Elemento

I decided to watch Elemento on HOOQ (using trial account as of the moment) because I’m a Cristine Reyes fan. It’s also good to see Jake Cuenca in the cast since he’s one of the better actors here in the Philippines. Plus, the fact that I like watching horror movies 👻

However, I don’t know. I felt like Cristine is the only person carrying this film with her great acting. There are a lot of aspects in the film that are lacking. I couldn’t really pinpoint what they are since I’m not a film expert but I just didn’t feel that the movie Elemento was well-made.

Elemento (2016)
Cristine Reyes, Albert Solos, Jake Cuenca, Elizabeth Oropesa
A supernatural horror drama about a mother experiencing strange things after her son comes home from a school field trip to a forest. It all stems from the changed behavior of her son who has become menacing, frightening and threatening all of a sudden.

Let me try to take a stab on what I feel are missing. If those are addressed, I could have enjoyed watching Elemento.

• The kid doesn’t look like Cristine or Jake at all!  He is obviously miscast as their son.  I felt uneasy throughout the movie since the kid doesn’t have anything similar physically with any of his supposed parents.
• The film was so fast-paced that there was no character development at all. The only character that the audience can connect with is Cristine’s character. It’s a shame that brilliant actors such as Elizabeth Oropesa and Jake Cuenca didn’t get much airtime and story in the film.
• Elemento wasn’t scary at all. I’m not sure why. Maybe it’s the effect, the makeup or the acting.

I think it’s quite obvious that I didn’t like Elemento at all. Probably seeing Cristine Reyes top bill a film and me not being able to figure out what Cristine’s character really is before it was revealed are the two sole good points in Elemento.

I guess a good takeaway in Elemento is a mother’s undying love for her son. I just have to watch a good film after this to offset my disappointment.