Netflix continues to turn out horror films that impress. One of the latest is director Ciarán Foy’s Eli, a tale about a young boy suffering from an extreme autoimmune disorder that makes him allergic to the world, but not all is what it seems. As his parents take him for a treatment meant to cure him, all hell breaks loose as ghosts begin to haunt him.
This film is cleaver and will have you guessing the entire time as you sit on the edge of your seat. Just when you think you know what’s going on, a giant twist throws everything out the window. With a unique story, which is rare these days, Eli is entertaining and spooky as hell.
I’ll be honest, one reason I found Eli so interesting is that I identify with Eli because the young boy, played by Charlie Shotwell, is plagued by an autoimmune disorder. You see I have one too (Systemic Mastocytosis Syndrome). While my illness is nowhere near as severe as his, it did make me more sympathetic towards him.
Speaking of the character Eli, Shotwell is talented beyond his years. Playing such a range of emotions at any age would be a challenge but he absolutely nailed it.
Kelly Reilly plays the devoted mother so well, however, Max Martini who plays Eli’s father, was stiff, and mostly emotionless except for moments of anger. He is not a character you want to like. Lili Taylor, who starred in The Conjuring, lacked emotion as well.
The majority of the special effects were great, except for the close-ups of the ghosts, but that’s bound to happen when CGI is so heavily used.
I won’t spoil it for you, but the twist at the end is something you will never see coming. It surprised me, which is hard to do these days.
While Eli does have its flaws, all around, it’s a great flick that I recommend you checking out. I’m giving Eli a 4/5 because we just don’t see enough original films these days.