Nereus has been retitled Drowning Echo. Here is our previous coverage of the movie:
‘Enjoy your stay while it lasts’
Nereus – formerly titled The Complex – is a 2017 American fantasy horror film produced, photographed and directed by Georges Padey from a screenplay co-written with Itziar Martinez. The latter stars, alongside Dennis Mencia, Raul Walder and Natalie Blackman.
Plot:
During a visit to friends, Sara (Itziar Martinez) begins having visions and is attacked by an unearthly creature in her friend’s swimming pool; she soon discovers that anyone who comes into contact with the water is in danger and she is driven to confront the mystical and malevolent creature lurking in the depths…
Review:
Although it begins promisingly, Nereus is a drawn-out affair that will test the patience of most viewers. There is simply too much focus on the run-of-the-mill characters and not enough on the aquatic entity or its Greek mythological origin.
Frustratingly, Nereus seems like an extended pilot of a TV series that sets up the plot at length – and 103 minutes is way too long – for what would potentially be a very dull set of episodes. Production values are fine, acting is reasonable and the brief CGI serves its purpose. Unfortunately, there is just nothing exciting enough here to engage viewers, which is probably why Nereus has remained on the shelf since 2017. A missed opportunity.
Adrian J Smith, MOVIES & MANIA
Other reviews:
“Despite kicking off at a rapid-fire pace and developing its action quickly, Nereus is somewhat slow moving. With two jump-scares and a duration that is just too lengthy for the material it presents, the film blasts off only to stall in flat waters at the one-hour mark. In short, some viewers will not much care about these undeveloped characters and whether or not they live or die.” Jeannie Blue, Cryptic Rock
“Ok so the movie kinda had a plot really, tried to expand it, show us more, a few characters, some development there also but there was no reason to length it for so long. This would have worked far better for a 80 minutes movie, not even 90, just 80, quick, straight to the point without losing or annoying the viewer.” Gothic Fiction
” …the dialogue frequently sounds like it was written in Spanish and run through Google Translate […] To be fair there is some decent CGI and the last act works up some chills but it’s not enough. Drowning Echo has way too many stagnant scenes during its overlong running time.” Jim Morazzini, Voices from the Balcony
Main cast:
- Itziar Martinez … Sara
- Dennis Mencia … Zac
- Raul Walder … Alex
- Sean Ormond … Will
- Josephine Phoenix … Kate
- Natalie Blackman … Lindsay
- René Mena … Vasilis
- Omara Garcia … Jennifer
- Mario Nalini … Jim
Image credits: Cryptic Rock
