The Privilege – Netflix Review (2/5)

THE PRIVILEGE on Netflix is a new horror movie from Germany. It’s full of familiar faces who deliver good performances. Unfortunately, the story is weak, and the characters are poorly written. Read our full The Privilege movie review here!

THE PRIVILEGE is a new Netflix horror movie from Germany (org. title Das Privileg). From early on, you’ll see some pretty shoddy CGI. However, that isn’t the real issue with this horror mystery. Instead, the problem is with the characters and the overall story.

In fact, had this been done as a series, it could probably have worked better. Or, at the very least, have had more time to tell the story in a way that felt less forced. The actors – several of them familiar from the very popular Dark series on Netflix) do what they can.

Continue reading our The Privilege movie review below and find it on Netflix now.

A strong lead

As already mentioned, The Privilege is full of familiar faces who deliver good performances.  Especially the lead character is portrayed by someone, you’ll definitely recognize if you’ve watched the Netflix sci-fi series Dark.

He’s played by Max Schimmelpfennig who was “Young Noah” in many episodes of Dark. And I can definitely see why he was cast as the lead in this German horror movie as well. He just works extremely well and can actually carry a story.

His best friend is portrayed by Lea van Acken, who was also in Dark. She appears in the final episode of Dark season 1 and is part of the future seasons. Here in The Privilege, she works very well as the best friend of Max Schimmelpfennig. She’s fierce and takes no BS from anyone. Also, she’s an out lesbian who tries to help him get with the girl he has a crush on.

Forced plot and predictable twists

That final detail about the friendship does make some developments a bit strange. Surely, the filmmakers are trying to be current and edgy, but they manage to miss these marks completely.

And that leads me to the fact that these characters are not well-written. However, this is mostly due to the story being very forced in many ways. This, in turn, requires the characters to do and say things that feel odd or off.

To be blunt, it feels like teens (or Young Adults) written by grown-ups who don’t actually bother to interact with anyone in this particular age group. Any attempt to be current just falls flat or feels forced. It’s a shame since the actors do actually manage to hit all required marks.

Beware of the spoilers in The Privilege trailer

For the record, if you watch the trailer, you’ll see many spoilers. The trailer is basically made up of highlights from the movie that have been blended into a trailer that makes this movie seem more action-packed than it is.

Also, the trailer pushes the Jordan Peele vibe, they clearly desire, in many ways. Including sound and score, which isn’t actually utilized in the final movie. Make no mistake, The Privilege is nowhere near as elegant or efficient as any horror movie by one of the newest horror masters.

Actually, even the poster/cover image on Netflix has spoilers, but at least it isn’t that critical.

Watch The Privilege on Netflix now!

The Privilege (org. title Das Privileg) was directed by the filmmaker duo of Felix Fuchssteiner and Katharina Schöde. Previously, the two also made the teen movies in the Ruby Red (org. title Robinrot) trilogy.

Also, for this new Netflix movie they wrote the script with Sebastian Niemann and Eckhard Vollmar. Usually, having four writers on a movie isn’t a good thing. It does, however, explain why it often feels forced while also dragging its feet at other times.

Also, whether you’ve watched the spoiler-filled trailer or not, the big plot twists are hardly that surprising. Even the final twist is something you’ll spot a mile away. Yes, I was quite disappointed with this one. Hopefully, you’ve been warned enough to maybe enjoy it more.

Ultimately, while this movie has actual potential (despite bad CGI), it just isn’t good as a whole.

The Privilege is out on Netflix from February 9, 2022.

Details

Directors: Felix Fuchssteiner, Katharina Schöde
Writers: Felix Fuchssteiner, Sebastian Niemann, Katharina Schöde
Stars: Max Schimmelpfennig, Lise Risom Olsen, Caroline Hartig, Nadeshda Brennicke, Mike Hoffmann, Janina Agnes Schröder