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Sarah (7800 KP) rated The Institute in Books

Nov 26, 2019

The Institute

Stephen King | 2019 | Science Fiction/Fantasy, Thriller

7.8

(8 Ratings)

Book Rating

Would make a great film

Supernatural abilities and horrific events are nothing new for Stephen King, but this is the first time we've seen his take on The Maze Runner/X-Men and most other recent YA novels or films. And it's really rather good.

I wouldn't say it's up there with his knockout classics or epic stories, but this is a hugely entertaining read with some endearing and well developed characters. Even the kids in this are a lot more likeable than most other whinging teens that feature as protagonists in other novels, and it's just proof that King really does know how to do characters. The story itself is interesting and a neat new take on the supernatural/superhero powers that we're so used to seeing nowadays. My biggest issue is the ending. It's not terrible or even bad at all, it just comes across as very anticlimactic after the huge build up and is rather a bit of a letdown. It just seems a little too clean and wrapped up all too quickly.

Still I struggled to put this down, especially the further I got into it, and if you like stories about supernatural abilities then this is definitely one to read.

Kudos

Neon's Nerd Nexus (360 KP) created a post

Apr 8, 2020

Mini review time for VFW on 4K.

VFW feels like the most 80s film I've seen since the 80s. It doesn't rely on nostalgia or 'remember this' moments its just a genuinely very well made movie thats clearly been made by people with a lot of passion and love for films of the past. Its so well done infact that you could actually mistake it for a forgotten film from a past era or decade. Caked in grain its undeniably sleazy, brutal, disturbing and shocking with such a great sense of constant dread. All characters are awesome too as is the hauntingly hypnotic and pulsating synth soundtrack which a company's the great dialog so well that most scenes just leak a cool atmospheric warmth. stephen lang is a stand out here calm, collected and as badass as ever. Very much like Green Room meets Near Dark this is defo one to check out for sure. If you hate grain on your 4K transfers you may want to stay clear but it undoubtedly adds extra character to the movie and makes the colours pop which is surprising for a disc with no HDR. Only available on import but not very expensive I'd say this is most definitely a buy.