**This post contains MINOR spoilers**
The Story- After his high school graduation in 2012, Jesse Arista (Andrew Jacobs) experiences a series of unusual changes in Oxnard, California. Jesse’s friends, Hector (Jorge Diaz) and Hector’s cousin, Marisol (Gabrielle Walsh) tag along, as Jesse looks for answers.
Meanwhile, Jesse’s erratic behavior endangers Hector, Marisol, his dog, Chavo, and his grandmother, Irma (Renee Victor). During his search for the truth, Jesse uncovers a strange connection between, Oscar (Carlos Pratts), the valedictorian of his graduating class, and his kookie neighbor, Ana (Gloria Sandoval).
Oscar’s brother, Arturo (Richard Cabral) sheds light on shocking revelations. Dark secrets about Jesse’s past are revealed, drawing concerns from his father, Cesar (David Saucedo) and his sister, Evette (Noemi Gonzalez). To make matters worse, The Midwives are closing in, with plans to prepare Jesse for a sinister ritual. Can Hector, Irma, Marisol, and Arturo save Jesse?
My Thoughts- I’ve always thought it was kind of weird how Evette and Cesar weren’t more directly involved in the story. Jesse has an amazing and loyal support system around him, including Marisol, Hector, Irma, and Arturo. But his father and his sister are basically side characters with minor roles? Although, I guess you could say giving Cesar and Evette bigger parts would’ve turned the movie into a cluttered mess, because The Marked Ones is loaded with characters, who play crucial roles in Jesse’s story.
Andrew Jacobs delivers a solid performance. During the early stages, Jesse is this enthusiastic and carefree kid, who just graduated high school. He wants to have fun, but as the infection slowly consumes him, he takes a hard turn towards a darker side. He’s a dick and bully, similar to an edgier teenager, who wants to be a tough guy. Big difference is, Jesse has demonic powers and supernatural strength.
Jorge Diaz fills the role of the goofy Paranormal Activity comedy character, a jokester sidekick, but he also cares about his best friend. Irma is everything you’d expect from a grandmother. Loving, overprotective (for good reasons) at times, and she refuses to give up on her grandson. Renee Victor brings a good sense humor to Irma and a lively presence, reminding you that she might be an elderly lady, but she’s still not too old to have fun.
Gabrielle Walsh fills plays a supportive friend, who’s not afraid to take risks to help Jesse. Arturo? There’s no denying Richard Cabral is the live-wire in the cast. The tattoos, and Arturo is supposed to be a “serious gangster,” but it’s hard to ignore Cabral noticeably hamming it up for an entertaining performance.
The Marked Ones is the first film in the series, where I’m torn on the need to record everything that’s going on. Early on in the movie, I can understand Jesse and Hector, two knuckleheaded teenagers, recording their adventures, or both of them doing stupid things that teenagers would do. They’re just having fun.
As the story progresses, with the exception of a few scenes, where they needed night vision and the light, there’s absolutely no reason Marisol, Jesse, or Hector should’ve been recording anything. The only reason I can come up with is, whoever had the camera is recording just so the audience can see what’s going on, but taking that approach kills a lot of the realism for a found-footage film.
Simon Says! While it’s not 100% confirmed or referenced, you have to assume Jesse is communicating with Tobi through the Simon Says game. One clue I can think of is, when Jesse wants to know, if Simon is his guardian angel, and he gets a red light for a response. Tobi is the ultimate puppet master in Paranormal Activity, so you can assume that’s who Jesse is talking to. If it’s Tobi, using Simon Says is a unique and clever method for using the demon here. Kristi and Hunter were kids, when they encountered Tobi, but Jesse is too old to go the imaginary friend route.
The Marked Ones takes a unique approach for callbacks and references to the previous Paranormal Activity films, without dwelling on the past too much, or relying too heavily on storylines involving Kristi, Katie, or Hunter. Hector finds a VHS tape titled Katie and Kristi 1988 (Paranormal Activity 3) in Ana’s apartment, and there’s the picture with Ana, Jesse’s mother, and Grandma Lois (Paranormal Activity 3 again). There’s a news article in Oscar’s room about a psychic, who visited the home of a murder scene, referring to Dr. Fredrichs and what happened at the end of the original Paranormal Activity. Katie and Kristi (as kids) make brief appearance. A genuine surprise and one of the better jump scares in the series, when Jesse sees the ghostly vision of Katie and Kristi just standing there with black eyes.
Ali Rey returns! Remember, Ali is Hunter’s stepsister and Kristi’s stepdaughter, so she knows what’s going on. Ali is definitely an ideal choice to drop more info on The Midwives, and after what she went through in Paranormal Activity 2, you can understand why she feels the need to help anyone in a similar situation.
It’s ironic and kind of sad how Jesse and Oscar’s stories are so similar throughout the movie. They both start out as two happy kids, who just graduated high school, with potentially bright futures. Jesse is having fun playing around with his powers. He develops some charisma, and women love him. As the possession starts to consume them, Jesse and Oscar are no longer the victims. It’s clear they’re too far gone, with Jesse starting out as the main protagonist, who needs to be saved, only to wind up as the relentless villain.
One pet peeve I’ve always had about The Marked Ones revolves around Ana’s apartment. Arturo, Jesse, Marisol, and Hector. Why is it so easy for people to just wander in and out of a crime scene, where someone was brutally murdered?
I can’t get over how they decided to basically go with an ending that’s too close to how the final moments of Paranormal Activity 4 played out. There’s one minor change to close things out, but it’s almost the same ending.
Still, The Marked Ones was a much needed breath of fresh air for the Paranormal Activity franchise years ago. Breaking away from the tedious formula involving setting up cameras around the house, the security camera footage, and the Night #1, Night #2, and so on transitions brings a refreshing spark to The Marked Ones. It’s also the first film in the series that’s not confined to a house and the outside of the house. Watching Jesse, Hector, and Marisol travel around, going from one place to the next, helps add a layer of unpredictably, because anything can happen anywhere.
Five films in, and we do learn more details about The Midwives. There’s another connection between Jesse and Oscar, because their mothers died after childbirth. A bit weird that happened, and how they emphasized both deaths for plot points. Kristi survived giving birth to Hunter.
There’s a bigger bombshell, when it’s revealed that whatever’s going on with Tobi is not just limited to Katie, Kristi, Hunter, Jesse, and Oscar. Missing first born sons connected to The Midwives is a world wide thing, and they’re clearly trying to build an army. Grandma Lois’ house is obviously the base of operations for The Midwives. Ana? She can’t be the only one. It’s impossible to believe there’s only one Ana, someone, who lays the foundation for The Midwives, their initiation process, and their rituals.
A new set of characters really helps here. The Marked Ones happened at a crucial point in the series, where the story finally takes a break from focusing on Katie, Kristi, and Hunter. The Marked Ones also features two oddly brutal death scenes. It’s odd, because you can clearly see the similarities for both deaths.
Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones has its problems, including some familiar found-footage horror tropes and cliches. Please stop recording, and focus on running away and protecting yourself! Still, if I put The Marked Ones up against the previous movies, it’s my top pick for the best film in the series. Time traveling and portals? No more playing it safe, or sticking to the formula. After four films, you can actually see a commendable effort for change to make something different, and the results are largely positive.
Rating- 8/10
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