Red Lights

Millennium Entertainment | Release Date: July 13, 2012

5.7	USER SCORE Mixed or average reviews based on 78 Ratings

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StevenFFeb 6, 2013

You see this too many times, a film starting off so well, only to unravel and fall apart so carelessly and predictably at the climax that its difficult to appreciate the film at all, simply because it worsens as the minutes tick on.
The castYou see this too many times, a film starting off so well, only to unravel and fall apart so carelessly and predictably at the climax that its difficult to appreciate the film at all, simply because it worsens as the minutes tick on.
The cast was there, Sigourney Weaver, Cillian Murphy and Robert De Niro, but what unfolded was simply muddled and ended up going for cheap thrills over psychological warfare.
We see Dr. Margaret Matheson (Sigourney Weaver) quite successfully debunk fraudulent mediums or psychics, doing so through how exactly person in question manages to fool the victim. Why exactly was this not developed upon? This was gripping, interesting, and was a different sort of thrill.
Murphy plays her assistant Tom Buckley, who begins to obsess over investigating Simon Silver (De Niro).
De Niro does have a great screen presence in the film, but it is simply wasted.
What follows is a tale of cheap scare tactics and pointless situations (bathroom fight) that really add up to nothing. It was a real shame to see the film going downhill after quite a mysterious and striking beginning.
If the 'twist' ending wasn't worked out a long time before it happened, I doubt you were watching the same film I was, it was quite clear which direction the plot was taking, only problem being suspenseful films using the same path did it better, like The Illusionist.
With messy cinematography that was more confusing than it was exciting, it all equals out to a disappointing film that had a thought-provoking premise, but just didn't deliver a unique stance or fluid story.… Expand

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NedRyerson1Feb 2, 2013

Red Lights seemed like an interesting movie, because of the statement that proposes: every psychic is a fraud and there are many ways to expose them. This last thing is what Doctor Matheson and Tom Buckley do for living. So if you discoverRed Lights seemed like an interesting movie, because of the statement that proposes: every psychic is a fraud and there are many ways to expose them. This last thing is what Doctor Matheson and Tom Buckley do for living. So if you discover someone that apparently has powers, means that you are taking something for granted; here appears the idea of red lights, which are things that should not be there and will reveal you the trick. After all these, the film begins evaluating concepts like beliefs, religion, life after death, masses manipulation and credulity. The problem is that at the ending everything gets so distorted that becomes absurd. All the topics that the movie presents at the beginning are destroyed and what do we obtain? Purely crap. The story could have deepened with the concepts mentioned before or simply continue to where it was going. What a great disappointment, definitely Rodrigo Cortes cannot manage something like this. A story of enormous potential goes to waste.… Expand

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Tara61Jan 7, 2013

The only issue with this movie is the tone of the ending which is in total contrast to the tone of the movie. The director would have us believe that he is speaking from the point of rationalism and science only to reveal to us that his trueThe only issue with this movie is the tone of the ending which is in total contrast to the tone of the movie. The director would have us believe that he is speaking from the point of rationalism and science only to reveal to us that his true standing is of belief and miracles in the final scene. Psychologically speaking that barrel does not hold water well. It would have been better if he held the same tone throughout the whole time.… Expand

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DCEdmondsNov 13, 2014

"Red Lights" 10 Scale Rating: 4.0 (Bad) ...

The Good: Starts off great and is a very interesting concept. The cast is full of talented actors and they don't disappoint. Throughout the first half of the film, there are a handful of very"Red Lights" 10 Scale Rating: 4.0 (Bad) ...

The Good: Starts off great and is a very interesting concept. The cast is full of talented actors and they don't disappoint. Throughout the first half of the film, there are a handful of very powerful scenes that make you think.

The Bad: It bogs down in the second half and loses steam. The talented cast couldn't overcome the poor plot choices as the film goes down an entirely different path and stops making any sense. Horrible ending that was way out of place and served to neatly explain everything. A film ruined by needless twists and turns.… Expand

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FilipeNetoMay 30, 2021

Mediumship and paranormal powers are a fascinating topic, and I think there is hardly a single person who escapes the fascination of this matter. You either believe it or you don't believe it, or you keep an open attitude about it, butMediumship and paranormal powers are a fascinating topic, and I think there is hardly a single person who escapes the fascination of this matter. You either believe it or you don't believe it, or you keep an open attitude about it, but everyone has an opinion. In this case, the film is about a duo of scientists, Margaret Matheson and Tom Buckley, who unmasks false mediums and mentalists. When the famous Simon Silver decides to end an exile of many years and give a show, they are divided: Tom is determined to expose him as a fraud, but Margaret warns him that he is particularly dangerous.

