The first reviews are in for Orphan: First Kill and it looks like William Brent Bell’s prequel and Isabelle Fuhrman’s Esther are generating quite the buzz. Having already begun its theatrical run in the Philippines and other parts of the world, Orphan First Kill is getting its first round of feedback before its highly-anticipated U.S. release. From the looks of it, the positive reviews are pouring in for the Orphan predecessor, with special praise for the film’s nostalgia, Fuhrman’s performance, and Bell’s creative influence. Somehow, it seems First Kill manages to double down as a sensational tie-in to Esther’s backstory and yet remain enticingly unique as a stand-alone feature-film. Thanks to some narrative twists and turns, Orphan: First Kill has kept the blood pumping and adrenaline streaming even 13 years later.
Over on Twitter, Orphan: First Kill has been called a “worthy successor” several times over, especially as it remains faithful to the storytelling without cutting corners, which is exactly the sort of in-depth explanation that’s been over a decade in the making. In First Kill, Isabelle Fuhrman reprises her role as Esther/Leena, a 33-year-old woman suffering from a rare hormonal disorder that stunts growth and induces proportional dwarfism. After an elaborate escape from a mental institution in Estonia, Leena travels to America to begin posing as a nine-year-old orphan and the missing daughter of a wealthy family. She meets her match in Julia Stiles’ Tricia Albright, a devout mother who will stop at nothing to protect her family. Check out some of the reviews for Orphan: First Kill below.
So far, First Kill has earned over $268,017 at the global box office, but that’s just four days before the U.S. theatrical run, which promises to bring in the bulk of Orphan‘s profits. After William Brent Bell teased an even bigger, better plot twist than the first film, audiences everywhere are eager to get their hands on some tickets for this coming Friday, August 19.