Don’t Let Go movie review by Movie Review Mom

MOVIE TITLE: Don’t Let Go (It was formerly named “Relive”)

RATING: R

LENGTH: 1 hour, 43 minutes

Movie Review Mom GRADE: C+

IN A NUTSHELL:

Directed and written by Jacob Estes, this fantasy/horror/thriller actually gave me goosebumps a few times. It starts out really well with an intriguing premise but then becomes a confusing mess along the way. David Oyelowo’s performance is exceptional, as always.

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

You see 3 dead bodies with blood
Violence
Some profanity, including 1 F-bomb.
The story revolves around a murder

THEMES:

Family
Persistence

THINGS I LIKED:

David Oyelowo is such a fantastic actor who shines in every film he does. I especially loved him in Selma and A United Kingdom. Those were both such inspiring movies. He clearly believed in this script, so it’s too bad the direction wasn’t better.
I always enjoy mind-bending films. Just don’t spend too much time trying to figure out the timeline of this plot or you’ll just get frustrated.
The last time I saw Storm Reid was in the movie A Wrinkle in Time (2018), which was a terrible movie. She’s adorable and much better in this movie, although I hated it every time she said, “Hello!?” with her snarky teen attitude.
I’ve always liked Alfred Molina too.
There is a twist. I love twists, although this one is a bit hokey.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

After a less than positive premiere at the Sundance Festival, the film was re-edited. Many film critics say it wasn’t enough. It really feels like it still needs to be reworked.
Because of the time warp, some viewers may get confused about the past and present.
It moves very slowly in the beginning but then speeds up in Act 3 with quick stops and starts.
A lot of people are comparing this movie with the 2000 movie Frequency with Dennis Quaid and Jim Caviezel. In Frequency, there is a reason for the time warp, but no explanations at all in this movie. In the earlier movie, a ham radio allows for the time-warped conversations to occur, but to update the idea, a cell phone is used in this one.
The plot becomes confusing and messy about halfway through the movie.
There was some overacting, which is always annoying because it pulls you out of the story and makes you realize you’re watching a movie.
There’s a lot of shaky cam. I hate shaky cam.
The ending has a ridiculous Terminator feel to it.