The Marsh King's Daughter deserves a higher rating on here. In the mystery/thriller genre it's a well made movie. There is a nice flow to the story, not very fast paced but there is a constant mystery vibe that keeps you interested in the story. You know something is about to happen, it's just a matter of time before hell breaks loose. Sometimes a slow pace makes a movie boring but that wasn't the case with this one. Daisy Ridley and Ben Mendelsohn did a good job playing daughter and father. Brooklynn Prince plays the daughter at a young age and she did really well as well. So yes I'm a bit surprised by the rather low ratings. I'm sure it will please people that like this genre of movies.

As this film opens we find Helena living deep in the wilderness with her parents. She is particularly close to her father who has taught her how to understand nature and live off the land. Then one day, while her father is away, a stranger turns up on a quadbike. He says he is lost and asks directions... suddenly Helena's mother begs him to take them away from there. Her father shoots the man but they get away on the bike. She later learns that her father had kidnapped her mother two years before she was born. Her father is jailed. The years pass and she has left that life behind, married and has a daughter of her own. Then her father escapes from jail. Soon after she is told he died in a car crash; his burnt body identified by distinctive dental work. Not convinced that he is dead she heads back into the wilderness; the place she is sure he will have headed to.

This might not be the best example of the genre but it is still rather fun. Early scenes serve to introduce the characters before delivering the sucker punch regarding Helena's not so wonderful father. It does get a little slow for a while as older Helena wonders what really happened to her father after his escape and worries about her family. Once she is back in the marshy wilderness the tension mounts nicely. Typically one might expect our heroine to have to face several bad guys but this avoids that cliché. The cast is impressive, especially Daisy Ridley who plays the older Helena and Ben Mendelsohn who is suitably ambiguous as her father. The wilderness locations used look great. There isn't too much in the way of disturbing material; the violence is fairly mild and refreshingly the dialogue isn't peppered with swearing. Overall a solid little thriller, perhaps not a must see but it passes the time nicely.

I was quite lucky I didn't read the IMDb synopsis for 'The Marsh King's Daughter' before seeing it, because it would've completely ruined the film's opening - and the opening is the strongest thing this film has going for it.

From there the film falls into "perfectly fine" land. Everything is passable and it's a mildly entertaining way to pass 110 minutes. But there's nothing daring or original or memorable here sadly.

The film also relies heavily on characters making nonsensical decisions that only make sense as a method to drive the plot forward. You either get used to that in this film or you're unlikely to have a good time.

As I mentioned, if you go in with a positive attitude and you're not looking for perfection you might just have a reasonably good time with this film. Even if you do however, I doubt you'll think about it again a week after seeing it. 6/10.