The cast is headed by three names: Sigourney Weaver, Cillian Murphy and Robert De Niro. However, Rodrigo Cortés' direction and writing could not be worse and waste all the potential that the film could have. I don't know why Weaver's character dies so early in the film, maybe the actress had some schedule conflict and couldn't continue filming, but the fact is that it would have been better to be Weaver to take the lead and move the film forward, by instead of Murphy, who had neither charisma nor a capable character to do so. With the death of Margaret, Weaver's character, the film loses its balance and turns into a bitter manhunt, in which Murphy's character will stubbornly pursue the medium of De Niro until the last consequences. The film hurries, runs over wildly, lacks elegance and loses its rhythm. The ending is a kind of duel at sunset between the two, and it couldn't be more cliché and more uninteresting than it turned out to be.

Sigourney Weaver disappears too soon, but everything she does is done very well and gives us a very competent job. Robert De Niro is pleasantly sinister and intense in his role, and Toby Jones has also been fine whenever the film required his presence. It is really Cillian Murphy who clashes, in a histrionic, exaggerated and disappointing performance.

Technically, the film is very good and looks expensive. Cinematography works very well, with De Niro's scenes so bleak that we almost barely see the actor's face, unrecognizable with his glasses, hairstyle and makeup. The visual, special and sound effects are very good, they are expensive, and they look spectacular. The scenes in the laboratory, with the psychic tests, also seemed very good, and the videos are realistic enough, with that old-fashioned look.… Expand

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DawdlingPoetNov 28, 2021

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I found this is to be quite a spooky movie, it uses menacing classical music or muzack in the background along with the noise of heavy downpours and other typically claustrophobic type unsettling music used for dramatic effect. Most of the scenes feature dark light conditions, with seances etc. held in particularly dimly lit rooms, some featuring the red lights as mentioned in the title - you certainly can't claim this isn't atmospheric or emmersive, however it brings different issues I felt, the main being a feeling of confusion, trying to keep track of what precisely was going on with different characters and moreso the hidden technical setup present at different stages.

I thought the basic concept was quite good - it certainly tackles, or questions, an old issue which probably intrigues many people. When it comes to supposed magic or healing, there can be alot of strong views on the subject and certainly paranormal abilities, or people claiming to have 'extra abilities' anyway is something treated with alot of scepticism, yet there are those who may be seen as vulnerable (such as those with terminal health conditions) and wanting to believe in their apparent 'healing powers'. Religion vs science is a topic centuries old but its nevertheless still quite intriguing.

Back to the movie and it does require you to pay attention, in order to follow the plot well - I'd say that there's more in the way of dialogue than real action or special effects and indeed its more of a thriller, or mystery/thriller even, than any other genre, even drama really. Some of the characters I felt were a bit more substantial, or developed, than others I suppose - I'd say that Sigourney Weavers character, that of Margaret Matheon, the University professor, somehow stood out the most, although primarily the movie concentrates on her friend and assistant of sorts, Tom Buckley (played by Cillian Murphy, who I kept thinking reminded me of Brian Cox for some random reason!) and the apparently somewhat legendary, powerful healer Simon Silver (played by Robert De Niro). The relationship between Margaret and Tom is quite interesting and there are some good pieces of dialogue, although I didn't especially think much of Robert De Niros portrayal in this specific title, other than he seems his usual cool headed self, portraying someone who clearly has an element of arrogance which is part of their known persona, that people buy into and that suits him well.

Content wise, there's definitely at least moderate (bloody) violence present here, particularly towards the end - I found one somewhat extended scene quite shocking and difficult to watch, due to the violence present I felt that was somehow unnecessarily unpleasant - I suppose I wasn't expecting it so thats why it shocked me more but it is what I'd call pretty grim. Otherwise there's the usual strong language present and sinister tone throughout but not a whole lot else thats especially worth mentioning, unless you can count the odd scene which may make people jump.

To me, this movie seemed like a story based on a novel and brought to life on screen, in that it relied heavily on character interaction and dialogue. Trying to concentrate, I still felt a bit lost regarding some plot elements and characters, at one stage it did seem a bit muddled and complicated but I stuck with it all the same. I should perhaps also mention that I felt a bit cheated by the ending of the movie, which (to me anyway) didn't seem especially plausible and seemed perhaps even annoyingly typical for such movies of its ilk. I'd say it involves a sentimentality which didn't appear to be present until then. There's also a nice, probably quite poignant message right at the very end but I still feel the ending was somewhat clumsy or muddled and it didn't quite work for me somehow, if you know what I mean.

One thing I did quite like was a particular plot twist that came to light (pardon the title related pun(!)) quite slowly but was done pretty well, I thought, so the plot isn't entirely bad I guess. I won't say much about it so I don't give it away but thinking back, it did surprise me a bit, although I admit that sometimes I don't see things coming as quickly as others can.

This has the feel of a classic style thriller and it does ok at that, although I wouldn't say it stands out a great deal but its certainly easy enough to watch for the most part and has a decent enough story so I give it 5 out of 10.… Expand

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