The Welder (2021) Review – A Confused and Glacial Race-Themed Thriller
The Welder: Quick Verdict
The Verdict: An ambitious but ultimately hollow attempt at social horror that fails to live up to its inspirations. The Welder starts with a promising setup, attempting to subvert typical racial tropes and offer a fresh perspective on the “mad scientist” sub-genre. However, the film is severely hampered by a glacial pace, inconsistent acting, and a narrative that collapses under the weight of its own contradictions. While the Everglades setting provides a naturally eerie backdrop, the script lacks the bite and precision needed to make its social commentary resonate. It is a 1.5 star slog that picks up far too late, culminating in a finale that feels more comical than chilling. Despite the effort to do something different, it remains a largely forgettable addition to the Prime Video catalogue.
Details: Director: David Liz | Cast: Camila Rodríguez, Roe Dunkley, Vincent De Paul | Runtime: 1h 26m | Release Date: 2021
Best for: Viewers who enjoy atmospheric Florida-set thrillers and don’t mind a very slow build-up with a low payoff.
Worth noting: The film attempts to bridge the gap between classic 70s exploitation cinema and modern “prestige” social horror like Get Out.
Where to Watch: Amazon🛒, Prime Video
Rating: 1.5/5 Stars
(Confused writing, poor pacing, unconvincing lead performances)
Welcome to Knockout Horror and to our review of The Welder from 2021. This movie is floating around on Prime Video in the UK at the moment and marketed as if it is from last year. Hence why I watched it as I am in the middle of trying to catch up on stuff I have missed.
Highlights
Racism themed horror
Following the story of former Army medic Eliza (Camila Rodríguez) and her boyfriend Roe (Roe Dunkley). The Welder sees our interracial couple head out to a holiday home in the Everglades in an attempt to escape Eliza’s PTSD symptoms.
“What starts as something that feels distinctly Get Out like in its presentation soon transforms into something a little different and, actually, fairly interesting.”
What initially seems like a relaxing, but inconvenient due to the lack of cell phone coverage and electricity, vacation. Quickly turns into the holiday from hell as the pair find themselves the subject of a mad man’s experiments.
The first thing that’s worth pointing out about The Welder is its somewhat interesting plot setup. There is a heavy focus on issues of race here and director David Liz really goes out of his way to subvert viewer’s expectations. What starts as something that feels distinctly “Get Out” like in its presentation. Soon transforms into something a little different and, actually, fairly interesting. This isn’t quite your typical “white man bad” racism themed horror movie, though there are elements of that here. It’s a tiny bit more complex than that.
A nice try
The subverting of expectations continues later on in the movie. With Liz keen to play against type when it comes to your usual horror movie tropes. Whether that is having a minority female lead, an interracial couple, or some of the more redemption focused elements of the story. It is fairly easy to appreciate the effort put in here to be anything other than just another slasher movie. It is these elements that keep you watching while the rest of the movie struggles to deliver.
Unfortunately, The Welder is just not a great movie. There are few scares, the plot is fairly ridiculous, despite paying homage to some horror classics of old, and the acting can be fairly lacklustre in parts. The Everglades make for a great setting and there is some degree of tension that comes from the foreboding and unforgiving location. But a slow story delivery and confused writing makes it a slog to get through.
A flawed narrative
The story here is at the core of the movie. Whereas many horror films can move along quite nicely with minimal narrative, that isn’t the case with The Welder. The themes of racism and harmony are central to the plot and to the antagonist’s motivation. Meaning that when the events of the movie are taken as a whole, it just doesn’t make a lot of sense. There are a lot of contradictions to the killer’s motivations and I very much doubt that is deliberate. It is just poor storytelling.
“There are a lot of contradictions to the killer’s motivations and I very much doubt that is deliberate. It is just poor storytelling.”
An incredibly slow moving first half of the movie does The Welder no favours. It drags its feet for a very long time before things become interesting. There’s far too much pointing out of “how cooky this character is” or “what is the deal with this character?” to keep you interested.
Liz really tries to strike that same balance as Get Out where you consistently feel like something is off. But, unfortunately, the plot has none of the intrigue and none of the excellent pacing of Get Out. It quickly wears out its welcome.
Picks up late
Things get better in the last third with a quicker pace and a few more thrills. But the almost comic book villain style ending really doesn’t fit. It’s different, I will give it that, and conjures memories of the ending of movies like No One Gets Out Alive. But when you take the final scene in as a whole, it feels extremely silly and comical.
Direction is okay. Pacing is a big problem, as mentioned above. Shots are well set up, though, and the movie doesn’t feel particularly budget. Camila Rodríguez is fine as Eliza. She doesn’t stand out in a good or a bad way. Roe Dunkley seems ill at ease in front of the camera.
“The antagonist is, for lack of a better word, preaching to the choir and it’s hard not to put this down to poor writing.”
The writers gave him some decent lines to work with but his delivery is unconvincing and, at times, wooden. Vincent De Paul is okay as William Godwin and has some decent moments camping it up.
The Good, The Bad & The Ugly
The Good
- The Setting: The Florida Everglades are utilised effectively to create a sense of isolation and atmospheric dread.
- Subversion: David Liz deserves credit for attempting to play against established horror movie tropes regarding race and lead characters.
The Bad
- Pacing: The first half is incredibly slow, spending far too much time on unearned character building that never pays off.
- Lead Acting: Roe Dunkley delivers a wooden and unconvincing performance that makes it difficult to invest in the central relationship.
- Script Inconsistencies: The killer’s motivations are muddled and often contradict the very social message the film is trying to convey.
The Ugly: The “Comic Book” Finale. The ending takes a sudden turn into the ridiculous, stripping the movie of its grounded tension and replacing it with unintentional comedy.
Should You Watch The Welder?
No. While the intent to create a thoughtful piece of social horror is clear, the execution is simply too flawed to recommend. With glacial pacing and a confused narrative, The Welder is a 1.5 star disappointment that fails to deliver on its interesting premise. Your time is better spent elsewhere.
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