Midnight Mass (TV Mini Series) Book VII: Revelation (2021) User Reviews

Original and thought-provoking, but...

[wesleythegnome · 7/10 · 30 September 2021]

I truly enjoy Mike Flanagan's shows. And this is another great one. It's original, surprising and leaves you thinking. It's uncomfortable in a good way. The way the story slowly unfolds and reveals its twists is pure fun. And I loved how this series is "based on" the book that was written by the main character in Hush. These details make his worlds feel rich and engaging.

But: it is a challenge to sit through the repetitive and long-winded monologues. When Erin was dying and just kept going on and on, it made me wish she'd die faster. When Bev would relentlessly quote the bible to justify her bad behaviour, minutes at a time, during like six separate instances... the point has been made. We already understand who this character is and what her influence is in the community. I think the pacing of this show would have benefited from stricter editing and a shorter runtime.

Bly Manor suffered similarly, where the same sentence was repeated ad nauseam. I want to fully adore these shows, but the shows telling me "You don't get it yet! Listen to me waxing poetic until it has TRULY sunken in" grates on my nerves. Touching on something once or twice is enough for an audience to grasp it, it doesn't need to be spelled out at such length. It makes me feel like the show thinks I'm stupid.

It kinda reminds me of how Stephen King and George R. R. Martin started out as lean and impactful authors, and then once they achieved great success, have been allowed to publish writing with minimal editing. Which has led to increasingly bloated and aimless series in their oeuvre, such as the Dark Tower.

I hope mr. Flanagan will course correct just a tiny bit. He's so excellent at what he does, has created some truly iconic imagery and storytelling. But while writing dialogue, I feel a couple more darlings need killing.

If you didn't like it understand the ending...

[critic-97-417657 · 9/10 · 7 November 2021]

... then you clearly missed the entire point of the show.

It's all a message about how we can choose to live our lives, how to see our place in all of it - either as individuals who live for the betterment of ourselves, or to understand that in the short, insignificant time we have, we can work towards doing what is right as a whole. We have a choice. In the end, our existence itself doesn't mean much unless we can leave the world a little better than before we were here.

And anyone who saw it as trashing Christianity clearly missed the point that Christianity has been hijacked by human self-interest... about how we can do incredible evil in the name of a god, which should be very un-Christian but unfortunately, is all too common.

Excellent series and ending. NO spoilers!

[praqoon · 9/10 · 10 October 2021]

This series is a wonderful horror story that focuses heavily on how religion is perceived and projected. If you were raised within a deeply religious family environment then the pressures and expectations that come with it will be all too familiar in certain places throughout each episode. No more so than the finale. It's scary to watch, not mainly because of the fictional horror elements but because of the true to life realism of some of the characters, who are fanatical, fervent, and blind to anything and anyone that doesn't agree with their own precepts and doctrines. Very well told and acted throughout. Well worth a watch. 9/10.

Basements

[johnc-5 · 10/10 · 27 September 2021]

To the reviewers asking why the houses didn't have cellars. Island houses or shore houses NEVER(literally) have cellars because they are guaranteed to flood. You might want to open a book sometime and maybe learn something before you offer your ignorant hot takes.

This show was phenomenal. I highly recommend people watch this. It was stunningly great, gorgeous, unpredictable, and satisfying. Please watch, you won't be sad you did.

To Dust You Shall Return

[tristan_19 · 10/10 · 26 September 2021]

What do you even say after this episode ? Imagine being thrown on a boat, not knowing what the tide will bring, and you're just here floating, witnessing the ultimate tragedy, without being able to do anything. It is sad, hopeful, tragic, powerful, happy, somber, and many other things. The music is great. The characters meet their demise (except Warren and Leeza), and not without a fantastic monologue by Erin on being part of a whole. You really see it by the end, in which the community is gathered. Nobody's got the answers by the end, and the cinematography shines as never before. You get to feel drama, horror, family, beliefs, love, everything...

