‘HIM’ Review: Fumbles at Every Turn 

There is a lot going for the new sports horror movie HIM. A fabulous Marlon Wayans performance, a Jordan Peele producer credit, and stunning cinematography. Unfortunately, these positives do not save a movie that fumbles at every turn. HIM follows up and coming star quarterback Cameron Cade, who gets invited to train with his idol, Isaiah White, for a week. Shortly after arriving Cameron realizes that not everything is as it seems and trying to be the G.O.A.T. of football might be a losing game. This is the second feature film by director Justin Tipping, who has some obvious directorial flair but not the refinement to take the movie all the way there. Read our full review for HIM below. 

A lot of people are going to be disappointed by HIM. Most of this is due to the fact that many people thought this movie was written and directed by Jordan Peele, which it is not, or that the premise had so much to offer and was never brought to its fullest potential. The main reason I would encourage people to see HIM, other than wanting people to support original horror, is to see the amazing performance by Marlon Wayans. Every nuance I wanted to see from this character was on full display thanks to Wayans. Isaiah White as a character is someone it would be hard to have sympathy for if he was not played so earnestly. You are first introduced to a character that is extremely powerful and intimidating, living an isolated, cult-like life. We are convinced that White is always in control. As the movie goes on through Wayans performance, we are shown that White is only a product of a messed-up satanic system. This realization feels so natural for the character. We see him throughout the movie struggle with an unknown inner struggle that Wayan portrays a little over the top but convincingly. I would not be surprised if this went down as the greatest performance of his career. The other main actors in the film are really nothing to write home about though. Julia Fox is woefully underutilized and Tyriq Withers feels misdirected.

Another thing I will give HIM, is that it is a visual feast for the eyes. The film takes a lot of big swings and only has a few misses. I enjoyed the production design. I do not know a lot about football, but I could tell that Isaiah White’s house had a lot of elements that mirror the look of actual football stadiums. It was a nice touch that emphasised the idea that Cameron coming into his house was like entering an actual, neverending game where, like in actual football, one will come out victorious. The other stars of the film are the cinematography and editing, done by Kira Kelly and Taylor Mason respectfully. The cinematography is laced with bright colors and compelling compositions that do end up blinding you to the messiness of the story while watching. The biggest swing that the film took was adding x-ray looking sequences that highlight the physical strain the players put on themselves. The first time this was introduced I was put off a bit, but by the end I think it was a great risk that was executed the best it could be. Everything from a technical standpoint was a homerun, so I would not argue if someone said this movie was style over substance. 

Speaking of style over substance, it’s clear that HIM had a lot it wanted to say. The film is a Jesus Christ allegory, an examination on the father/son dynamic, a take down on what it means to be the greatest of all time, and throws some toxic masculinity themes in there for fun. Which is all interesting prospects to make up a great story, but unfortunately HIM does not flesh out any of these ideas in a satisfying manner. It was evident that the director was more focused on the visual elements of the film, rather than fleshing it out thematically. It presents all of these interesting ideas and throws it all away for a cool looking shot. Which, yes, HIM looked great visually, but it is not to the point where I can ignore all of the narrative shortcomings. To be honest, I can’t think of one way that the screenplay did any of the themes justice. It feels like most of the characters are one note, there are sequences that are jumbled and incoherent, and the cherry on top, the end is forced and not the big moment it obviously thinks it is. I left the movie totally at a loss as to why anyone would need or want to watch it. 

HIM is directed by Justin Tipping and written by Tipping, Skip Bronkie, and Zachary Akers. The film stars Tyriq Withers, Marlon Wayans, and Julia Fox. HIM was released on September 19th. 

Thank you for reading our Him Review. For more, stay tuned here at Feature First.