The Sinners

Paige's debut might resonate with a younger audience, but it otherwise unravels at the slightest tug of its plot threads. It prefers to tell over show; expect major plot beats to unveil through lengthy exposition dumps that still don't bring clarity.

With so much story to tell and so many characters to root for (or against), we could use a deep dive into the risks of unchecked misogyny.

At least The Sinners' sexy-schoolgirl-corpse aesthetic - part Twin Peaks, part Ariana Grande music video - is too ineptly executed to truly offend.

The missed opportunity for a different and maybe more potent story is hard to look past, but that is maybe the movie’s greatest sin.

The Sinners is practically a checklist of how not to make a horror movie, one that's not even self-aware enough to disrupt its banality with good humor.

Director and co-writer Courtney Paige does her best to spin all of this into a high school thriller à la Agatha Christie, however the overall experience of watching The Sinners is disjointed and tedious.

The Sinners is a deeply layered and nuanced film that finds as much strength in what is not discussed as in what is.

The Sinners is a bit rough around the edges, slightly unfocused, and too densely plotted at times but there's plenty of style and slickness to it also and the performances each herald major stars on the rise.

The Sinners commits the cardinal cinematic sin of not grabbing the audience's attention.

We can respect its ambition and its visual artistry, but its unevenness is a drawback.