VividSimon Simply Perfect

MoPoshy Absolutely brilliant

HomeyTao For having a relatively low budget, the film's style and overall art direction are immensely impressive.

ChanFamous I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

beorhhouse I'm thinking Tennessee, but maybe Alabama. In any case, this film is not theologically correct, but I give it a 3 because the "psychic" is really a witch in league with demons, which is very accurate on all accounts since Endor and long before that. I really wanted to love this wonderfully shot and lit film, but the lack of good, solid theology--and the shocking lack of forgiveness from an obviously penitent soul--makes it almost worthless. So, if you're into unique Ghost Stories that have little or no actual truth about them, then this one's for you. Oh, and to the reviewer who commented that the demons (Asmodeus et al) are caricatures (not realistic enough), no, this is really what they look like. I've seen one, my wife has seen so many she can't count them, and others I have met have also encountered them. They are black and menacing--but this film got their eye color wrong. It's always red.

TheLittleSongbird 'The Atoning' drew me into seeing it, with a cool poster/cover, an intriguing and quite creative premise and as someone with a general appreciation for horror. That it was low-budget, which from frequent personal experience is rarely a good sign due to that there are so many poor ones out there, made me though apprehensive. It is sadly however yet another film seen recently, hence some reiteration because the exact same strengths and flaws are here present in those films, that to me could have been much better considering its potential which it doesn't do anywhere near enough with. 'The Atoning' is far from terrible, with a plethora of problems (huge ones too) and doesn't do enough with its potential, which was hardly small. There are things that are decent enough to make it a step above weak.Lets start with the positives. The scenery is atmospheric and spooky, and the film is competently shot. The music has some creepiness.Best thing about 'The Atoning' actually is the ending when the film finally gets intriguing and is actually pretty clever, even then it feels too little too late. The acting generally, apart from the dreadfully hammy acting for the psychic, is better than average, particularly from Cannon Bosarge. There is some creepiness here.Going on further to the negatives, the story does feel over-stretched and some of it feels vague and under-explained and never gaining momentum. Too many characters are too sketchy and with nowhere near enough to make one want to endear to them. Their annoying and illogical decision making and behaviours frustrates. Making the film feel bland and forgettable with not enough heart put into it. The effects are sometimes ropy and the sound quality is obvious and utilised cheaply (being too loud in the build ups and people's reactions). Dialogue can be stilted and rambling while the pace and film drags on forever, never recovering until finally getting intriguing to the ending. Found too many the supposedly shocking moments not surprising or scary and the supposedly creepy atmosphere dreary, due to the excessive obviousness, a lot of dumb and vague moments and explanations and the lack of tension and suspense. A lot of 'The Atoning' has underdeveloped plot elements and often nonsensical and confusing character motivations, while too many of the things to make you jump or shocked are far from creative or scary and are pretty tame.The psychological elements are unimaginative and are more odd than scary, generally failing to show any sense of horror. Some badly sagging momentum too. The direction is leaden, got the sense their heart was not in it.Concluding, lacklustre but not terrible. 4/10 Bethany Cox

kardosma Aside from two sanctimonious reviewers who criticised people who weren't overly positive about this movie, I think a lot of people are on the same page with this. For me, any movie where the characters haven't engaged me by the 20 minute mark is a dead loss. No matter your budget, you can still make your characters appealing or engaging for the audience. These people were so dull and monotonous that they were actually repellent in a dull, lifeless way. I watch a lot of horror (which this wasn't), and a lot of low budget movies (because everyone deserves a go, and this was definitely low budget)... but this one just didn't have any appeal at all. To be honest, I think if you're going to make something on a seriously low budget, you may want to take a chance and be creative rather than remake parts of other more successful movies in such a drab and lifeless way. Sorry guys! Just not the movie for me.

vans-70413 I'm no critic, and I'm not looking for a literary masterpiece. I enjoyed this film, and had no expectations. I found myself caught up most of the time, and a little tense at times. I highly recommend this film if you want to be entertained for a little while. I'm not exactly sure what category or genre I'd place this film into, but it has elements of horror and drama for sure. Watch it!