Cam (2018) User Reviews (341)

Interesting and engaging, except for the disappointing ending

[jrmeretis · 6/10 · 17 November 2018]

The ending just left everything hanging. There were too many loose ends and no explanations. I'm fine with films that maybe don't explicitly explain everything, but where the viewer can figure it out on its own based on the clues given. But this wasn't like that. There were no clues or hints or anything

It seemed more like the creators just came up with the main idea (a cam girl getting her identity stolen), but couldn't figure out a way to tie everything together, and couldn't come up with a rhyme or reason for anything. And so the creators just vaguely blamed it on this nondescript "it"--that the viewer never learns anything about--that for no reason makes copies of cam girls, with slightly altered personalities

It had potential, but it didn't follow through. It was like a murder mystery that in the end has some unsatisfying "it was this random homeless guy all along who had no motive" type of ending. What was the entity? Why did it do this? What happened to all the other girls it did this to? It was just anticlimactic

The film could have gone with at least an extra half hour to its runtime and at least twice as much thought / planning on the part of the creators into the actual story to help sum everything up in a coherent fashion. As it stands, I enjoyed how much of it there was (the characters were interesting and engaging, the acting was good, the build-up was well executed), but it felt incomplete, like only the first fragment of a full idea

Good with missed potential

[ryansalamence · 6/10 · 20 November 2018]

Cam (2018) follows a camgirl who awakes one day to discover she's been replaced on her show with an exact replica of herself. This horror film introduces a haunting and highly intriguing scenario. Although the mystery itself is captivating, the conclusion is underwhelming as the film avoids any delivery of answers. The direction and cinematography were surprisingly fantastic, with the aesthetic of the cam rooms making for some beautiful shots and sets. I also really enjoyed the social commentary on how online sex workers are viewed and how they're forced to lead dual lives due to the stigma associated with the profession. Some better writing and a more solid third act could really change this film from good to great.

I think I know what this movie is about, maybe.

[ksgillihan · 6/10 · 30 March 2020]

From the beginning of the movie everything is very straight-forward. A cam girl tries to grow her popularity in an online cam girl website. She tries everything to climb the leader board including faking suicide. Nothing seems to help her crack the top 50. She tries a few more things but sees her popularity only go down. When she decides to do something that is clearly against her better judgement, she begins to unravel. Soon she notices that an exact double of her has hijacked her very own account and is posting videos instead of her. She is obviously very confused and tries to find out what is going on.

The timeline is very confusing in this movie. We see all different dates that are supposed to be connected to things that have happened or have not yet happened and they are all out of sync with what we thought was the main timeline of the film. At first it's easy to miss and also easy to dismiss as a film- making error. However, as they continue to happen you start to see that something significant is responsible. As Alice continues to become more unhinged with this copy of her out there, she sees her outside world start to crumble as well. On her calendar at one point we see days of the week with the seven deadly sins written over each day. I think this is significant. Alice also has commented that there are things she won't do as a person. Towards the ending we see Alice confront her double online and they play a game which results in Alice winning back her own account password which she uses to delete the account.

Here is my interpretation of the underlying story. Alice is someone who is used to being true to herself. Only when she lets the temptation of envy into her life does she start to come apart as a person. There are numerous examples of the seven deadly sins throughout the movie and they serve as her stumbling blocks in losing who she is as a person. Her "friend" online "tinker" I feel represents greed (he was helping to boost her ranking) as well as envy as she was jealous of the girl in the top spot. The other character of the older man who was a fan of hers represents lust and pride as he bragged about being close with all the top girls. Gluttony in this movie was more of Alice being too eager to involve herself in all the things she said she wouldn't do so that she could become more popular on the site. Sloth was her not being proactive in keeping true to herself and allowing an alternate version of herself to manifest.

