It's not going to win any awards, or probably make a name for itself, but Devil was just what I wanted. Five random people go into an elevator which breaks down. Soon they realized that the devil may be among them. The story was stable, to the point, and entertaining.
Devil never took itself too seriously, often mentioning the absurdity that the devil may actually be in the elevator. There's a religious aspect used as a way to tell the story; fortunately, it didn't come off feeling like a sermon. Because of its PG-13 rating, the gore isn't much, so it relied more on building tension. This allowed me to enjoy trying to solve the puzzle alongside the characters in the film.
All the same, the movie was corny. Ominous music played when scenes weren't that suspenseful, some of the lines were completely ridiculous, and they exaggerated drama when we already knew what was going to happen. I do admit though, I kind of expected it to be like that. Eventually, I began to overlook the cheesy parts.
Devil was all about mystery; so one character didn't stand out from the next. They each had their moments, but the audience couldn't have cared less. We just wanted to know who the devil was, and the movie delivers.
At a runtime of 80 minutes, it was perfect. The film got the story going immediately, and didn't get lost under plot twists and side tangents. There were a few things I didn't see coming, which was like finding a cherry at the end of your Coke; it added a little bit of excitement to something that was already enjoyable.
Really, what made Devil a good movie was that it was fun to watch. It's a fluff film that will satisfy anyone looking for a short, entertaining experience. Here's a tip, try to sit as close to the screen as possible and you'll feel like you're there. Seeing it late at night gave me the spooks, but it would be good to see any time. While Devil may not have truly terrified me, I'll think twice before using an elevator.
