Akin to it's predecessor, Missing is an enjoyable digital-screen-romp of a thriller...as long as you don't think too much into the detail. Plot holes aside, this is a twisty, fast, contemporary mystery that'll be a fun time for most. Don't watch with anyone tech savvy and don't sweat the details, just enjoy the ride.
Missing is gripping , un-pausable and filled with incredible tension. This screenlife thriller does provide the similar anxiety and unsettling atmosphere as Searching did. With stunning editing, marvelous writing and a wonderfully woven narrative , Missing is a spectacular film in its own right paving path for abundant scope for experiment-ations in this genre. Overall, a engaging and must watch if you enjoyed Searching.
Like me in a relationship: pretty entertaining if you don't ask too much of it.
After Searching, Missing is the second in the anthology of multimedia found footage films, where the entire film is set only on smartphones, tablets and other electronic devices.
While there's nothing terribly new in this outing, the formula still holds up really well and there's enough excitement to move the movie along at a good pace.
My only issue is, Sev Ohanian (co-writer and producer of both this film and Searching), loved my review of Searching so much (honestly, it's so thorough I freaked out the editor--Google "123wtf searching review" if you don't believe me) that he reached out to me early last December and promised he was going to drop an Easter egg reference to me in the film. Well, I watched this as closely as I could and I didn't see anything so... Sev? :sweat_smile::wink:
Was not sure what to expect going into this movie, but came out of the theatre pleasantly surprised. Towards the end, the theatre actively engaged with the movie, and everyone cheered during the climax. I enjoyed it and encourage anyone shying away due to the art style/direction to give the movie a chance. I saw this as part of the Regal Mystery Movie on 1/9 and it’s definitely worth a watch!
I really like the gimmick of this franchise, in terms of presentation it’s quite fun and creative. The acting’s also pretty good, but besides that I recognize very little here of what I liked so much about Searching. In just about every sense it feels watered down compared to the first one. The plotting of this one is so schlocky and farfetched, and it includes many mechanics that are either contrived or highly convenient. Some of the reveals are a bit comical because they’re presented like a melodramatic CW series, with schmaltzy music and all included. I don’t even think the main characters are all that well defined, Storm Reid deserves better given the amount of effort she’s putting in. You can pretty much skip this one unless you’re into the kind of movie that I just described it as.
4.5/10
They should have added: "An apple movie" to the title.
As an IT nerd, you can just see the attention to detail and the online struggles, like with the google captcha. Just awesome.
Very good movie, enjoyable use of cinematography. Keeps you guessing all the way through. Well worth a watch. Technology is freaky :thumbsup_tone1::thumbsup_tone1:
What a freaking rollercoaster, they kept the laptop movie format untouched but with some interesting improvements that i seriously loved, like the 3D movement in a specific shot and they make everything in the desktop slightly 3D to show deep, amazing! And the transitions between apps, and from Maps Street View to real city navigation wow, kudos to the creators. And obviously the cast was amazing and the story too! I feel like it lacked of a better closure but they did amazing, thank you for this beautiful action movie
I had an absolute blast with this one. I don't think it quite reaches the heights of Searching, but it absolutely justifies its existence and then some. It almost feels odd to say about movie like this, but there's a real formal elegance to the craft here. Searching and now Missing are really the height of the "digital interface" genre. These movies are engaging in a way that actually feels incredibly novel and fun. There's a "Where's Waldo?" element at play that almost makes you feel like you can "solve" the movie before it guides you to the end. Of course, that's an inherent element of any thriller, but here it feels so much more tangible. And the best part is that while it might be labelled a gimmick, it's really just a brilliant use of the audio-visual medium that is film. If every frame counts and is supposed to advance story, then movies like Missing should be seen as exemplary achievements in film. That might be a tad hyperbolic, but I'm just really jazzed that a genre like this now exists.
To get to the movie, it basically delivers on everything I signed up for. My suspension of disbelief was definitely stretched a bit more than I was expecting, especially when this movie begins to veer into the horror genre, but never so much that I wanted to get off the ride. There were also certainly some little plot elements that felt contrived or convenient, but given the experience I was expecting from this movie (a fun thrill-ride) I was never totally put off.
The fact that this movie, amidst all the fun, also provides some incisive and thoughtful commentary on our current digital age - in terms of how it's commoditized, how it desensitizes us, how despite our greater connectivity our humanity hasn't necessarily increased, etc. - is a beautiful cherry on top! What really landed the plane for me with Missing were the emotional beats that the movie managed to pay off in the end. A thumb reaction to a message, and a father-son reunion both brought a giant smile to my face and reassured me that I was in the safe hands of thoughtful storytellers throughout this movie. While this wasn't quite as mind-blowing as Searching, I do think this was a very worthy successor, and overall another successful entry in this genre of movies.
