Shadow in the Cloud (2021) review
After a brief prologue highlighting a 1943 Looney Tunes short 一 Shadow in the Cloud opens with a heavy synth score and neon visuals within a WW2 setting; unique to the time period it’s set in and instantly piquing my interest. For the next forty minutes, the movie remains in this state of lull that sets up interesting stakes, a contained mystery, and (yes) “gremlins.” No, I’m not sure how or why gremlins exist in this universe but the aforementioned short features Bugs Bunny wrestling one inside a WW2 fighter. And that was enough for me. But right at the halfway mark ㅡ the film transcends into an absolutely oblivious mess of a feature; one I couldn’t help take my eyes off of.
This is one of the most tonally confused films I’ve seen in quite a while and any credit here should be given to director Roseanne Liang for, at least, breathing some sort of style and vision here. But though it may be intentional “shlock” ㅡ it still is “shlock” nonetheless. The opening of the movie fools you into believing that this is a film attempting to tackle something unique and maybe it had potential at some point. However, after a huge “reveal” around the midpoint, any chance of this movie picking up gets squandered completely. All the characters ground themselves in their two-dimensionality and the writers (Liang and Max Landis) prove they have no idea what kind of movie they wanted to make in the first place. It feels as if it’s caught in the middle of a “monster” and a “feminist-lite” flick and doesn’t know which side to pick; neither competent or fleshed out enough to make a difference.
Looking more into the production of this movie, Liang was able to rewrite the film several times and separate herself from Landis (rightfully so). However, due to the WGA rules, Landis’ name was still required to be attached onto the project. The development hell this film went through is evident in the final product; a tonally muddled mess that relies on its “meme-worthy” action sequences to drag itself out of the dirt.
For the first half of the film, I was waiting for questions to be answered; I liked the setting, score, direction, and Moretz’s performance enough to keep me engaged. But all that tension feels pointless after the rest of the film reveals itself for what it is; all flash and no substance whatsoever. In a single swoop, the film derails Moretz’s character from a mysterious badass spy into a generic “nurturer” trope. I’m all for “realistic” stakes ㅡ but this feels unwelcome tonally and just piles on to the uninteresting characterization. This movie also contains one of the ugliest action sequences I have ever seen; an indescribable illogical CGI-driven setpiece that I couldn’t believe made it to the final cut. But hey ㅡ that’s what this movie seems to be banking on. It’s honestly appalling this movie even released looking this ugly but I haven’t had this much enjoyment watching a “bad” movie in a while. So ㅡ at least it’s fun to watch with friends. But I still can’t recommend it.
I get what the film is going for by the end. The male characters are sidelined and Moretz is the badass female agent that takes on the gremlin with nothing but her fists. Yes. This is real. Yes. I screamed. Yes. This is the final climactic moment to seal the deal and, by far, the highlight of the film.
I hope Roseanne Liang and composer, Mahuia Bridgman-Cooper,continue to utilize their talent for further endeavors and never have to be anywhere near Max Landis again. I genuinely hope that for everyone involved actually.
