The Empty Man, 1*

Review by Dana Archer

Director - David Prior
Run time - 137 minutes
Platform - Disney +
Rating 18

The film opens on a mountain top where a group of friends’ stumble across a hole, one falls in and from there a sickness spreads amongst them. Cut to the opening title and we meet James, an ex cop. When his friend's daughter goes missing, he delves into the world of the empty man, an urban legend where by blowing in a bottle on a bridge your fate is sealed in three days. This film crams too many ideals and themes into an overstretched narrative, themes such as: Mental illness, Cults, Youth Outcasts, grief and Urban Legend - each of these are far too much to squeeze into one film. An overwhelming sense of dullness endures through this, as we don't learn enough about the character and the 'twist' makes no sense at all, this is a terrible film. I can name a number of films where psychological thriller and Horror compliment one another to make for thrilling cinema, in this both genres fight for attention causing clumsy narrative and plot holes. I can't find a single positive about this film, it was tiresome and grotesque. The few scenes of violent gore which justify an 18 certificate somehow attempt to compensate for lack of story or meaning. The director attempts to cram so much meaning into the film that it loses all entirely.
Ghastly, boring and pointless.