Directed by Mike Flanagan

[andrewkempf · 29 September 2021]

My caption above are the words that viewers remember after the credits roll, after consuming this piece of undeniably phenomenal television. This show was one of the strongest, and most powerful pieces of work that I have ever seen as a viewer. The finale was no disappointment, as it had you on your edge of the seat the whole time. The final moments were undeniably amazing, but also heartbreaking at the same time. What an amazing performance by the whole entire crew that put together this masterpiece of a show. Bravo.

One of the best episodes of television I have ever seen

[gregg-524-163135 · 10/10 · 29 September 2021]

I just finished watching this episode. While it is a supernatural horror story there are amazing monologues about spirituality given by the main characters throughout the seven episodes...especially this one. The profound messages are due to Mike Flanagan's (the director) upbringing and his views on death and god. I am posting, word for word, the last monologue given by the character Erin at the end of this episode, when she explains what happens to us when we die. It is the closest thing to how I feel about death I have ever heard and seen from a television show...to me it's remarkably Buddhist...it's long but I know you will love it:

"Myself. My self. That's the problem. That's the whole problem with the whole thing. That word, "self." Thats not the word. That's not right, that isn't...How did I forget that? When did I forget that? The body stops a cell at a time, but the brain keeps firing those neurons. Little lightning bolts, like fireworks inside and I thought I'd despair or feel afraid, but I don't feel any of that. None of it. Because I'm too busy. I'm too busy in the moment. Remembering. Of course. I remember that every atom in my body was forged in a star. This matter, this body is mostly empty space after all, and solid matter? It's just energy vibrating very slowly why there is no me. There never was.

The electrons of my body mingle and dance with the electrons of the ground below me and the air I'm no longer breathing. And I remember there is no point where any of that ends and I begin. I remember I am energy. Not memory. Not self. My name, my personality, my choices, all came after me. I was before them and I will be after, and everything else is pictures, picked up along the way. Fleeting little dreamlets printed on the tissue of my dying brain. And I am the lightning that jumps between.

I am the energy firing the neurons, and I'm returning. Just by remembering, I'm returning home. And it's like a drop of water falling back into the ocean, of which it's always been a part. All things... a part. You, me and my little girl, and my mother and my father, everyone's who's ever been, every plant, every animal, every atom, every start, every galaxy, all of it. More galaxies in the universe than grains of sand on the beach. And that's what we're talking about when we say "God." The cosmos and its infinite dreams.

We are the cosmos dreaming of itself. It's simply a dream that I think is my life, every time. But I'll forget this. I always do. I always forget my dreams. But now, in this split-second, in the moment I remember, the instant I remember, I comprehend everything at once. There is no time. There is no death. Life is a dream. It's a wish. Made again and again and again and again and again and again and on into eternity. And I am all of it. I am everything. I am all. I am that I am."

Fantastic finale

[lareval · 10/10 · 26 September 2021]

I personally think it deserves a higher rating because it is perfectly on par with the sheer of brilliance of latter entries. The whole story comes to a satisfactory close, with plenty of thrills and heart at the centre of it. Flanagan is wonderful delivering great stories with even greater characters and this is not an excepction. Two thumbs up!

Fantastic Ending

[benswindin-41035 · 10/10 · 26 September 2021]

Wow that really was an emotional rollercoaster of an ending. The acting was phenomenal and the story ended in a very satisfying way with no loose ends (well except maybe one). Overall the series as a whole has been a slow build and I expect many people won't stick around to even see the ending, but those who do and have been fully invested in the story from the start will not be disappointed. The ending made the whole journey worth it and wrapped it up perfectly. Also the production of this series has to be applauded, the cinematography to the visual effects where outstanding especially in the final episode where together it created a constant sense of doom and the feel of a world on the verge of the apocalypse.

Overall it has been a fantastic series and definitely one of the best I have seen this year. 10/10.

Perfection.