I'm sorry, but why was Javier's rating so low? HE DESERVES 5/5 STARS. AND ALL THAT IS GOOD AND PURE IN LIFE. :heart:
Was able to see this at an early release at the Alamo. I stumbled upon Searching, but was immediately taken. So when I found out there was a sequel, I was so excited to see it. And for the most part, it lives up. I do thing the novelty of the “screenlife” format isn’t as fresh after seeing Searching. And Searching was a bit stricter about only using screens
But overall, I had a lot of fun. I laughed (so did a lot of others in the audience), I cried, I covered my mouth in shock. It was a good time
What the film accomplishes for its constraints is impressive, but I'm not sure this film was for me. It's certainly better than a Lifetime movie, but it feels like fans of those types of drama are the intended audience. It's noir-lite soap opera drama.
The novelty of screenlife storytelling doesn't really suit 100+ minute narratives, even though Missing does at least most of it well. It feels like a Made for TV movie of previous era in its delivery, largely in part to the more and more ludicrous story that this limited perspective somewhat requires to keep tensions high.
I appreciate the approach and trying something new. I'm just not sure it's found answers on how to overcome such a boxed perspective. It certainly felt like a cap on the actors delivery and it stretched my patience a bit. I don't really have answers as how to improve without some fundamental changes, so I won't fault the production too harshly. Trying new things rarely sticks the landing, and this format has a lot to grow before it'll get it right.
Constant plot twists!! Was exciting to watch, and pretty entertaining too. If you don't pay too much attention to the details, you will like this one too.
I read some reviews and watched the movie afterwards. It is a good movie for the franchise.
But I agree. Should be called „an Apple ad sponsored movie“
It is an American supermarket thriller, very engaging but also very forced and theatrical in the plot development (in Europe it would have been done very differently). I hated the continuous ad to the various Silicon Valley big tech companies.
Fun engagement through apps and the screens but the endgame plot is a disaster…..what was the motive behind it? With this far fetched story the villain explaining their plan would have certainly added more clarity…..
I love the movie "Searching", but this didn't even come close imo. I like how they incorporate fun into it at times, but at a certain point it starts to get boring and convoluted.
Good story. Well done. The ending could have been better.
This is really REALLY good! Plenty of twists and turns right up until the end.
10/10
Not close to Searching, but it has its moments and keeps you hooked.
Enjoyed it.
Feels like a B movie, with bad acting but still very tense without boring moments. I recommend it
Good sequel, went into some unrealistic territory at the end. Liked the mix of horror and thrill elements in the 2nd half. Overall, the story held itself brilliantly. The June-Javier sequences were lovely and heartwarming and made us cheer for them.
Aneesh Chaganty knows his craft.
This movie felt like i was watching a really long episode of “The First 48”
Do yourself a favor and watch this film.
i liked this movie but in real it's over after ~15min when you have enabled 2fa ;)
Other movies have tried this kind of thing where it's all in perspective from a computer screen. I thought this was actually done very well. And it had some twists that I did not see coming. Overall, I thought it was well done.
unexpectedly a very good film, the plot unravelling slowly but with a constant tension, right up to the final stage of the film. Really good!
A rather convoluted story told via screenshots. Too many plot holes to be convincing.
Good thriller that uses the internet as its way of capturing everything in a very well-done way. The story did get a little convoluted by the end, but overall a good movie.
The greatest advert for Siri ever invented.
Truly does more than enough at being a valid successor to the brilliant 'Searching'. It manages to stand out from it.
Perhaps has one too many twists which drags emotion out of the climax but the emotional and tense moments that come before are just so, so strong.
Clever film too - callbacks don't feel gimmicky and the seemingly endless twists and turns fit the fact it's from the perspective of a naive kid that knows so little about their parent's private life.
documentary on why you shouldn't use the same password for every account
Another skillfully crafted thrill ride.
This was really good! I liked this one a little less than, Searching tho. This felt more like a Black Mirror Episode. Searching felt more grounded.
You know for sure that the bad guy was the bad guy because he used Windows
This movie was very close to Searching for me. There were probably more unexpected plot twists in the mix, but I also thought that at times the ways they showed stuff happening through screens was a bit forced. I still found myself glued to the screen in anticipation of the next scene, and it was a very entertaining film. The ending was also very weird, and I was a bit unsure if I liked how it ended.
