NETFLIX Reviews: 'The Perfection' and 'Rim of the World'

"The Perfection," Netflix, 2019.

"Rim of the World," Netflix, 2019.

Two new films are available on Netflix this Memorial Day weekend, with one aimed at kids and one aimed squarely at adults.

"The Perfection"

Grade: C+

Allison Williams and Logan Browning star in a deranged story dealing with cellists, rapists and crazed music teachers. Think "Whiplash" with knives. Charlotte (Williams) was the prized pupil at an upscale music school ran by Anton (Steven Weber). She returns to the school and meets Anton's current protégé, Lizzie (Browning), and the two form an unlikely bond...where the story goes from there won't be spoiled here, other than to say there will be blood...lots of blood.

Part of the charm of "The Perfection" is that you don't know where it's going, and some of the twists are cleverly done. However the movie uses a manipulative construct, where it literally rewinds what we just witnessed to show us a different angle of what had just occurred. It's gimmicky. The plot itself is also a bit too far-fetched, and some weak, clichéd central performances don't help things.

"The Perfection" doesn't need to be perfect, but it does need to be believable, and this one is just a bit out of tune.

​Genre: Drama, Horror, Thriller.
Run Time: 1 hour 30 minutes.
Rated TV-MA.

Starring: Allison Williams, Logan Browning, Steven Weber, Alaina Huffman.

Co-Written and Directed by Richard Shepard ("Dom Hemingway," "The Matador").

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"Rim of the World"

Grade: C-

When aliens attack Earth, four kids attending Summer camp and who all hail from different walks-of-life find that they may be humanity's last hope.

Alex (Jack Gore) is the nerdy misfit who is attending camp in an attempt to break-out of his shell. Dariush (Benjamin Flores Jr.) is the spoiled rich kid, Gabriel (Alessio Scalzotto) is the tough older fellow, and ZhenZhen (Miya Cech) is a bad-ass Japanese girl who rarely speaks. Suddenly the four find themselves working together, running and evading attacks from some strange alien beings, and trying to figure out how to stop them.

It's been a while since we've had a truly compelling film from director, McG, who was once thought of as one of Hollywood's up-and-coming talents. This movie seems like it was under-developed and under-produced...a digestible adventure aimed squarely at teenagers and families, looking to maybe cash-in on the same crowd that made Netflix's "Stranger Things" series a massive hit. The problem is that these characters and actors aren't nearly as compelling, and even some of the situations in this movie seem stolen from other, better work (a monster stalks the kids in a scene that seems eerily lifted from the Raptor scene in "Jurassic Park.")

If you've got nothing better to do than to watch a movie with your teen this Memorial Day weekend, you may want to give "Rim of the World" a chance. Otherwise, let this one fade into the virtual bargain bin.

Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy.
Run Time: 1 hour 38 minutes.
Rated TV-14.

Starring: Jack Gore, Benjamin Flores Jr., Alessio Scalzotto, Miya Cech.

Directed by McG ("The Babysitter," "Charlie's Angels," "Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle," "We Are Marshall," "Terminator Salvation," "This Means War").