I have often wondered how someone as talented as Sandra Bullock (Speed, The Blind Side, The Heat, Gravity, Ocean’s 8, The Lost City, Bullet Train) can basically say yes to most projects that are sent her way. She is by far one of the best actresses of the 2000s, and yet her filmography is filled with projects that are simply not worth a dime, and not worth anyone’s interest. Of course, there are some good films here and there as well in that expansive list, but unfortunately, it seems like Premonition is definitely not one of them.
How to Download Premonition
You can download the film from a digital store. You can also stream it. Click on the Download button at the end of this review and make your choice.
The Movie Review
Premonition’s sappy and sentimental rendition of Groundhog Day just does not work. Linda is struck with the distressing news that her husband has passed away in a car crash. However, as she awakens the following morning, he miraculously returns to life, alive and well in front of her. At first, Linda writes off the previous occurrence as a mere dream. Nevertheless, she’s caught off guard when the next day arrives, and her husband has once again met his untimely demise.
This happens repeatedly throughout the movie, as Linda finds herself traveling back and forth through time, landing before or after the accident.
The narrative of this Black Mirror type story fell quite short in grasping my attention, mainly because the plot did not feel believable from the very first moment, I started watching the film. There was no sense of immersion, moreover, the repetitiveness and excessive looping cause disinterest in the final revelation, which just turns to be yet another deceitful plot twist eventually.
While I appreciate films with unconventional narratives or that require mental gymnastics, this particular movie strains to fabricate a unique scenario just for the sake of novelty, lacking any justification for its existence.
It tries too hard to be convoluted, aiming for a Christopher Nolan or David Lynch-style experience, yet it misses the mark in evoking any genuine emotions from its audience. Premonition had all the makings of an excellent thriller, but it turned out to be a lackluster disaster.
The scenes of jumping through time were intriguing, but the lack of proper direction ultimately stifled the potential of Premonition. It drags on at a Turtle’s pace, with nothing really interesting happening. The whole time you’re watching this film, you’re wondering about how it will end, not about what’s happening on your screen.
Sandra Bullock, an accomplished actress, generally warrants admiration; nonetheless, her performance in Premonition is just shy of that mark. Her depiction of a woman grappling with the loss of her spouse and the father of their offspring appears quite convincing and possesses a lot of authenticity.
However, her portrayal lacked the requisite emotional depth that would evoke a sense of empathy within me. That detracted from the film’s overall effectiveness, and kind of broke my immersion. Thankfully, Julian McMahon’s portrayal of the father and husband was noteworthy, conveying the requisite gravitas that befits his role, this character was not a good person, but the performance never lets you find that out until the story shows it.
The Visuals
The visuals here are decent at the most, nothing to write home about but nothing bad either. They are quite colorful and full of cinematic shots that can be eye-catching, however, they aren’t really unique, nor do they bring anything new to the table. It’s just generic color grading, generic lighting, and generic shot composition plastered on.
The Music
Moreover, the music in the film is barely ever a strength to it. It’s some of the most forgettable music I’ve heard in a movie, it doesn’t help the film in any way, shape, or form. It’s just there to be background noise so it’s harder to hear the dialogue sometimes.
Verdict
I’m not a fan of Premonition. I do recognize that this might not be the worst film ever, but it’s not good either. It’s a staple in mediocrity, a film made by a director and writers who thought that all it takes to make a mysterious and eerie film is confusing the audience. However, that’s not all you need, you need to have a good story, good characters, and a good world that you can spin your audience around in.
As it stands, Premonition is just not it.