At Time of Review:
Solid 8/10
Story and Characters: 8/10
Presentation: 7/10
Enjoyability: 9/10
I enjoyed the first movie, the second one was even better. Fantastic mystery, great twists very good storytelling and crafted the whole "behind the screen" really good. If you liked the first one you will definitely enjoy this.
Hey Siri!!!! Call 911!!…. :apple:
Horrible trailer. Great movie. I only watched it because I needed noise. Then I had to stop what I was doing to pay closer attention.
Really liked the story,the pace and the plot twists.It was a descent effort and a good result which kept me in the edge of my seat the whole time. 7.5/10 i expect to watch more of this style of movies.
Enjoyable twisty technology driven mystery.
Characters 7
Story 8
Pacing 7
Visuals 8
Rewatchability Factor 6
Enjoyment or Emotional Value 7
Average Score 7.16
It's decent I guess.
Almost as good as ‘Searching’ and I thoroughly enjoyed my time with this movie! It keeps up a good pace, coherent, and overall pretty unique! Not many mainstream films go for this aesthetic and I appreciate that! Excited for whenever the next film comes out!
Rating: 4/5 - 8.5/10 - Would Recommend
A lot better than the first one
Just an amazing movie series and anyone who be the first to do something new is always being regarded as legendary.
More mysteries than 10 M. Night Shyamalan movies and they actually pay off here :sunglasses:
Rated a Connor 10, normal 9
This is worth watching if you're a fan of "Searching". I liked that one quite a bit more as the story wasn't as far fetched, but I enjoyed the mystery and associated tech sleuthing to see where things went. Enjoyable 6.6 for me
Just as great as the first one. The thing that made me cry was at the very end where you can see the folder "cat adoption faves". Hope he found a good home.
honestly a great sequel. like searching, it has some great twists worth watching for.
My review is largely going to be built around comparisons to this film's predecessor, Searching (2018), which I quite enjoyed. While I was initially concerned that the filmmakers were following the formula of the original a bit too closely (e.g. opening with a melancholic flashback to reveal the death of a parent), they ultimately use the similarities as another means to misdirect the audience. The tongue in cheek acknowledgement of the first film (in the form of the true crime Netflix adaptation "Unfiction") was also a clever touch. As with the original, the screen based POV is an excellent way for the audience to experience an investigation, with plenty of opportunity for creative problem solving. Of course, there's still a lot of handwaving necessary on the tech side of things, with two factor authentication likely stopping much of June's work dead in it's tracks, but things move fast enough that I didn't really catch on it. With respect to the central mystery, things ramp up in scope and stakes a lot more than the original. It took me a bit by surprise, and it does start to strain suspension of disbelief, but nothing deal breaking. With respect to performances, Storm Reid's June was a bit hit or miss for me, with some stilted deliveries standing out amongst otherwise solid work. Javier the Columbian Taskrabbit was a standout. Just a fun idea for a character.
Same concept as the first: mystery crime thriller told through digital screens only, found footage style. I'd say it did as good of a job at that as Searching did, or maybe even more. It used even more apps and technology and it feels even more relevant now after Covid gave us a boost in technology in our daily lives, than it did in 2018 with Searching. The visuals are once again very captivating and so is the mystery. I was constantly looking for clues everywhere on the websites and tabs that were open, this also gives it rewatchability. The main character was well crafted and her backstory was heartwarming from the start, made me invested in knowing more. Some parts actually felt scary for me and almost goes into horror territory, made it very thrilling and I love that. I struggled with the third act, it got a little silly and it felt jarring to go in full thriller mode after the realistic approach. Made it very unrealistic but at least they went for something different this time around. Not as good as Searching but I came out of the theater satisfied nonetheless, very captivating and thrilling thriller.
Much like Searching, there are a lot of well executed and inventive moments using the “screenlife” format. Although much like other movies in this format it kind of collapses under the gimmick and becomes more and more convoluted to try to justify its runtime. I think the screenlife aspect grounds it in such a way that as things get more off the rails it takes you out. But again, there are still a lot of natural moments that it makes up for it, saw this as part of the Regal Mystery Movie and it’s worth a watch.
Also what was going on with the green lightning?
This is competent, it's not great, but it's not bad. This is not my type of movie or art style but I don't have any real criticisms of the movie.
If this kind of thriller is what you like, it's well done. Pace is good, runtime is good.
For a first movie written and directed by Johnson and Merrick, this isn't a bad start, and with the kind of budget this movie requires it's sure to be a financial hit at the box office and/or downstream.
Shout by Jose HilerioBlockedParent2023-03-09T15:01:29Z
do yourself a favor and watch this movie I'm not going to spoil it for everybody else trust me it's a good movie you will love it