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Movies / On DVD / Orphan
Orphan

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Orphan (2009)

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Reviews Counted:135

Fresh:74

Rotten:61

Average Rating:5.5/10

Consensus: While it has moments of dark humor and the requisite scares, Orphan fails to build on its interesting premise and degenerates into a formulaic, sleazy horror/thriller.

Rated: R [See Full Rating] for disturbing violent content, some sexuality and language.

Runtime: 2 hrs 3 mins

Genre: Horror/Suspense

Theatrical Release:Jul 24, 2009 Wide

Box Office: $41,472,886

Synopsis: The tragic loss of their unborn child has devastated Kate and John, taking a toll on both their marriage and Kate’s fragile psyche as she is plagued by nightmares and haunted by demons from her... The tragic loss of their unborn child has devastated Kate and John, taking a toll on both their marriage and Kate’s fragile psyche as she is plagued by nightmares and haunted by demons from her past. Struggling to regain some semblance of normalcy in their lives, the couple decides to adopt another child. At the local orphanage, both John and Kate find themselves strangely drawn to a young girl named Esther. Almost as soon as they welcome Esther into their home, however, an alarming series of events begins to unfold, leading Kate to believe that there’s something wrong with Esther—this seemingly angelic little girl is not what she appears to be. Concerned for the safety of her family, Kate tries to get John and others to see past Esther’s sweet facade. But her warnings go unheeded until it may be too late…for everyone. --© Warner Bros [More]

Starring: Vera Farmiga, Peter Sarsgaard, Isabelle Fuhrman, CCH Pounder

Starring: Vera Farmiga, Peter Sarsgaard, Isabelle Fuhrman, CCH Pounder, Jimmy Bennett

Director: Jaume Collet-Sera

Director: Jaume Collet-Sera
Screenwriter: David Leslie Johnson
Story: Alex Mace
Producer: Joel Silver, Susan Downey, Jennifer Davisson Killoran, Leonardo DiCaprio
Composer: John Ottman
Studio: Warner Bros.

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Release:

Oct 27, 2009

[DVD Details]
 
 

DVD Features:

  • Region 1
  • Widescreen

Audio:

  • Dolby Digital 5.1 - English, French, Spanish
  • Subtitles - English, French, Spanish
 
 
 
 

Reviews for Orphan

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1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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As interesting as Collet-Serra's story is, there's simply nothing here that you won't find in other better evil children films in the library...

Full Review Source: Cinema Crazed | comment Comment
12/04/09
Felix Vasquez Jr.
Felix Vasquez Jr.
Cinema Crazed

Alas, in the end, it's not nasty enough.

Full Review Source: Film Freak Central | comment Comment
12/01/09
Walter Chaw
Walter Chaw
Film Freak Central

Bad Seed-style horror movie is gory and ludicrous.

Full Review Source: Common Sense Media | comment Comment
10/26/09
James Rocchi
James Rocchi
Common Sense Media

Orphan is not very good. At 90 minutes, it might have been amazing. At nearly two hours, it's tedious.

Full Review Source: PopMatters | comment Comment
10/25/09
Bill Gibron
Bill Gibron
PopMatters

This is the rare fright flick that is actually grounded in some genuine human emotion.

Full Review Source: Aisle Seat | comment Comment
10/24/09
Mike McGranaghan
Mike McGranaghan
Aisle Seat

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
10/22/09
Film Threat
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

...more concerned with producing cheap thrills and melodramatic effects than creating any sense of mystery or suspense.

Full Review Source: DVDTown.com | comment Comment
10/20/09
John J. Puccio
John J. Puccio
DVDTown.com

David Johnson's script plays fair with red herrings before a devilish denouement with all the torque of a good twist. Esther doesn't just want to topple the Colemans' house of cards. She wants to torch it, and "Orphan" is gruesome, gripping material.

Full Review Source: Suite101.com | comment Comment
09/19/09
Nick Rogers
Nick Rogers
Suite101.com

A difficult child that horror-loving parents will find hard to adopt as one of their own.

Full Review Source: SFX Magazine | comment Comment
09/11/09
Jon Hamblin
Jon Hamblin
SFX Magazine

Something isn't quite working in the intended way when the audience's primary reaction for two-plus (!) hours is raucous laughter.

Full Review Source: TheMovieReport.com | comment Comment
08/31/09
Michael Dequina
Michael Dequina
TheMovieReport.com

Orphan is as much a high-tension, frightening thriller as it is a straight-up horror flick, at least it is until it devolves into outright silliness in the final act.

Full Review Source: Washington Times | comment Comment
08/28/09
Sonny Bunch
Sonny Bunch
Washington Times

a carefully staged deconstruction of our assumptions about horrorshows about preternaturally manipulative and malevolent children

Full Review Source: Q Network Film Desk | comment Comment
08/25/09
James Kendrick
James Kendrick
Q Network Film Desk

"A superior entertainment."

Full Review Source: Quick Stop Entertainment | comment 1 Comment
08/23/09
D.K. Holm
D.K. Holm
Quick Stop Entertainment

Collet-Serra's film succeeds in being genuinely creepy, is commendably well acted by all concerned, and contains the best twist since The Crying Game.

Full Review Source: The Australian | comment Comment
08/21/09
David Stratton
David Stratton
The Australian

Director Jaume Collet-Serra (House of Wax) endows this ugly mess with a slew of unintentional laughs, but not enough to repay the 123-minute time suck.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
08/20/09
Cliff Doerksen
Cliff Doerksen
Chicago Reader
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The movie amps up the tension to a laughable degree, using every cliché in the horror movie guidebook.

Full Review Source: Sin Magazine | comment Comment
08/16/09
Austin Kennedy
Austin Kennedy
Sin Magazine

A pretty good little B-movie thriller.

Full Review Source: Huffington Post | comment Comment
08/15/09
Gregory Weinkauf
Gregory Weinkauf
Huffington Post

Isabelle Fuhrman as Esther does her best with the material, but frankly the story lacks a strong central thesis about the nature of evil.

Full Review Source: MovieTime, ABC Radio National | comment Comment
08/14/09
Jason Di Rosso
Jason Di Rosso
MovieTime, ABC Radio National

Audacious, silly fun.

Full Review Source: Illinois Times | comment Comment
08/13/09
Charles Koplinski
Charles Koplinski
Illinois Times

Strange and nasty Esther is the consummate political player in a deadly game of unhappy families, in this fairly straightforward psychological thriller.

Full Review Source: Screenwize | comment Comment
08/13/09
Simon Weaving
Simon Weaving
Screenwize
 
 
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