Frogman (2023) Review

Synopsis

Three friends in search of the Loveland Frogman finds out that he is more than just a local legend.

Frogman Good Points

• It has a small-town mystery setup where everyone seems to know more than they’re saying, and that vibe works really well here, so it keeps you curious even when not much is happening.
  
  
• The ordinary, low-key look of everything works we too, with no polished horror gloss – just cameras, bad lighting, and conversations that feel like they trail off fairly naturally.
  
  
• The found-footage style is rough and messy in places, but that actually works in its favor here.
  
  
• The main character’s obsession with proving something from his past actually ends up being more interesting than it initially seems, where it slowly shifts the focus and helps to keep your interest.
  
  
• The film builds the tension more through uncertainty and withheld information rather than obvious horror moments, which I liked.
  
  
• The dialogue is handled well, because people actually talk and behave in a fairly natural way.
  
  
• There’s low-key humor to the film that comes from how seriously people treat things that sound completely ridiculous.
  
  
• The simplicity really works, as it would have been easy for the director to over complicate stuff here, but it just commits to its own approach, and nothing is over-written.

Frogman Bad Points

• The pacing is a bit uneven I found, with stretches that feel like they’re circling rather than progressing.
  
  
• At times the restraint around showing anything supernatural feels like it goes too far, which does leave some scenes feeling a bit empty.
  
  
• The story, while interesting, doesn’t always feel like it’s developing, more like variations on the same ideas repeated.
  
  
• The horror payoff is quite minimal, especially if you’re expecting strong creature-focused moments.
  
  
• I am not sure if the ambiguity is intentional or it’s more like things are just being left unresolved.
  
  
• The middle section becomes too repetitive in structure and rhythm.

Final Thoughts on Frogman

Frogman is a very liked film in the found footage film community, and overall I do like it, but I don’t think I like it as much as others do, as I don’t think it always feel like it’s doing enough with its ideas.

But it also doesn’t completely lose its grip either, as it has a lot going for it as well, and for me, it just sits in that middle space of being interesting enough to finish but not strong enough to fully stick in the memory.

Frogman Trailer
Frogman on IMDB
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