I believe there was no "real" copy of her and that it was merely a representation of her losing her core identity. Her efforts to stop the copy was her conscious desire to return to who she was before. Her character of "lola" had become something that she couldn't allow herself to be so she in effect "deleted" that part of her that was undesirable. At the end it shows her starting over as someone who is true to who they really are on the inside. I believe that the entire movie was a metaphor for the main characters' struggle with the temptation of not being true to their real self. At least that is my interpretation. As a whole, the movie was fairly well made but fell short in representing the overlying plot in an effective and digestible way.

Very interesting, duff ending though.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 6/10 · 2 January 2019]

Sometimes you watch a film, and you don't fully understand it, and you certainly wouldn't be able to explain or describe it, Cam is certainly one of those films, but despite those points I enjoyed it. It's a different setup, sometimes people wake up and don't know who they are, where they are etc, Lola wakes up, and finds that someone's pinched her webcam details, and bizarrely is somehow imitating her.

I didn't have a clue what was going on half the time, and it seemed the writers didn't either, they hit upon a great idea, but couldn't fully explain what exactly was going on, the ending had me scratching my head, asking, so what exactly was that all about, was Tinker actually involved?

Ultimately though, who cares, sometimes a film is just ninety minutes of unexplained entertainment, if you're someone that wants a conclusion, and to know every detail, this would certainly drive you nuts.

Madeline Brewer did a fine job as Lola, I wonder if she knew exactly what was happening? She gave the character some real depth, what appears to be a shallow girl on the surface, is a complex, thoughtful character.

Rather good, 6/10

Interesting, but ultimately pointless

[jtindahouse · 6/10 · 24 January 2019]

'Cam' was a film that was always going to be judged very heavily by how it ended. The reason for this is that it sets itself up in such a bizarre and fascinating way that the audience is desperate to get a satisfying conclusion. The film is very similar to 2013's 'Enemy' in terms of the story, but is also very different to that film in the sense that that film had a definitive purpose, reasoning and point.

I was actually captivated while watching 'Cam' and that is the best thing that this film has going for it. It is a very interesting watch. The pacing is great and the story is mysterious and well told. The problem though was that I was left with a bitter, unsatisfied feeling at the end. I wanted more and I wanted there to have been a purpose for spending these 90 minutes of my life watching this film. Even some very bad films over the years have at least had a purpose.

I'm a little bit torn on this film as you can possibly tell. I could've liked it a lot more than I ultimately did, but I also could've liked it a lot less. I think overall I would lean towards advising people not to spend their time on this one. The ending is simply too weak.

Disappointing ending

[ramonvm-296-803998 · 4/10 · 24 December 2018]

Most of the movie was interesting, bu everything goes down at the end. Nothing is explained, and you end up feeling that you wasted your time

Say the right words, will you!

[lionking8142002 · 18 November 2018]

Why can't Lola tell everyone she was HACKED...geez! What is up with this movie!

So different

[Jessicanu94 · 6/10 · 25 November 2018]

Deffinitly not what I expected but interesting. Weird

What did I just watch!?

[pierre-69492 · 2/10 · 18 November 2018]

So, basically, not a single explanation of what is going on, a random ending... At first it was sorta intriguing (mostly because it reflexes also what happens on real social networks), but after that? Feels like a BAD Black Mirror episode, stretched to double the length, with half the quality. Avoid.

Starts off great, but then goes a bit downhill

[olivewahh · 6/10 · 5 February 2020]

What an interesting story line that left me unsure if I enjoyed the film..

Cam girl Lola (Madeline Brewer) has the thirst and desperation to please her online audience into pushing her up the popularity leader board. Lola doesn't really mention she's doing the job for more money, but to get closer and closer to the #1 spot.... I mean if it was me and I was on cam it would simply be for the money, my goal wouldn't be to be the Queen B. Lola discovers that there is an impostor online who has taken her identity and fooling her followers into donating more coins.

The first half of this film is really interesting, but as it gets closer to the end the explanation for what is happening is kind of ... a let down. An interesting story needs and interesting twist, but this film kinda lacks that.

Overall the film was still a good watch, but just don't expect a mind blowing ending.

