Netflix thriller with A-lister but fans only have days to watch
Dark Places is set to be pulled from Netflix next week, as viewers have been left disappointed by the thriller - and it's not hard to see why
With a measly 23% approval rate on Rotten Tomatoes, it's no wonder Netflix is parting ways with the contentious thriller Dark Places.
The flick is adapted from Gillian Flynn's 2009 bestseller and features Oscar winner Charlize Theron with other celebs like Nicholas Hoult and Chloe Grace Moretz in the marquee. Yet despite the stellar cast, viewers are uniformly branding the film as "disappointing".
A critic said: "Big stars, but ultimately a big disappointment. My only complaint is that the story just fails to convince me...the entire duration of the film."
Echoing this sentiment, another chimed in: "Was so disappointing compared to the book. It seemed to lose all the tension built through the book."
Dark Places tried to emulate the success of Flynn's earlier hit Gone Girl, which was turned into a film with Rosamund Pike, Ben Affleck, and Emily Ratajkowski in 2014, earning rave reviews and dazzling fans of the book, reports Surrey Live.
Despite being less celebrated, Dark Places unravels the grim tale of Libby Day who as a seven year old girl witnessed the murder of her mother and two sisters. In court, a bewildered young Libby accused her brother, then 16, sealing his fate with a lifetime behind bars.
Despite it being 25 years since the harrowing family catastrophe, Libby can't escape her troubling past and takes an offer to speak at a true-crime event, reliving that fateful evening. As she digs for the truth about her brother's supposed innocence, she revisits her darkest memories.
A viewer critical of the film pointed fingers at the casting as the reason for its lacklustre performance, saying: "Dark Places, although a decent story worth reading, didn't make such a successful transition to the big screen," they said.
Their critique was particularly scathing for Charlize Theron's portrayal of Libby Day: "I felt that the casting choices were way off, none more so than Charlize Theron as Libby Day. The only person I felt was a good fit was Nicholas Hoult as Lyle. Those in the story who were placed there to be a threatening menace just didn't come across as such. It wasn't a terrible film, but with the right cast it could have been a really decent thriller."
Yet, one opinion diverged from the common consensus, expressing surprise at the film's low reception: "I know it got a low score, but I thought it was a gripping story. If you're into the show Dateline, this is right up your alley. I was actually shocked at the low score on Rotten Tomatoes. Definitely a dark movie but extremely realistic. It was a little all over the place but sets up for a gripping ending."
If you're intrigued to see what all the negative reviews are about, you can catch Dark Times on Netflix before it vanishes from the streaming platform on June 5.
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