Vivarium (2019)

Streaming Services: Amazon Prime Video
Movie Name/Year: Vivarium (2019)
Genre: Comedy, Horror, Mystery
Length: 97 minutes
Rating: R
Production/Distribution: Lovely Productions, Fantastic Films, Frakas Productions, PingPongFilm, XYZ Films, Saban Films, Les Bookmakers, Shaw Organisation, The Jokers, Ukrainian Film Distribution, Vertigo Releasing, A Contracorriente Films, Concorde Home Entertainment, Lumix Media, Umbrella Entertainment
Director: Lorcan Finnegan
Writer: Lorcan Finnegan, Garret Shanley
Actors: Imogen Poots, Danielle Ryan, Molly McCann, Jesse Eisenberg, Jonathan Aris, Côme Thiry, Senan Jennings, Eanna Hardwicke, Olga Wehrly, Michael McGeown
 
Blurb from IMDb: A young couple looking for the perfect home find themselves trapped in a mysterious labyrinth-like neighborhood of identical houses.
 

Selina’s Point of View:
It’s extremely hard for me to write a review of this film. Mainly because I’m having trouble staying awake.
 
I’ve never seen such a heavy sedative dressed up as a cinematic experience.
 
My expectations weren’t to blame, either. I wanted to see it. I figured it would have a slow pace and lean a little more toward the cerebral. I was ready for it. I got the recommended amount of sleep last night, I had a healthy breakfast, even my sugar numbers are well within range. I made sure I was ready for something slower that I would have to THINK about.
 

It wasn’t what I expected. It’s not actually a thinker. It could have been, but the creators took the story in a weird direction and it lost all the lessons it could have held.
 
The only way Vivarium met my expectations was in its pacing – it’s very slow.
 
It’s also not nearly as original as I thought it would be.
 

Way too often, throughout the film, I found myself wishing I was watching Episode 150 of The Twilight Zone (1959-1964).
 
“Stopover in a Quiet Town” is one of my favorite episodes of the series and Vivarium feels like a longer, boring, pointless version of the same story. Yes, the ending is different – but the way “Stopover in a Quiet Town” concluded is much more fulfilling.
 

I don’t think we needed Vivarium. If it had taken a more psychological look at the story, we’d be having a different discussion.
 
If you’re having trouble sleeping, and Tylenol PM doesn’t do the trick, this might be the way to go. If you’re actually interested in something fulfilling, just flip on the aforementioned episode of The Twilight Zone. It’s shorter and a much better watch.
  

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 72%
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 38%
Metascore – 64/100
Metacritic User Score – 5.2/10
IMDB Score – 5.8/10
 
Trust the Dice: Selina’s Rating – 1.5/5
 
Movie Trailer: