AlfredAngier’s review published on Letterboxd:
This was a frustrating watch because there were moments of genuine eeriness and it felt like the film was attempting something like The Mothman Prophecies but aside from a spooky skeleton and a scene where in a memory the recording of a voice is played over the actual voice the film showed too much, too early and too often to work as a suspenseful horror film and instead focuses on a laughably dumb cult which didn't do anything for me.
Aside from explicitly stating if the titular Empty Man entity is real or not very early the eventual explanation and mythos is kind of dumb and forced, the film would have been better without it and despite liking the 20 minute opening on its own that probably could have been cut along with lot of other scenes because this becomes a two hour and twenty minute slog when it could have been an hour and forty five minute slog instead.
Both stars are for James Badge Dale as James who once again turned in a great performance, if only the movie were worthy of his talents and the mind blowing twist it was going for didn't come off as trying too hard to be an M. Night Shyamalan ending. It did, but not in a good way and left me feeling empty, man.
Added to my Movies Where They Say The Name Of The Movie In The Movie list.
