Don't Let Go

Instantly forgettable, the new thriller "Don't Let Go" would have been a perfect movie for Netflix to dump where it would have gotten a lot more attention. As it stands, Labor Day picnics and kids being back to school will severely limit attendance for this well-acted, but head-scratching supernatural suspenser.

David Oyelowo ("Selma") stars as Uncle Jack, the do-gooder single cop who is constantly looking out for his well-adjusted niece Ashley (Storm Reid, "A Wrinkle in Time"). Despite having a drug-dealing father and a generically absent mother, Ashley appears to be a smart, put-together kid. But her constant need for Uncle Jack's attention via cell phone begs to differ. When she is murdered along with the rest of her family, Jack suddenly gets a call from Ashley. But, you know, she's dead. When he finally picks up (after she calls a second time "Hello, like, the afterlife is soooo boring"), he realizes she is calling from four days in the past. As he starts to investigate the murder of his brother, he figures he can use past Ashley to investigate who the probable culprit is and stop the murders.

Written (and directed) by Jacob Estes, who last brought us the mild and boring reboot of "The Ring" franchise, the script never lives up to its premise. No explanation is given for how Ashley is calling from the past (not even something esoteric) and early moments that we think will play a part later in the film never come to fruition. (The two spend a lot of time at a diner drawing a picture together, yet it does nothing but establish they have camaraderie.) There is one twist that was hard to predict, but ultimately this is just a lot of running around and people on phones yelling at each other to do things.

Oyelowo is a good actor and does his best with the material, but his character is a total blank slate. Aside from being frustrated with his dead-beat brother and his love for his niece, we know nothing about him and he really has nothing to learn as a character – except who killed his family. I mean, at least make him gay or something. "Guncle Jack!" Alas, he's just a means to an end.

Storm Reid is a likeable actress and good in the more tender scenes, but the phone gimmick makes both actors seem like they are in two different movies. She's a little more happy-go-lucky all the time (even in dire situations). "Golly gee, why are you making me draw a red 'X' with spray paint on the garage? You're silly!" Meanwhile, Uncle Jack perpetually looks like he's about to have a stroke.

"Don't Let Go" isn't clever or interesting enough to merit paying money for, and aside from some potential interest when it finally streams, it's sort of a shrug of a movie. "Don't let go"... "let go"... ultimately who cares? If you're wondering what to see at the multi-plex, I'd say "Don't go."