A Review of 'The Grove': A promising sci-fi thriller about a bioengineering debacle
A scientifically-enhanced soldier takes a vacation in the woods with a small group, which leads to tension and peril.
‘The Grove’: A promising but uninspired sci-fi thriller about a bioengineering debacle
Cast: Acoryé White, Carl Anthony Payne II, Psalms, Haley Sims, Guxci, Jolena Wu, Alestair Shu, Jesus Venegas, Anuschka van Lent, Graham Edmonds, Ethan Melisano, Chloe Sirbu, Lucky Johnson, Ezekiel Ajeigbe, Joe Anthony Gordon, Jp Lambert, Kena Anderson, Jamie Dingle
Critic’s Rating: 3 Stars out of 5
Director: Acoryé White, Patrycja Kepa
Duration: 1 hour, 48 minutes
Genre: Sci-fi, Horror, Drama, Thriller
Language: English
Release: 2025
What’s it about?
A scientifically-enhanced soldier takes a vacation in the woods with a small group, which leads to tension and peril.
Review:
Sci-fi/horror is a tricky genre. It has so much potential in suspension of disbelief that it can provide immense thrill but at the same time it constantly runs the risk of being preposterous and far fetched. The Grove is a modest entrant to the genre. A potentially engaging premise about turning an ordinary soldier into a flawed superhuman, suffers from mediocre execution which could have surpassed expectations but this one just about makes the cut. For starters, setting the film mostly at a cabin in the woods makes for too clichéd a scenario to allow the attempted suspense to unfold. A Mad Scientist angle to the film boosts its overall appeal and while the denouement is too abrupt and fantastic to warrant redemption, it might invite debate and discussion. This odd marriage of Universal Warrior with Friday the 13th offers more than a few jolts and shudders, although decidedly, it remains watchable throughout.
The Grove begins with a soldier Terrance “TJ” Johnson (Acorye White) returning home and into the arms of his beloved fiancé Alice (Psalms). Is he his normal self or has he sustained trauma from the battlefield? Courtesy a conversation with Dr. Jane (Haely Sims), we discover that TJ has been the subject of a potentially ground-breaking bioengineering experiment. Dr. Jane instructs him to stay clear of alcohol for a month and instead consume an “organic drink” which will help him overcome the side-effects of the operation. To celebrate his return from duty, Alice organises a weekend at a dwelling in the wild along with the couple’s closest friends – Chris (Carl Anthony Payne II) and his girlfriend Imani (Guxci).
However, being the party queen that she is, Imani invites a bunch of her other friends to the join them. This, much to the chagrin of TJ and Alice who were hoping for more intimacy. The get-together turns into an exercise in debauchery while jealousy erupts amid the group. Naturally, there are amorous trysts and the ensuing resentment. Plus, TJ’s specially-concocted drink doesn’t remain as restricted as intended. Soon things get out of hand in this remote location. The vacationers find themselves running for their lives while Dr. Jane mysteriously enters the fray. It's a premise that never gets old.
While the mutual love, concern and care between TJ and his bride-to-be is credibly presented, the relationships between the other men and women seem trivial and contrived. These persons are lacking adequate and compelling stories and their frivolous affections appear forced and implausible. Still, the viewer is treated to a tantalisingly vicarious experience - courtesy the casual sex, drugs, hot tub and isolation on offer. The acting, though amateurish in part, is generally sincere. But the film’s pacing by the writer-director duo of Acoryé White and Patrycja Kepa remains constant and the behaviour of their characters are a tad predictable.
While the audience is kept fairly curious to see where the film is heading, the filmmakers could have infused more magic and mystery in this shocker. Meanwhile, the cinematography is not consistently appealing with some dimly-lit scenes being more annoying than suspenseful. However, some special effects do work. Yet, the screenwriting pair could have put more thought into the dialogue to create additional conflict and drama. Ultimately, like its title, the film ends up providing a generous Grove of cheap thrills but it had the potential to be a forest of scary surprises.
