The film promises a fabulous twist that never comes, and delivers instead some cutesy magical realist touches (lots of interior boy brain stuff) and a palpable lack of chemistry between Dornan and Gadon.

Louis Drax shoves magic and monsters into a story that's already overpacked with grindhouse violence, a police procedural, a queasy romance, and incoherent social commentary.

[An] odd, intriguing film ...

A handsome film that feels like Guillermo Del Toro Lite. Aja's film isn't quite as deep or magical as it thinks it is, but it's a nice, mostly entertaining adaptation of a complex novel.