To be fair, Never Let Go is probably more a victim of how many times I’ve seen this exact premise over the past few years. But, that said, maybe they don’t have to regurgitate the same gimmick over and over again, making me deduct points waiting impatiently for the inevitable shoe to drop.

The film stars Halle Berry as a mom with two young boys living in a house in the woods. Apparently evil has possessed everyone in the cities and they must remain isolated… and when they go out, they must tie a long rope around themselves to keep the evil away.

And, of course, it immediately begs the question of whether there is evil rampant in the world (like in the excellent When Evil Lurks) or if mamma is just off her rocker. Or something in between.

This scenario is old hat. Whether it’s demons, a plague, a nuclear war, a doomsday cult, or some other apocalypse, I’m getting a little tired over the “surprise” reveal… it’s either real or they’ll stumble on civilization <insert dramatic sting here>. Perhaps it’s unfair my familiarity with this sub-genre should affect my score, and yet it does.

If the film had more positives, I’d let it slide. But it’s pretty average on its own merits. It is, at least, a relatively atmospheric thriller with a couple decent jump scares… but ultimately it fizzles a bit as horror. The acting is good, especially from the two boys who carry a lot of the film. There just isn’t enough unique personality that these positives should outweigh its generic negatives.

Ultimately my experience watching it came down to waiting impatiently for the shoe to drop. It’s never much fun looking at your watch, wondering if they’ll get to the reveal in the second or third act. And then shrugging when they finally let us know “what’s really going on”. Or do they? <insert dramatic sting here>

This is hardly a horrible movie… just a tired one. Maybe if you haven’t seen this premise a dozen times in the past few years, you’ll enjoy it. Or maybe it has enough unique elements for you that you like it for what it is. But for me, it was all the usual without enough of its own unique personality.

Score: 74