[ian_fmd · 10/10 · 30 September 2021]

Such as the other two TV shows Flanagan created, this thing I have just watched is absolute perfection. If there is a man I will watch EVERY SINGLE THING he creates, this man is Mike Flanagan. He is officially my favorite TV writter and director EVER.

I must also praise the OUTSTANDING acting and visuals. Congratulations to everyone involved.

The meaning of my life is to watch and read pieces of arts like this. So poetic. So philosophical. So tight of a plot. So intriguing world building. With such realistic characters. With so many thematic rhymes and great foreshadowings.

A marvelous masterpiece. Period.

I am in awe.

Kinda blew it

[zaclipman-76203 · 6/10 · 6 October 2021]

I am a fan of Flanagan's work. I enjoyed his other series and overall I'm a fan of slow burn horror. I enjoyed this series and thought that it had a lot of great ideas in it. Unfortunately, I felt that it stumbled in the penultimate episode and really blew the tension in the finale. I respect that this is his vision and was executed the way that he wanted, but I have to state the things that really stopped me.

:Spoilers (of course):

1) At the end of the penultimate episode, I wondered...how are they going to stop them? How are they going to get all of the vampires in one place so that they could take them all out? My best guess heading in is that they would do some sort of take on the "take out the elder vampire and the rest fall" ,but ultimately it was ....their own stupidity. I understand the character motivations and the biblical implications, but wow. As a viewer, it was so obvious what was going to happen the second that they stated the plan. This killed the tension and really shot the proverbial load. (I am not going to write another review for the other episode, but I also felt like it was underwritten that all of our "good guy" characters decided to go to the mass- which was another stupid decision by the characters because thats what had to happen for the plot to move forward)

2) No ticking clock. This absolutely needed someone to point out what time it was. There were multiple times where it seemed like the sun was going to creep out and put an end to the vampires. Not having this really took me out of it because I knew what was going to happen, but had no sense of when.

3) No Vampires: I understand that the idea is this world does not have vampires in pop culture, but it just felt off to have the viewer make that assumption. I think it would have been more effective to play on the religious aspect. Maybe Bev could have banned them as "occult books" from the school? I think a throwaway line would have gone a long way rather than just leaving it to the viewer. The creators had to know that this would be frustrating for people.

4) No attempt at survival: The vampires are immortal and indestructible. They couldnt have tried SOMETHING? What about going into the burning houses or putting the fires out? I know that you cant write to account for everything they could try, but I refuse to believe that they would just be resigned to fate like that. (it also frustrated me that they had the head vampire burn and no effect- so yea fire doesnt hurt them!)

Just some more things that felt off:

The cutting of the vampires wings and then he takes normal flight.

Not setting up the head vampire not paying attention to its surroundings when feeding

The comeuppance was so fast after the baddies did episodes and episodes of unforgivable things.

I can list more and ultimately it's a matter of taste and opinion, but I felt like this was a missed opportunity that really brought the rest of the series down as a whole. I feel like it's a challenge for slow burn works where the endings always feel like they needed more time.

What..

[dannylee-78082 · 10/10 · 25 October 2021]

This is a level of TV that I have a hard time grasping. The imagery the monologue, the themes everything is near perfection (though it was a little long at times after the action died)

Wow. Just phenomenal. I'm so glad I watched this.

Midnight Mess

[Just-A-Girl-14 · 6/10 · 25 November 2021]

