Crush (2013) Reviews

• There is more to Crush than you might expect -^-8/10-^-

  Thrill_KillZ2013-03-31

  When I first came to check this film out I did it quickly, skimmed over the names etc. and then just hit play. It wasn't till afterward that I did further investigation that I realized that the director for this film was Malik Bader, the crafty actor/director behind the making of one of the most clever & original films I've seen Street Thief(2006). Crush is, in terms of genre & plot, a completely different animal and Bader handled it masterfully. If you're thinking Crush is the average teen obsession film your wrong. The new girl in town Bess(Crystal Reed) develops an unhealthy fixation on popular star athlete Scott(Lucas Till). Only Scott's attention is towards his long time friend Jules(Sarah Bolger). As Bess becomes more & more drawn to Scott terribly things begin to happen around him. If you're thinking of this as familiar & predictable I can guarantee you will be dead wrong on that assumption. This film will pull the rug from beneath you with a turn of events you will not see coming. Everything here seems to be in order, the story, acting, soundtrack and camera-work. I was indeed glad I had made the choice to check this out, with no reviews & little votes it was a nice surprise. Recommend it highly -^-8/10-^-

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• Refreshing thriller that will appeal to adults & mature teens.

  Pretty-Wycked-Designs2013-04-17

  I normally do not watch movies with this type of plot-line because I find the same old tired tropes used again and again. However, the director here made, in my opinion, a refreshing, touching, and realistic movie that gave fresh depth and character to the story. I was left guessing who the protagonist and antagonist were until the very end, and the ending was well acted, with realistic characters who acted the way I thought someone in their positions would, not the way an audience would be screaming at them not to. I highly recommend this movie to anyone looking for a suspense/thriller/romance/horror.

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• Better than expected

  bolaman2013-04-11

  *Some very minor spoilers about the general direction of the plot, nothing directly from the movie* This is not just a cheesy teen obsession film. It looked that way to me when I saw the thriller, but I was pleasantly surprised. Not only does it bend some of the obsessive stalker plot arc's we know of, but it also has a real human and emotional element to it that made me connect to the characters since they didn't just end up as 2D stock people. There are subtle side-plots about competitiveness, jealousy and the normality of obsessive or strange behavior, which helps flesh everything out and adds nuance. Visually and sound wise the film looks great and is not a budget or amateur production at all, it has the Hollywood polish which is nice. The plot is still familiar, and it does have several of the typical tropes, but at the same time it adds its own originality and personality to the characters in a way that made it refreshing. All in all entertaining and immersing, and touching even!

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• A Draggily Different Film

  doug_park20012013-11-02

  CRUSH is slow-moving, virtually humorless, without a lot of serious tension or big turnabouts, and a bit hard to follow. A lot of people obviously like the twist at the end, but all I can say is that it didn't surprise me that much. Nevertheless, the ending IS far more effective and conclusive than many of them. CRUSH is also realistically filmed and acted and gives a convincing view of the darker aspects of adolescence, capturing its angst, jealousy, loneliness, and love hexagrams very well. The way the girls in the film all kind of look alike is initially confusing but really serves its purpose in the end. All things considered, CRUSH is like a fairly good Lifetime film on PCP.

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• A Washed up Storyline Revisited That Entertains

  claudio_carvalho2013-10-12

  The promising high school soccer player Scott (Lucas Till) is injured on the knee in a game and two years after, he is still trying to heel his knee. The teenager Jules (Sarah Bolger) feels unrequited love for him but Scott is concentrated in recovering his physical condition and considers her as a friend. The also teenager Bess (Crystal Reed) that works in the store owned by David (Leigh Whannell) with her mature colleague Andie (Caitriona Balfe) has a crush on Scott. When Scott is stalked by a mysterious person that threatens Jules, he believes that Bess is responsible for the weird situations. Is his assumption correct? "Crush" is a thriller with a washed up storyline revisited: "Fatal Attraction", "Misery", "May" are example of plots where an obsessed woman stalks a man. However, "Crush" entertains and the plot point with the identity of the stalker really surprises. Another attraction is Sarah Bolger, the lovely eleven year-old girl from Jim Sheridan's "In America" (2002) that has grown-up and become a very beautiful young woman. Caitriona Balfe and Crystal Reed are also very beautiful and promising actresses. Fortunately I did not paid attention to the DVD Cover that spoils the twist, showing the killer's identity. The song that plays in the credits is very nice. In soccer games, it is not allowed by FIFA to display the running time but Scott is playing in an American high school where is might be possible. My vote is six. Title (Brazil): "Paixão Mortal" ("Deadly Passion")

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