The latest addition to the Blumhouse collection, titled "Imaginary," is helmed by Jeff Wadlow, known for producing "Truth or Dare." Blumhouse's portfolio often presents a mixed bag, and "Imaginary" appears to be yet another entry among its less impactful films. The narrative is plagued by an overly intricate plot that is executed through simplistic methods, characterized by dull expository dialogue, a visual style reminiscent of car commercials, and a creative concept that feels like a rough draft, lacking refinement.
The story follows Jessica (DeWanda Wise), a children's book author and illustrator striving to connect with her stepdaughters: the rebellious teenager, Taylor (Taegen Burns), and the more receptive Alice (Pyper Braun). Upon relocating to Jessica's childhood home with her husband, Max (Tom Payne), Alice becomes attached to an imaginary friend named Chauncey. This relationship intensifies the already delicate family dynamics and brings forth repressed memories from Jessica's past. What initially appears to be a harmless childhood experience takes a darker turn as Alice's bear demands increasingly troubling actions to validate their "friendship" before it takes her on an ominous "trip."
The domestic turmoil surrounding Jessica's feelings of alienation within her family is accompanied by a secondary narrative that alludes to unresolved childhood traumas and a strained relationship with her father. Jessica finds solace in her imagination, channeling her creativity into writing children's books. Similarly, Taylor and Alice's mother faces institutionalization due to mental health issues, prompting Alice to seek stability, which leads her imagination to embrace the influence of Chauncey. As the psychic connection between Alice and Jessica becomes increasingly evident throughout the film, the narrative takes a convoluted turn, introducing new laws, worldbuilding elements, and histories that render the initial storyline nearly irrelevant.
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The arrival of Gloria (Betty Buckley), an old neighbor and Jessica's former babysitter, shifts "Imaginary" from the precarious edge of horror into the shallow realms of mythic science fiction. The traditional tropes of possession are replaced by a "Coraline"-esque hidden door that opens into a complex underworld of imagination, populated by lost children abducted by peculiar imaginary companions. This computer-generated landscape resembles a blend of "The Haunted Mansion" and "Thirteen Ghosts," yet lacks the playful spirit characteristic of either.
Although it aims to be a horror film, the experience throughout its duration resembles more of a disjointed exploration of clichés that ultimately fail to deliver. In terms of its genre ambitions, "Imaginary" is notably deficient in both scares and gore, leaning heavily on the mere concept of what it could have been rather than what it actually presents. There is a lack of thrilling moments or intense suspense to alleviate the film's monotonous rhythm, leading it to become ensnared in a pattern of letdowns as the anticipation of violence or tension dissipates into yet another false climax.
The screenplay, crafted by Wadlow, Jason Oremland, and Greg Erb, is painfully simplistic, offering no assistance to the equally uninspired performances of the cast. Each line is strikingly obvious and unnatural, delivered solely to advance a theme or set the stage for the subsequent scene. "Imaginary" never delves into the depths of its potential. It could have evolved into a campy, blood-drenched rendition of "Ted," or an absurdly self-aware horror-comedy akin to "M3gan" or "Child’s Play." Instead, it lingers in a nebulous space, disconnected from any sense of purpose or depth. While it does not need to replicate its somewhat similar predecessors, it fails to establish the identity that those films possess. "Imaginary" is entirely forgettable, bland, and lacking direction, which is ironic for a film that celebrates the power of imagination, as it astonishingly overlooks the very essence of its own premise.