What a poor messy ending to an overall great show. Despite a slow start I ended up really enjoying this show. It was original, mysterious and thought provoking. The cast did a great job and both the atmosphere and CGI were definitely creepy. I enjoyed learning more details with each episode and follow the characters development. Riley's death was spectacular (imho) and so was most of the scene with the angel in the church. At least up until Mildred shot Pruitt and the doors were opened. That's when I feel everything went to hell (literally). I get where the writers were going with this. It's basically a metaphor. When people go to the extremes or become fanatics it will always end in flames. There's no good ending to it, fanaticism will always end with death and destruction. With that however, I also feel that the storyline lost its course. If you think about it, some scenes made no sense whatsoever. The characters started making stupid decisions, the main character (Pruitt) suddenly changed his mind and the opposing groups were basically working together (burning everything up). There was no real conflict between those who chose to stay human and those who died and resurrected. It was just one big mess. By the end of the show every single important character was dying one way or another. Suddenly it wasn't about the characters, it was about saving the world. Well, I can't say I liked it. Riley didn't die to save the world, he wanted Erin and his family to survive. Also, there was not enough attention to details. Here are a few questions and examples: Why did Mildred shot Pruitt? Why did Bev decide to burn down all the houses when she was completely aware that they needed to hide before sunrise? Why did Pruitt suddenly change his mind and realize they are the bad guys? Why did he suddenly grow a conscious when he clearly said he had absolutely no remorse or guilt? Why did none of the resurrected woke up as a better younger self (like Pruitt and Mildred)? Why did Riley's parents were able to control themselves and not feed while others (including the angle) couldn't stop feeding? Why did Erin die instead of coming back to life like everybody else who attended the church? Why couldn't anyone find a hiding place until sundown? The problem isn't light, it's with direct sunlight. Are we supposed to believe every single thing on the island was burned? With such a big island that was clearly filled with lots of junk, there wasn't anywhere to hide? No shed? No box? No crate? No old boat? No trailer? No cars? There wasn't even one dumpster left? Nothing? Even Bev's idea to dig in the send was better than nothing. Everyone just stood there awaiting their awful deaths, it was almost ridiculous to watch. I also don't understand why did the angle let Erin cut its wings like that? And what even happened to the angle in the end? Did it manage to get away and find shelter or did it burned up like everyone else? Not to mention that we don't really know what it was. Pruitt believed it was an angel of god but did nobody notice it looked more like a vampire? The word "vampire" was never even mentioned by any of the characters, but everybody knows that immorality, light sensitivity and feeding on blood are the three main characteristics of vampires. Why wasn't this issue addressed? Who was this angel? Why did it save Pruitt? Why did it follow him from Jerusalem to the other side of the world? If you think about it, we really don't know. Also, why did the only survivors were Warren and Leeza? And did they actually survive? It was mentioned that it's impossible to get to the mainland with a small boat so what did they do once the sun came up? Also, why couldn't Leeza feel her legs all of a sudden? Are they trying to insinuate that the angle is dead? Or is this a sign that the angel's blood left her system? But it doesn't make sense. If her spine healed, there was no reason for her to become paralyzed again. The angle blood isn't magic that just disappears. At least that's how I see it. It was fixing the body. That's why Annie could see without her glasses, Ed could dance, Leeza could walk and Erin's body showed no signs she was pregnant. The blood that enter their system was making the body work better and faster so even if it was out of their system, there's no reason for the body to like unheal.

From reading other reviews it's clear that some did like the ending but I'm sorry, to me, it was too messy and anticlimactic. The behavior of the main characters on both sides were illogical, there was no real conflict, there were no winners, all the sacrifices were basically for nothing and too many things made no sense. It's a real shame because other than the last episode and a half, I really enjoyed the show. It was very original and interesting. I only wish there was a different ending into it.

Loved the show up to the finale

[jonathan92 · 5/10 · 29 November 2021]

There was a lot about this show I admired and enjoyed. It's beautifully shot, solidly acted and has a lot of interesting religious metaphors and analogues to sink your teeth into. The finale dropped a lot of that. Characters all over started making "plot-driven" decisions, had sudden changes of heart, and all but begged to be forgiven (by the audience) before being swallowed up in a blaze of over-sentimentality. I still liked the show overall but felt let down after all the clever and subtle build up, only to quickly wrap up with everyone saying sorry and then exeunt et al. The trite monologe at the end was also a bit much. Maybe I've seen too many shows and movies, or maybe I'm just too cynical of a viewer, but this particular ending was not for me. Excellent production, some great acting and overall great direction from Mike Flanagan, just wish the script had followed suit.

