Sacrifice Review: ★★☆☆☆ (2/5)
Sacrifice has a bold idea and a cast that clearly tries hard, with Chris Evans getting some real laughs. But the story lacks a clear point, the characters are hard to care about, and the humour rarely lands.
Rating: ★★☆☆☆ (2/5)
Platform: Netflix
Genre: Apocalyptic Black Comedy
Director: Romain Gavras
Writers: Romain Gavras and Will Arbery
Cast: Chris Evans, Anya Taylor-Joy, Vincent Cassel
Some films fail because they are bad. Others fail because they are trying so hard to be clever that they forget to be fun. Sacrifice falls into the second group. It has the look of a quirky indie with big ideas about celebrity, religion, and the environment, but it never quite turns those ideas into something that sticks.
Chris Evans plays Mike Tyler, a movie star trying to return to public life after a breakdown and a shocking incident where he burned his own movie premiere with a flamethrower. He turns up at a fancy charity event in Greece, where billionaires and celebrities praise themselves for saving the planet, even though they flew in on private jets.
Then everything goes wrong. Armed nature lovers led by a cult leader named Joan, played by Anya Taylor-Joy, take everyone hostage. They don’t want money. They want three human sacrifices to throw into a live volcano: a king, a lover, and a hero.
Vincent Cassel’s billionaire becomes the king, a young performer named Katie, played by Ambika Mod, becomes the lover, and Mike, who just gave a cringe speech about rich people’s hypocrisy, becomes the hero. The funny part is that Mike was in the bathroom when it all started, so he has no idea what he’s signed up for. All he knows is that people finally seem to like him.
Evans is easily the highlight. Mike is a very sensitive, insecure man who will believe almost anything if it makes him feel important. When he learns he’s meant to save the world by jumping into magma, his first reaction is confusion and his second is feeling honoured. Evans plays that mix of ego and panic well, and a few of his reactions are genuinely funny.
Taylor-Joy also does solid work, and she actually gets to believe in something. But Joan mostly exists to help the movie star grow and move the plot along, which wastes her talent. Jade Croot, as the quiet and creepy younger sister, may be the most memorable part of the film without even trying.
The biggest problem is that the film never gives us a reason to buy into Joan’s cause. She doesn’t have a strong belief system or a convincing speech. We are supposed to wonder if she might be right, but that’s the only reason to take her seriously. Compare that to a story where you truly believe the cult leader believes, and you can see what is missing.
There is also nobody to cheer for. Almost everyone is either a shallow show-off, a selfish rich person, or a cartoon. The apocalypse doesn’t feel like it matters, because nobody seems worth saving. The film also has little to say about religion or the idea that a higher power wants blood, so its big themes feel empty.
Even worse, it isn’t very funny, emotional, or tense. Evans seems willing to blow up his own celebrity image, but the script isn’t sharp or odd enough to match him.
To be fair, a few things work. The jokes about wealthy people at a luxury party get some laughs, and one critic noted a slow-motion music scene near the half-hour mark that looks great. The cast also puts real effort into every scene.
Sacrifice is a movie where you can see the effort but not the payoff. Evans and Taylor-Joy deserve credit for trying something odd, but throwing them into this story doesn’t save anyone, least of all the audience’s patience.
If you are looking for better options this weekend, our The Invite review covers a funny and awkward dinner party comedy, our Tenzing review looks at a stunning Everest biopic, and our Masterplan review is for fans of light heist comedies.