Azrael (2024)

Movie Name/Year: Azrael (2024)
Genre: Action, Horror 
Length: 1h 26min 
Rating: R 
Director: E.L. Katz 
Writer: Simon Barrett
Actors: Samara Weaving, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, Vic Carmen Sonne, Katariina Unt, Sebastian Bull Sarning

Blurb: In a world in which no one speaks, a mysterious, devout community hunts down a young woman named Azrael (Samara Weaving) who has escaped their imprisonment. Recaptured by its ruthless leaders, she is to be sacrificed to pacify an evil which resides deep within the surrounding wilderness – but Azrael will stop at nothing to ensure her own freedom and survival. From the seeds of this gritty, relentless parable of sacrifice and salvation, comes an immersive, real-time, action horror tale from the visionary minds of Simon Barrett and E.L. Katz. 

Samara Weaving in E.L. Katz’s AZRAEL. Courtesy of Gabriela Urm. An IFC Films and Shudder Release.  

Cat’s Point of View:
I'm of two minds about Azrael, now that the credits have rolled.

Let's take it from the beginning before we delve a little deeper into that, though.

Azrael did have a place on September's Top 20 List, and I have been eagerly anticipating watching to find the answers to my questions the trailer left me with. I noted that I adore Samara Weaving (Mayhem, Ready or Not, Guns Akimbo) and I'd be giving this movie a chance even if I wasn't already fascinated with the story behind the teased events from the film.

I'm happy to say that Weaving knocked this out of the park, as usual. She conveyed every emotion and nuance I could have asked for within Azrael – and all without a single word. Her expressiveness and physicality were on another level bringing this role to life. I maintain that she is one of the best scream queens of this age.

Samara Weaving in E.L. Katz’s AZRAEL. Courtesy of Gabriela Urm. An IFC Films and Shudder Release.  

I actually giggle, looking back at what I wrote in my article blurb for Azrael that “...the writer/director production team for this film have the potential to really sink their teeth into this story...” If you watch this movie, you'll definitely see where I made an unintentional funny, there. I digress...

Getting back to the nuts and bolts of it all, however, I am not sure where I land overall with Azrael. On one hand, this production team set out to challenge themselves with this concept. They intended to create some cinematic art within the action-horror-thriller landscape. I think they were generally successful.

I was on the edge of my seat for a good bit of Azrael. Given the utter lack of dialogue from the majority of the cast (yes, you read that right) that was an absolute feat. This was by no means a “silent picture,” however there just wasn't any speaking – because that was part of the story of post-Rapture civilization. There was plenty of action, quite a bit of violence, enough blood to make the gore-hounds happy, and an excellent tale of justified rage and quest for vengeance.

E.L. Katz’s AZRAEL. Courtesy of Gabriela Urm. An IFC Films and Shudder Release.  

What Azrael doesn't have is a lot of exposition. There were a few title cards in between segments of the movie, but there's not any cast-driven explanation of what's going on. Nor is there any sort of voice-over narration. We're, as an audience, thrown into the middle of events and given just a basic premise of why no one is talking. Then everything takes off into the violent cat and mouse game that ensues.

I was hoping for answers to the questions that the trailer sparked as it piqued my interest – but I'll have to live without some of them. I'm satisfied with how everything played out, all the same. I was thrilled, I was horrified, I felt an emotional connection to Weaving's character, and this story even begrudgingly drug a little bit of empathy out of me for one of the antagonists.

The writer and director, Simon Barrett (You're Next, The Guest, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire) and E.L. Katz (ABCs of Death 2: A is for Amateur, Channel Zero, The Haunting of Bly Manor) respectively, really did a pretty great job with this one – and intentionally wanted their audiences to make some conclusions on their own rather than have the information spoon-fed to them.

Samara Weaving in E.L. Katz’s AZRAEL. Courtesy of Gabriela Urm. An IFC Films and Shudder Release.

It's a little frustrating for my level of burning curiosity, but it didn't really impact my enjoyment. I will say that it was a little harder to watch than some films given that there was no dialogue to keep me pulled in to what was going on – but that's on my ADHD. When subtitles or a quiet film are involved, I have to stay laser focused on the screen and can't dither about with various fidgets to help me take the edge off, if needed. I watched late at night for the ambiance factor of darkness and a quiet household, and it just had my nerves slightly frazzled by the end with the combination of the 'what the fuck' sensation that the story, itself brought about.

Azrael isn't going to be for everyone, but it is definitely worth giving a chance for action-horror fans, especially with the dearth of original concepts out there. There have been very few mainstream movies that have even touched on this topic, so there's that.

While Shudder is one of the production/distribution companies listed for Azrael, it is getting a theater run before it will become eligible for streaming. You can catch Azrael in participating theaters beginning today, Friday September 27^th, 2024.

E.L. Katz’s AZRAEL. Courtesy of Gabriela Urm. An IFC Films and Shudder Release. 

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 73%
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score –None
Metascore – 52%
Metacritic User Score – None
IMDB Score – 6.0/10

Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating – 3.5/5

Movie Trailer: