Last night’s Cineworld Unlimited Screening was of the new movie Missing, a movie that I wasn’t too sure about after seeing the trailer during my visits to Cineworld, but I thought I would give it a viewing.
The movie is brought to us from the minds behind Searching, a thrilling roller-coaster mystery that makes you wonder how well you know those closest to you. When her mother (Nia Long) disappears while on vacation in Colombia with her new boyfriend, June’s (Storm Reid) search for answers is hindered by international red tape. Stuck thousands of miles away in Los Angeles, June creatively uses all the latest technology at her fingertips to try and find her before it’s too late. But as she digs deeper, her digital sleuthing raises more questions than answers…and when June unravels secrets about her mom, she discovers that she never really knew her at all.
I have to say that I really wasn’t expecting to be pulled in so much to Missing, it is a rather strange movie to watch as almost all of the film is done with screens on a computer as June (Reid) tries to find out what has happened to her mother. It took me a little getting used to seeing all the windows from her Mac on the big screen as she searched places, and delved into the world of messages, social media and what most people find as second nature in the modern tech age that we live in.
As the movie moves along you see that there is so much more to not just the idea of how the film is brought to us, but also with the characters and although there is some mystery surrounding many of them, it’s so nicely done as the story unwinds and there are some great twists and turns that brings you so much more than just a simple idea that someone’s mother has gone missing.
It really took me by surprise how the story had many more layers than I was first expecting, it’s rather unnerving to see how easy it is for June to sift through the various site and get the passwords for her mother’s boyfriend’s accounts to dig deeper into the mystery of what is happening.
Missing does take a little getting used to, but if you give it a little time you get used to how it’s shot. Storm Reid is great in the role of June and she certainly brings across the panic and confusion of why her mother and Kevin (Ken Leung) have disappeared and she can’t get in touch with them.
The movie certainly gives you many moments of you thinking you know what is happening and then throws a curve ball and knocks you on your backside which is great as it keeps your attention as you try to work out what is happening yourself.
Directors Nicholas D. Johnson and Will Merrick have certainly produced a movie that although looks weird, works very well for the material. Although not a direct sequel to Searching (2018) which starred John Cho, it does start with docu-drama footage based on the events of the previous film.
If you are after something that is a little different and will have you guessing for a while, then give Missing a viewing when it opens in UK cinemas on the 24th of February 21st of April 2023.
Captivating and full of twists and unexpected turns
Movie title: Missing (2023)
Movie description: After her mother goes missing, a young woman tries to find her from home, using tools available to her online.
Date published: February 2, 2023
Country: UK
Duration: 1h 51m
Director(s): Nicholas D. Johnson, Will Merrick
Actor(s): Tim Griffin, Ava Zaria Lee, Nia Long
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Summary
Certainly a different and strange way of telling the story, but very captivating and full of twists and unexpected turns.
Karen Woodham is the founder and owner of the Blazing Minds. She is also a Cinema reviewer and works with RealD 3D reviewing the latest 3D releases and IMAX, she has also had several articles published in various publications including the first edition of SFW Magazine. In 2015 she became an Award Winning Blogger and also has her website listed as one of the UK’s Top 10 Film Blogs.
