Aurora: Movie Review

Photo courtesy of Aurora Trailer via Viva Entertainment YouTube Channel

As far as its horror aspect goes, "Aurora" has none at all. Even its beautiful and captivating cinematography and soundtrack cannot save a film without much direction or much substance.

Photo courtesy of Aurora Trailer via Viva Entertainment YouTube Channel

When the passenger ship Aurora sinks in front of Leana's island inn (Anne Curtis), everything changes. In the cusp of losing everything she has, families of the missing offer Leanna a chance to survive. Every missing body she's able to find, she'll be given P50,000 (USD1,000) in return. Desperate and clinging to the only home she has known, she decides to do the unthinkable task and stay for another month alone with her sister Rita (Phoebe Villamor). But all is not easy as the restless spirits of the Aurora soon ramp up their disturbances.

Photo courtesy of Aurora Trailer via Viva Entertainment YouTube Channel

"Aurora" has all the flash but never the bang. We couldn't believe it but almost everything was off about the film. Mostly, the film just never gels together. Scene to scene felt rushed or full of narrative assumptions that made us confused or clueless to what was happening on-screen. On top of that, the narrative fails to be substantial. Like the typical local film, there's always a morally good protagonist and a narrative that needs to end on the good end of the spectrum even if it hampers what could have been a more memorable and notable experience for audiences. The latter part of the film improves when the real story of the Aurora is unveiled but outside of the idea that there's a corrupt conspiracy that's being hidden by the ship owners and the government about overloading a ship, there's no deeper dive into the horrid issue on-hand. Worst of all, the horror and tension was literally non-existent. The various entities that Leana and her sister encounters feel like filler material - just for the scares. But most if not all of these supposedly scary scenes are laughable at best. What "Aurora" did right are its cinematography and soundtrack. Yam Laranas showcased awesome shots of nature that both wonderful and daunting. If the film could have spent more time in building its characters and narratives instead of the horrors, "Aurora" could have been a very good film. As it is, it is deeply flawed and a sinking remnant of what could have been.

Photo courtesy of Aurora Trailer via Viva Entertainment YouTube Channel

Rating: 1 and a half reels





Why you should watch it:
- the cinematography and soundtrack was amazing.

Why you shouldn't watch it:
- non-existent horror and tension
- non-existent plot and direction

You can catch "Aurora" via Netflix streaming right now.