Smart supernatural coming of age story is overshadowed by struggling horror comedy

The Radleys
takes the vampire myth in an intriguing new direction, but the horror comedy fails to stick the landing in its delivery. Technically speaking, the movie is good. The actors deliver solid performances, and there is a central plot that moves the story along. But frustratingly, the movie’s potential is squandered in terms of the actors involved, but also the missed opportunities in the plot that are inconsequential side stories.

The Radleys seem to be a typical family in a small English town. However, when Clara finds herself in a dangerous situation, she discovers a dark secret hidden from her and her brother by their parents. In The Fallout, Peter, played by Damian Lewis, calls out to his brother for help, but that only makes things more complicated. To add another layer of drama and complexity to the story, the Radleys are vampires, though they choose to refrain from their more basic desires.

The Radleys has the makings of a killer supernatural coming-of-age movie

The Radleys Features a couple of fascinating story threads and creative twists on the usual tropes of a vampire story. Rather than simply being vegetarian vampires who drink from animals, the Radleys choose to avoid drinking blood. This story has an interesting premise that could have been explored more, as the family seeks to fit into a normal life and navigate relationships with the community. However, an even better story is hidden one layer below.

Two of the best characters in The Radleys are the children, Clara and Rowan. Both are typical teenagers, navigating social situations, relationships, and school, but when they discover their family’s secret, it puts their whole world into a spin. Choosing to center the story on the kids, and their efforts to deal with the family drama could have made the film into something that was much more interesting. At least, it could have played in the horror comedy better.

Instead, the horror and comedy seem to be firmly divided in the film, with the younger Radleys providing many of the lighthearted moments, even though there were few to begin with, and the parents offering only drama. Ultimately, the movie does some things well, but the failure to really capitalize on the tools at hand falls short. Despite this, it is at least interesting in terms of the premise, and the acting remains strong throughout.

Unfortunately, the Radleys lack a clear direction

Just as Damian Lewis was cast in two conflicting roles, The Radleys Did not provide a fully formed idea, opt for a strange low-budget B-movie. Director Euros Lin has done spectacular things in his career up to this point Heartstopper And some episodes of Doctor WhoHowever The Radleys Suggests his abilities work in any format except for television. Perhaps Lyn is struggling to adapt to feature films and stuffing too much into the limited format.

It’s clear that there were some great ideas The RadleysWonderful casting across the board, but the editing leaves a lot to be desired. The story is adapted from a novel, another medium that has more room to tinker with many plot points, but the adaptation lacks a clear focus on any specific part of the story. This results in a story that feels too long and not long enough, and there is little clarity to deliver on a promised premise.

The Radleys is now available to watch in theaters, on demand and digitally. The film is 115 minutes long and rated R for bloody violent content and language.