A dark brooding film that echoes numerous earlier Hong Kong and Japanese films, STRAY is a film never quite matches the films it's echoing. At times more talk or moody images than anything else I kept on wanting to say "get on with it" even when something was happening. It's not that what is on the screen in bad but more the film feels more like it wants to follow the down on her luck cop investigating the weird happenings more than it wants to stay with the girl with the powers. Yes, she is our way into the story but at the same time there isn't anything to the character as written that we haven't seen before. There is no reason to give the film our full attention when the film seems to be cutting corners.(If you don't show the one with the power you don't need the special effects)
I had kind of hoped that the various confrontations and all the talk would build to something spectacular it never really does. Granted it is probably closer to "reality" than the bigger budget spectacles from overseas, but the lack of "Oh Cool" makes it less than exciting.
While never bad, STRAY is never full engaging.
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