There are a ton of thriller movies out there that use the premise of a small cast of people set within one singular location where the majority of the story takes place over the course of a single day. An example of this beingDavid Fincher’s 2002 crime thrillerPanic Roomstarring Kristen Stewart and Jodie Foster, or the Safdie Brothers' 2017 crime thrillerGood Timestarring Robert Pattinson and Benny Safdie (Twilightfans—rejoice).
Although there are a lot of these types of movies, not all of them are done as well as the previous mentioned films are, or as well as Megan Fox’s new movieTill Deathis. Despite seeming like a less daunting task, filming a small scale film likeTill Deathis still every bit as difficult to perfect.
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Movies are already very short glimpses into other realities, unlike television shows where the creators can go into more detail. What makes these smaller movies so great is that theyutilize the short runtime to their advantageto cover all the most important and interesting details about a singular event so that the audience has time to not only invest into the characters, but to also fully understand the situation. This makes an audience member’s immersion into a story more tangible and attainable than something set over a longer period of time. Another great example (although on a much larger scale) would be the one-day thriller yet again starring Kristen Stewart titledUnderwater—a sleeper hit with a Titan-sized plot twist.
Most fans know Megan Fox as the beautiful and talented actor who got type-cast as the Cool Hot Girl thanks to her role inTransformers. She’s been in countless movies where producers and creators looked past her potential. Movies likeThis Is 40, which treated Megan’s character horribly just for being young and attractive, helped to perpetuate the stereotype that put her in a negative spotlight for several years. But thankfully after a resurgence in popularity for the movieJennifer’s Body, Megan Fox is finally getting the redemption she deserves for her mistreatment within Hollywood movies, media, and her personal life. And having Megan Fox get to do some ass-kicking and fight back is the comeback she deserves.
Till Deathis the perfect role for Megan Fox, as itsort of resembles some aspectsof her own life, like being mistreated (especially by the men in her life) and being tied and dragged down by relationships and the past. In the film, Megan Fox’s character Emma is in an unhappy marriage with an unpleasant man who has been cheating on her with multiple women, and she then begins an affair of her own with Tom. But the night before her anniversary, she decides to break off the affair. The husband Mark takes Emma to a secluded lake house for their anniversary, gifts Emma a steel necklace that she puts on, and asks for a second chance. But the next morning, Emma wakes up handcuffed to Mark, who then commits suicide.
The remainder of the film shows Emma engaging with some of the past men in her life that have had a negative impact on her, including her dead husband who is still chained to her. She has to carry around his heavy, lifeless body while fighting off the men who wish to do her harm. Finally, at the conclusion of the film, Emma is able to get rid of her dead weight and symbolically tosses her wedding ring into the frozen lake—finally rid ofher husband’s control over herand her life. Sirens can be heard at the end of the film, so it’s safe to say that Emma was rescued from hypothermia after falling through the frozen lake. Emma is now free to start a new life and be her own person without worrying about her past coming back to get her.
The ending ofTill Deathis very euphoric much like David Fincher’sPanic Roomwas, and the audience gets a sense of the feeling that everything will be all right now. The ending ofPanic Roomsaw Jodie Foster’s and Kristen Stewart’s characters happily and casually looking through a newspaper together on a park bench on a sunny day trying to find anew place to live with hopein their voices. Megan Fox has the same hopeful (or rather relieved) look in her eyes as Jodie Foster and Kristen Stewart had in their voices.
AlthoughPanic Roomhas a more classic and memorable approach of filmmaking thanTill Deathdoes, Megan Fox’s performance definitely elevates the movie in terms of entertainment and immersion,making it worth the watch. For what it is, it is done very well and is a great way to spend an hour and a half that won’t leave any questions. The story wraps up its conclusion very well and has a clear beginning, middle, and end.
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