A difficult child that horror-loving parents will find hard to adopt as one of their own.
Comment
09/11/09
Orphan (2009)
55
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:133
Fresh:73
Rotten:60
Average Rating:5.5/10
Consensus: While it has moments of dark humor and the requisite scares, Orphan fails to build on its interesting premise and degenerates into a formulaic, sleazy horror/thriller.
Theatrical Release:07-08-2009
Synopsis: The tragic loss of their unborn child has devastated Kate and John, taking a toll on both their marriage and Kate’s fragile psyche as she is plagued by nightmares and haunted by demons from her... [More]
Starring: Vera Farmiga, Peter Sarsgaard, Isabelle Fuhrman, CCH Pounder
Director: Jaume Collet-Sera
Reviews for Orphan
Although slightly overlong, the film sustains the escalating horror and keeps up its sleeve a truly shocking revelation that's carefully prepared for, though not signalled.
08/11/09
Lifted above the average by a pretty nifty twist and some unnecessarily good acting.
08/11/09
Sticking closely to the conventions of the Evil Child movie genre, there are few surprises (or even scares) as we saunter towards that absurd ending. Just about worth a punt on DVD.
08/11/09
It has atmosphere and tension, and the performances are far better than usual for this sort of caper.
08/11/09
Predictable and been-there, seen-that, but entertaining nevertheless at times.
08/07/09
Top CriticThis wickedly entertaining, if slightly over-stretched, variation on the familiar ‘evil child’ scenario displays an unusually complex grasp of twisted psychology.
08/07/09
Top CriticA creepy premise is undermined by wilfully flashy direction as a fine cast struggle bravely to inject credibility into a tale of vanishing nuns and burning treehouses.
08/07/09
Top CriticIf you’re not easily offended or upset, there is much to enjoy in Orphan. Horror films this skilfully made don’t come along that often. You probably won’t find a better one this year.
08/07/09
Top CriticSome impressively committed work from Farmiga (even when Googling "Children who kill") and a humdinger of a twist make this a rather good bad seed.
08/07/09
Top CriticDirecting with a wink and some style, Jaume Collet-Serra (House of Wax) knows that it’s possible to be totally absurd and witty with it -- he has that trash touch.
08/07/09
Top CriticIt's not only the heavily-signposted "secret" that's obvious, but every single scene, as square pegs fit joylessly into square holes for the full running time.
08/07/09
Preposterous in all the right ways, Orphan is this week's true guilty pleasure.
08/07/09
Collet-Serra manages to sustain tension throughout, prudently deploying his jumps and jolts and pumping up the grue factor. So while it often prompts hoots of derision, they’re often choked off with a vice-tight wince.
08/07/09
There’s a lot of slow burn to endure in the first hour, but the payoff is one of the most batshit crazy finales in recent memory.
08/07/09
Okay, so I saw the ending coming a mile off (and no, I’m not going to spoil it for everyone by telling you what happens) but that didn’t stop me actually enjoying this guilty pleasure.
08/07/09
Orphan is nasty but enjoyable, and the whole film is so competently crafted and superbly acted, especially by the three central females, that I was gripped and entertained throughout.
08/07/09
Orphan is certainly scary enough for the story to haunt you after the film is over.
08/07/09
That director Jaume Collet-Serra made House of Wax, the Paris Hilton remake, does not bode well. But stars Vera Farmiga and Peter Saarsgard, as mum and dad, find a few frail pegs of humanity to hang their characters on.
08/07/09
A squall of improbabilities leads to a laughable late revelation, yet somehow the film keeps a clammy grip.
08/07/09
Latest News for Orphan
August 03, 2009:
Watch RT This Week on Current TV
This week, The Rotten Tomatoes Show will be looking at the movies that opened over the weekend, with help from you (the Rotten Tomatoes community), the Current TV community, and... More...
July 23, 2009:
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This week at the movies, we've got an evil adoptee (Orphan, starring Vera Farmiga and Peter Sarsgaard), a battle of the sexes (The Ugly Truth, starring Katherine Heigl and... More...
July 23, 2009:
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As Harry Potter inches closer to graduating wizard school, the box office prince will face three new releases opening on Friday each targeting its own specific audience. Sony... More...
July 23, 2009:
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