The Ritual | Netflix Original | It’s always a decent horror-thriller when there is good acting, average CGI and good cinematography.


The important things first, there is nothing special about this Netflix Original and there is no way this movie is going to be discussed over lunch the next day.  The movie is predictable through and through (aren’t most of the horror flicks so ?) and it ends up being a good time pass watch.
The Ritual , begins with 4 friends reuniting 6 months after the tragic death of their friend , Robert. It was Robert’s idea to go trekking in Northern Sweden to explore the Scandinavian wilderness. Luke (Rafe Spall), the main protagonist,  had witnessed the murder of his friend and was carrying the guilt throughout with him, while the other friends although not visibly, carried an animosity towards Luke over the incident. 
The movie is quite gripping over the first hour or so but then slowly fizzles out towards the end.  The performances of the lead quartet definitely works in favor of the movie when compared to the other over-the-top, underwhelming performances put up by regular medium budget horror movies. The setting for the film was perfect with the great Swedish wilderness quite stunning in itself with every frame. It’s a photographers dream but the person within the photographer would struggle to shrug off the eeriness.
On the whole, this is a pretty decent one time match. Its not a match to Dark or Stranger Things but would score well above the recent Jigsaw and Rings.

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