Stray really entertained me. That might be soft praise, but I needed it this year. What’s funny is that it’s a film about a female detective bonding with a teenage girl over her dead mother. The kicker is that the mom is a 1000 year old mummy who was alive the previous day. Now, the stuff hits the fan and Policewoman Mopey has to figure out what’s going on. This leads to some supernatural dealings and a quick spot of a Japanese singer I think was in Kong: Skull Island.
Karen Fukuhara is quite amazing as Nori. She plays the film like a creepy modern Carrie White knock-off. Yet, she also makes me want to see a series of movies about a girl with her powers. Ross Partridge does amazingly in a supporting role. However, this is the kind of film that slips past most audiences and finds life on home video & streaming. The big reveal of the runaway’s powers are interesting but don’t add much to the finale.
Not all ghost stories need to be showstoppers, however a third of the movie isn’t strong enough to keep my focus. A ton of my friends would call this a great second screen movie, but I find that dismissive. Check it out for what it is.
Stray opens in theaters on March 1st
