The trouble with this new Poltergeist is that the big reveal comes too soon, much before the halfway mark.
Where’s the slow burn? Why didn’t you let me even try to figure it out by myself first? And now what’s the point of the rest of the film? It’s just a light-and-sound show that says, “Look at what my CGI team can do!”

Although this film is part one of two, it doesn’t feel tedious. There aren’t any endless scenes of waiting in dark, snowy places (a la Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1). There are no epic fight scenes or lengthy monologues, barring President Coin’s speeches. The movie ends with a scene that’s incredulously redeeming. yet leaves you feeling curiously hopeless.