Having spent a little over three years in Singapore, it’s safe to say that I spent a lot of my time within their MRT system. So when news came out a few years ago that a film was going to be set on one of their train lines, I was incredibly intrigued. This was a fairly interesting prospect and I went into it hoping that the film would exploit all of the quirks inherent to their public transportation system. Unfortunately, just like their MRT itself, this film was functional and efficient, yet staid and problematic.
Touted as Singapore’s first horror creature feature, Circle Line does what it sets out to do, by delivering a story about a bunch of people stuck inside a train while a mysterious monster is out to get them. Sure, it hits all the notes of a traditional creature feature, but over time, you are left with more questions than answers. It’s also not quite a horror as it doesn’t really follow through on any of those tropes.
Unexpected Breakdowns
I think one of the biggest problems of Circle Line boils down to its extremely short run time of 78 minutes. That is simply not enough time to develop a fully fleshed out story, more so if you take into account how many sub plots and relationships the film is trying to build over the course of its journey. I understand where the filmmakers were going with this, especially with the building of the father/daughter and mother/son aspect of it. It’s just unfortunate that we didn’t get enough time to actually connect and understand any of these relationships on a deeper level. So much so that when it came time for those inevitable deep and meaningful conversations, you were left wondering, “how did we get here?” Those moments are supposed to make you feel something, but there just isn’t enough of a connection for that to happen.
And then there is the monster itself. At first I thought their execution was quite smart. We only see glimpses or sounds of the monster as a way to build suspense. You know, like in Alien or Predator. But then, when the reveal happens in the 30th minute, all that power gets sucked away as the monster goes on a rampage within the train. While the CGI on the monster was pretty impressive, for a Singaporean movie, maintaining that element of anxiety and apprehension would have truly boosted this film to another level. Unfortunately, all of it was just very… potong stim.
Trainline Terrors
While this film may be a Singaporean production, there just isn’t enough to really show that it is even set in Singapore. I kept thinking this was a Taiwanese production more than anything else. It’s called Circle Line, and yet there is absolutely nothing to distinguish what it is. The SMRT company is so intertwined with the trains in Singapore, that the moment you take that away, it just doesn’t feel local anymore. Even the city itself feels very un-Singaporean. Their only calling card is the fact there is a middle aged uncle on the train who is impatient, kiasu, and thinks he knows better.
Despite these nitpicks, Circle Line isn’t a complete waste of your time. There is still a lot of good here. The concept itself is both interesting and risky in a way that Singaporean movies rarely are. It shys away from the stereotypical family drama and romance stories to deliver something that should be treated as a stepping stone for hopefully more creature features in the future. The acting is on point, the revelations and foreshadowing is spot on, and there is just enough here to keep you engaged. If only they had spent some additional time fleshing out these characters.
There is a lot here that is worthy of exploration and I can only hope that future filmmakers can learn from, and perhaps take another crack, at this formula and deliver something even greater. Circle Line is a noble attempt, but one that unfortunately falls short.
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