Ok so full disclosure, I had no idea what I was getting into. It’s one of those movies that I probably would have skipped. There is nothing too graphic about it but…
I’m giving it a trigger warning for sexual abuse though.
Cuckoo came out in 2024 to pretty mid reviews.
Starring Dan Stevens (Abigail), it follows a family moving to Germany to help build a new resort in the mountains.
The dog is there once, and disappears from the movie completely by the way.
From the get-go you know something isn’t right with the hotel, but think « supernatural » and it’s fine.
I’d be pissed if I worked at the hotel with the amount of puke, but it never seems to get cleaned up anyways so… yeah.
The first few jumpscares are nicely done, « Mother » is creepy, and it all somehow works.
It could have been a banshee situation and it would have been less disturbing.
Fun even.
Then the weird scenario choice happens and I don’t really know how to feel about it.
Seeing a white man use women as incubators through essentially creature-rape is… disturbing ?
Gross ?
Too close to reality somehow ?
All of the above. Yes, all of it.
The fact that they’re all female doesn’t help either as you know damn well what that substance looks like. The whole vibe is off. It’s essentially a rape movie and I hate those, so much.
The fight between conservation and annihilation of a species makes sense, but at what cost ?
It’s the same with the meat and dairy lobbying, exploitation through destruction and abuse.
Here, they are treating the women like cows, basically. Except it’s not to sell their babies, but for the environment.
Talking about protection of resources, when reality is that the rich have rape rooms in empty pools.
The irony.
I thought the movie had ended 30 minutes before it did. The last shootout dragged a bit too long with Stormtrooper-level shooting skills.
« Mother » didn’t truly matter in the end, aside from being exploited just like the other women.
She was spooky, there could have been more to her… I don’t know how but she could have played a bigger role.
It’s sad when you have to root for the rapist in the story, especially as they were controlled by a dude… So much generational trauma in those mountains.
The sisterly bond in the end is nice, but I still don’t get how or why Beth doesn’t even get clued in. She is clearly pregnant again with one of those things… Maybe it would be nice to let her join the group chat instead of kidnapping her kid ?
A little « Hey girly » would go a long way, especially now that her doctors have been killed.
I’m sure this movie has a strong fanbase because it is solid. There are good things in there.
Buuuuut the overall feeling is off, and I truly dislike those type of stories.
There are so many ways to scare us without paralleling real world issues women have to face worldwide.
My rating : 2/5 bats
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