After weeks of luring Tom Holland and Robert Pattinson fans, Netflix finally released The Devil All The Time on Sept. 11. The murder mystery movie that had people intrigued left and right from the trailer leaves only a trail of disappointment after its much-tool-long 2-hour run time.

Taking place primarily in Ohio in 1965, the story follows Arvin Russell and the many tragedies that he endures. Arvin grows up in a town filled with religious people who judge Russell for his past. The story takes a quick turn of events after a small town gets the new pastor, Preston Teagardin.

Based on the book The Devil All The Time by Donald Ray Pollock, the movie has several storylines and timelines that span from World War II to 1965. The film tends to jump to different time frames, making it hard to follow the plot. This also makes it hard to connect to any of the characters. The film also holds several plot holes that are never explained.

The movie revolves around many religious themes and the concepts of symmetry. The characters are often found in compromising situations that turn them to or away from religion. Throughout the story, the film defines the pros and cons of religion and defines the meaning of good and evil. Many shots in the film are symmetrical to emphasize a theme of perfection. These strong themes make the storyline repetitive and boring. 

Although the plot is unorganized, the acting is well executed. The cast includes Robert Pattiston (Rev. Preston Teagardin), Tom Holland (Arvin Russell) and Bill Skarsgård (Willard Russell) as the main actors. All the main actors, despite having foreign accents, manage to perfect a southern accent from the 1960s. Director Antonio Campos claimed that Pattison didn’t reveal his interpretation of the accent until the first day of filming. Pattinson decided to keep his accent a secret to capture a true reaction from his colleagues. 

Although The Devil All The Time is Campos’ fifth film, this is his first film that is categorized in the murder-mystery genre. Death and murder play a major part to the plot, but the film doesn’t carry much mystery. There is no mystery in who the murderer is, and the movie doesn’t keep you at the edge of your seat. 

The Devil All The Time does not live up to the expectations that it set when the trailer first came out and is overall disappointing.