Imaginary | Film Review

When Jessica (DeWanda Wise) moves her family into her own childhood home, her youngest stepdaughter finds an imaginary friend in a stuffed bear named Chauncey. But is the friend really imaginary?

I was really looking forward to this film. It didn't look amazing or anything, but it looked like a fun, camp, cheesy horror, a genre that I absolutely love!

Unfortunately, the film itself left a lot to be desired.

For a start, there's been a trend recently of filmmakers making films really dark to add to the atmosphere. Well, this one was so dark I couldn't see what was going on, and it just wasn't fun. I have no idea why this started but can it please stop?

There were some fun and imaginative jumpscares, but most of them didn't really move the plot forward. Luckily they did provide entertainment, so I had fun with them.

Even though the film was really predictable, it was still enjoyable up to a point.

The characters are fine, but they tend to make unrealistic, weird decisions that can take you out of the film. The weirdest one, which isn't really that much of a spoiler, is that the husband/dad goes away for some reason, and just doesn't come back! No matter what his children and wife are going through, we never hear from him again - why??

The third act completely ruins whatever the first two acts built. The explanation was really convoluted and didn't always make sense. For a film like this with an interesting, simple premise, a simple explanation would have suited it a lot better.

The imagery is really creative, but there are points where it makes the film feel too fantastical, and ultimately a bit stupid.

There were a couple of good twists, but they weren't enough to save the film.

Overall, there was definitely potential here, and if it was held together better, with a better conclusion, it could have been a great watch. But, while I enjoyed myself for most of it, it was definitely let down by its third act.

4/10