Spoilers will leave some mysteries to the experts.
It’s been a minute since I’ve sat down to watch a film without wanting to turn it off after the first act. I don’t believe I have particularly high standards, but I’ve been trying to stay out of the mainstream big studio factory films that have rarely a story to tell. When this came my way via a trailer, it was sold as something of a creature feature. It is, and it isn’t. And what completes the package was actually pretty solid, so let’s see what lies underneath.
The Cycle (2026) is directed by Jordan Downey who wrote it with Kevin Stewart. Meg (Deborah Ann Woll) is a forensic anthropologist that runs her own lab. She’s an expert on the field. She’s called to assist on a troubling case by Officer Ian (Will Hochman). Of course he wants her opinion, but there’s also a personal motive. Near the horrific crime scene, another body has been found which belongs to a man called Peter Stump (David Myers Gregory). He happens to be Meg’s estranged father who left her and her mom a long time ago. Peter’s body seems to be in strange state… And as Meg analyzes it, she realizes it’s a corpse that did not die where he was found.
The story’s first act is a complete police procedural with emphasis on the forensic analysis. There’s clues that don’t match and if you’ve seen the trailer you’ll see where it is going. Meg will need the assistant of Ian’s father, Lieutenant Marks (Jeffrey Donovan) as well as her own reclusive mother, Joni (Gretchen Corbett) to get to the bottom of this case. Fortunately or unfortunately, she’s going to get a break when she runs into exactly what has been mauling people horribly.
It works almost throughout. The whole forensic angle is given its time to shine while the moody atmosphere of the sleepy coastal town seems to hang gloom surrounding every new discovery. Eventually the reveal happens, and by then most of the audience will have figured it out early. Now, the ending could have used a little more of a jolt, but it’s also not the worst thing ever. I’ll take it over any crazy over-the-top finale.
Recommended with reservations. It’s not a slow burn by any means, but it does stick to the procedural / forensic formula for at least half its runtime until we get to the gory stuff. Gore lovers might feel cheated into thinking this is not a horror film until the action kicks up. I believe it’s well worth a watch.
That will do for now.
