The Endless follows two brothers as they return to the “UFO death cult” they “escaped” from years before after receiving a strange tape in the mail from one of the cult’s members.
Directors Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead portray Justin and Aaron Smith, brothers that are struggling to acclimate to “normal” life after leaving what they describe as a UFO death cult. After receiving a tape with a cryptic message from a member of the cult, Aaron is keen to return after discovering the cult members had not committed suicide. However, Justin is reluctant and feels it is necessary for Aaron and himself to continue integrating themselves into society. After a bit of banter and deep discussion, Justin agrees to return with Aaron to have lingering questions about the cult answered. Shortly after returning, the brothers encounter strange people and occurrences that could make the brothers’ return permanent.
The film is described as a supernatural thriller, but is often more supernatural than thriller. The film has the occasional scene that may make the audience jump, but the creepiest figure may be Smiling Dave, a cult member that never speaks, and you guessed it, is constantly smiling. However, sci-fi fans will enjoy the supernatural themes throughout the story and embrace the suggestion of extraterrestrial involvement.
Even with a modest budget for special effects compared to other sci-fi films, The Endless’ supernatural and action sequences are of good quality and are assisted by high-quality acting. When Justin leaves the cult’s camp to search for answers, the film felt disconnected from the cult at times despite coming off as a central theme. I was left wondering how certain characters were relevant to the cult.
In my opinion, the best part of the film was the cast and characters. Directors Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead did an excellent job portraying Justin and Aaron Smith. Callie Hernandez (Blair Witch, La La Land, Alien: Covenant) plays Anna, a cult member that is seen in the cryptic tape the brothers receive in the mail and the love interest of Aaron. Lew Temple (The Walking Dead, The Devil’s Rejects) is Tim, the cult’s beer brewer and resident oddball, often rivaling Smiling Dave for the title. Of all the film’s quality performances, Tate Ellington (Quantico, Sinister 2, Straight Outta Compton) as Hal was perhaps the best. I became a fan of Ellington during his time on NBC’s The Brave as Noah Morgenthau and his portrayal as Hal was highly impressive. Appearing as the cult’s leader, Hal describes himself as “not a leader, just talks a lot”. Ellington delivers an incredible performance full of mysterious metaphors and comes off as endearing, but constantly hiding something.
Even though I am not a huge fan of sci-fi, followers of the genre will thoroughly enjoy the themes and mystery spread throughout the film. Overall, I did enjoy the film and am interested in looking at other films done by Benson and Moorhead.
