Directed by Diego Hallivis and written by Diego and Jorge Hallivis, American Carnage(2022) is a horror movie starring Jenna Ortega (Camila) from Wednesday and Scream 5, Jorge Lenedeborg Jr. (JP), and Allen Maldonado (Big Mac) as the children of undocumented immigrants who find themselves arrested after their governor signs an executive order cracking down on illegal immigration.
The movie focuses on JP trying to find his sister Lily (Yumarie Morales) after they are arrested and sent to separate holding facilities. While awaiting trial, JP’s court-appointed lawyer tells him about an elder care program, EATU, which if he completes, ICE will drop all charges against him. JP agrees and soon discovers all is not as it seems, and he must escape before being killed.
While the premise seemed interesting, it lacked in executions. JP and the other characters were flat, and the movie was predictable to the point of being boring. I saw all the twists coming and even the gore was underwhelming.
I will say it was nice seeing a horror movie through the lens of the undocumented immigrant experience. But I felt the antagonists came off as cartoonishly evil and the movie felt preachy at times. Overall, it was forgettable, mid, and left me saying, “Meh,” once the credits rolled.
I give American Carnage (022) 3 out of five stars. Only check this out if there’s nothing better on or you need to kill some time, otherwise skip it.
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