I wasn't expecting such a beautiful finale at all on Netflix

[gedikreverdi · 4 October 2021]

There were so many great moments: Erin's monologue on death while she's dying on the ground, Riley's mother's speech before she stabbed herself in the neck, the doctor's mother and the father's secret past and the two kids at the end sitting on a boat on the water while their parents' ashes falling on them...

Ignore the hatred. This is a masterpiece.

[kamishettydharun · 10/10 · 27 September 2021]

People commenting bad about this are generally the ones who want jumpscares like most of the horror content we've been getting in recent times. If this is exactly the same as other horror content, then these people are the same ones who comment that it's not unique. It's really pathetic how they're giving out silly reasons to rate it low. And remember being SLOW isn't a drawback, that's actually the strongest point of this show. It had plenty of time to develop the plot for this perfect ending. Your silly review might affect in others not watching the show. So rate it low with valid points.

Another masterpiece from Netflix

[hobaman · 10/10 · 26 September 2021]

This episode it shows all. Every details in the episode is matter. Every piece. Every scene Love it so much. Perfect.

A flawless finale

[lisichichi · 10/10 · 7 October 2021]

Wow, just wow.

Before watching this episode, I hadn't any expectations about how Flanagan could possibly end this show. And still, this finale felt perfect.

The atmosphere on the island reaches its climax, I was so invested in all of our characters and on the edge of my seat how their story would end.

And I cried. Without spoiling, the scene with Erin and the flashback hit me so unexpected, the tears just came.

A beautiful end to an amazing, unconventional tv show unlike any other I have watched.

Thank you, Mike Flanagan.

Was captivated by the show

[herreranataly · 10/10 · 30 September 2021]

There was not one boring episode. It was mysterious and if you like solving plot on what's going on, then this is the show for you. I cried a few times, but these serious including The Haunting of Hill House and Bly Manor never fail to disappoint.

Vonderful...

[detharryhole · 9/10 · 22 November 2021]

I loves the Haunting of Hill House series, I did not finish the Bly Manor one. I am a fan of Mike Flanagan's other works.

Evaluating this series on its own without making comparisons to his earlier work, I rank it nine out of ten.

Excellent at building tension, wonderful dialogue, cool continuous shots, and an excellent story.

I am a sucker for this genre of supernatural. The twist has a real bite.

As for the townspeople not acting natural, I have experience in small, very religious, tight knit communities, and this is pretty much how it would go.

Worth a watch!

The End of the World

[AvionPrince16 · 8/10 · 26 October 2021]

Really good ending. I really enjoyed this episode. Its pretty terrific and scary. They are preaparing the habitants by transforming them but some events will make the events not happening as they hope. The end represent the end of the world, and the end of the characters. Very good.

We are the cosmos dreaming of itself

[superfox_888 · 6/10 · 21 October 2021]

This finale was predictable and therefore unsatisfying. There's a lot that could have happened but didn't. After unexpected turns at every stage, a lot could have been done here but the writers took the easy way out. The episode is hardly a revelation, more like a fizzle to the slow burn drama.

Aside from the terrible monologue this is a stunning finale

[helencatherinetaylor · 9/10 · 25 October 2021]

Strip away the supernatural element of this show (which I actually like), this has so much to say about religion, acceptance and judgement.

The way it depicts people from all sides of religion (atheist, Christian, muslim) as neither good nor bad and shows the ugly side of being pious but also the beauty of true belief really rang true to me. So rare for film or TV to tackle this in such a balanced way. Bravo!

Burned bridges

[Calicodreamin · 6/10 · 26 September 2021]

A wild ending to a rather interesting series. Brilliant acting and an ending to all storylines, except maybe one loose end to leave you puzzling.

A poor ending.

[dmblakeimdb · 5/10 · 16 October 2021]

A pity this story fell-off in terms of quality in the last few episodes.

The dialogue became self-indulgent and the plot was just silly.

I wish that it had stayed more atmospheric and become less explicitly horror.