smart kids do become a nightmare when they put their noodle to the test of outwitting, outplaying and outlasting their parents. Perhaps the only saving grace here is Sam Rockwell’s performance as the dad who’s trying to figure everything out, and at the same time protecting the new offspring from the clutches of her now demented brother.
But seriously, all Joshua requires is a good long drawn spanking from the slipper, out of the public view of course.” –DICK STEEL, imdb.com
I rented Joshua at Blockbuster since I heard great reviews from the critics. I watched it and I can’t believe how bad this movie was. No, not bad like kick-butt. I mean bad where it sucks. What’s so great about the movie? The acting is atrocious. Nothing happens. Every 5 minutes all I hear is a stupid baby crying. You call this art? I call this a pile of *beep*. The characters are so stupid and nothing happens. So what’s up with the 4 skulls?
A pointless omen knock off minus the religious themes, the movie is obviously banking on the performance of the child who plays Joshua and in that alone the film fails, I never felt scared, intimidated or compassionate with him at all, why this movie wold be given a 8 rating is beyond me, there are sometimes high rated reviews for absolutly unoriginal horrible films and some of the great films get a lower score of 5,6 and it pisses me off, but oh well, everybody has their own opinions, but as a horror fan, this film is just another floating past memory of 97 minutes wasted.
Sam Rockwell is an excellent actor and why he would be in such a pointless movie like this is beyond me.
this movie is a very slow burn but boy does it pay off i never wanna have kids now!
freaky boy and yes I agree with the guy underneath me I don’t want kids I’ll just stick to sea monkeys or something that won’t kill and be wicked.
evil boy should be burned at stake and into steak!
anyway, slow yes, but pretty cool nonetheless.
Not on par with other films with the same storyline. The Damien-wannabe part is played so weirdly bland that the psychosis and fear the film was shooting for is never realized. Not a bad first half to watch, really–nothing original, but still interesting to see what is happening because of the little brat…..until the complete second half collapse. This actually got downright awful by the end. Not recommended.
An ex of mine gave me this film to borrow and told me it was the greatest horror movie ever shit she was wrong it was that bad I turned it off after the first 10 mins.
Shit.
You don’t have to be a genuis to work out that the plot doesn’t sound too disimilar to “The Omen” or “Orphan”, it even has Vera Farmiga playing the mother again for gods sake! But, “Joshua” is no where near as great as “The Omen” or “Orphan”. Don’t get me wrong, it isn’t the worst film I’ve seen in my life and it does have terrific strengths, but also weaknesses that drag the film down quite a bit.
“Joshua” has its own style, it’s much more subtle than “Orphan”, in “Orphan” we see Esther kill countless people so it’s really in your face that she’s evil. The twist isn’t subtle either. But “Joshua” doesn’t make it clear if it’s his wrong doing or not. So “Joshua” sets out to be more classy than “Orphan” but also no where near as fun or entertaining. I did like how it was subtle and a bit of a slow-burner but sometimes the pacing got a bit too slow and at times boring, but always engaging.
The most impressive thing about “Joshua” is it’s atmosphere. It builds up a really tense and uncomfortable atmosphere. It’s beautifully bleak and awkward in a good way, not awkward in a bad way like “The Idiots”. The boy who plays Joshua is also quite creepy. The unresolved ending also adds to the films creepyness.
So if you want a quietly grim and creepy drama with splashes of horror and intellect. “Joshua” is for you. But, I prefer the fun and weirdness of “Orphan”.