A unit of Special Forces soldiers is tasked with retrieving a hostage held by militants deep in the Afghan mountains. However, the evil they face as they descend deeper into the earth is considerably more ancient and deadly. It’s a terrifying narrative about a bunch of spec operations guys on a mission. A cave, insurgents, a hostage, and a terrifying discovery that turns into something that, if your imagination allows it, is designed to send any guy nuts just by thinking about it. It’s fine.
The animation was fantastic and elevated the plot to the point where it deserved a perfect grade. It’s a story about them discovering something ancient, with action-packed moments that keep them moving ahead into the unknown. When the two main characters are enticed into seeking this behemoth that looks like Cthulhu, they witness flashes of it ravaging the world when it opens its eyes. It tries to persuade the woman to free it from its shackles, but she refuses.
“Vaulted Halls” comes off less like an instructive narrative or exhibition of superb animation expected from this series and more like a video game cinematic that leaves more questions than answers, despite its moments of enjoyably gory fatalities.
Cast
Lieutenant Nikolai Zakharov is played by Stefan kapicic, Gail is played by Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Rob is played by Topher Grace, and Lieutenant Colby is played by Samira Wiley. With their precise blend of emotions in every scene, the cast made it all worthwhile to watch. Their performance was both convincing and emotional. We were very impressed with their performance in that play. We’ve never been so taken aback by someone else’s performance.
Ending explanation
Starting as an alien rip-off, it quickly transforms into a satisfying eldritch nightmare. The episode’s greatest strength, in my opinion, was the continuing sense of wonder. The last scene was butter on the bread… it wasn’t the devil who took her eyes out, but herself, for having received too many disturbing, horrific visions of the future from the evil. In a nutshell, she’s a hero for not losing upon humanity after witnessing the horrors that wickedness can inflict. The ending paves the way for a lot more exploration, just as many of these episodes have done in the past.
Their animators are accomplishing something unique, and we hope that these short animations inspire future shows in the same vein. The plot is worth watching because you get to see the decisions these folks have to make and what drives them, whether it’s their fear or the giant monster at the end of the episode. The final episode included extremely realistic graphics, excessive brutality, and rawness; the atmosphere it produces is both pleasant and alarming.
Where to watch?
It’s available on Netflix. The trailer is also available on YouTube, so enjoy it there.