Completely runs off the rails towards the end

[BestBenedikt · 5/10 · 18 November 2018]

The film starts out quite strong with an interesting concept and keeps you intrigued for about half an hour. Unfortunately it then begins to run off the rails up until the climax, where I just didn't know what was going on anymore. The movie doesn't bother giving you any clear answers and ends on a somewhat disappointing note.

CAM is also one of those movies that makes you wonder, why the protagonist acts the way she does. She is portrayed as a quite reasonable girl in the beginning, but her actions become more and more incomprehensible and stupid as the story goes on. What's more, the movie tries to explore different themes throughout its plot (mainly the cam girl's family life), but these efforts don't pay off because of the shallow side characters.

In the end, CAM feels like an overlong BLACK MIRROR episode focusing on the internet's dark side with very moderate success.

Object of desire

[justice_for_allro · 9/10 · 22 November 2018]

At first, I thought this is going to be a straightforward movie about internet dangers or an average cliché cat and mouse/stalker mystery horror. I was wrong, it is more than that ... it tries to cover many hot subjects of today's society including the desirability in the digital world and how far you are willing to go and expose yourself for fame or money. Inherently, internet dangers and identity theft are presented in a creative way in my opinion.

Competition and low self esteem are also key components that drive the action and the decisions of the main character.

But due to the lead actress the movie does a very nice job in showing not only the dark side of internet but also the dark side within people. The script is simple but tight, effective and the directing and editing were also good.

During the beginning, I thought some supporting cast's lines were poorly written but after the first half I got caught in this eerie, almost virtual feel to the "reality".

Warning spoilers:

Some reviewers are complaining about the loose ends and about the fact that the ending remains unexplained. What is there to explain?

Arnold discovered the pattern: Most chat companies use an algorithm that analyses the girl's behavior and creates a virtual girl. Why? Because of the productivity and the income. A virtual girl could be online 24/7 and demands no share of profit. It's happened before with "baby girl", but she couldn't fight back since she was dead. I think she wasn't randomly chosen but due to reasons that include the recent increasing popularity of her persona but also the fact that she worked "freelance".

Cam thrillingly records commentary on social media before glitching out at the climax.

[TheMovieDiorama · 6/10 · 11 January 2020]

If ever there was a relatable topic in my life right now, or atleast for the past few years, it's this one. The ever-growing addiction to social media, thirsting on the superficial requirement of "popularity". That unnecessary attentive praise for the detailed work I've produced. Followers and likes on Instagram. Helpful votes on other review sites. It doesn't matter. It is a regressive byproduct of artificial socialisation. Cam, for it's introductory act, depicts the fundamental issue with modern reality perfectly. A young woman, who performs live shows on an adult entertainment website, rapidly escalates her controversial performances in an attempt to become the most watched entertainer.

In a society where individuals can get paid to showcase nudity online, with anonymous users tipping the entertainer, the addiction and lust for exploiting one's self to earn a few hundred dollars has never been easier. Yet still within the guidelines of the law. Whilst it may sound monetarily heavenly to earn a living from the comfort of your own bedroom, it comes with potential consequences. Stalkers attempting to locate your abode. Anonymity running the risk of friends and family members discovering your explicit content.

However, it's the psychological impact that Cam explores, in particular "Lola" and her manifestation of envy. She wants to be the best. The top girl. And she's willing to do anything and everything to get that position. A modern issue for the youth of today who become addicted to technological entertainment such as gaming and adult content. Brewer's engrossing performance enabled a subtle layer of sympathy to come through. It's a relatable issue. Naturally, we resent her actions through a shocked expression, but empathise due to relatability. Obese old white men pleasuring themselves behind the security of their webcams. It's gross, to say the least, yet a trend that does occur and is exploited. ChatRoulette is just one of many websites that harness the power of anonymity for sexual exploitation.

Then the direction changes as the plot progresses. Another entity is pretending to be "Lola" and locking the real "Lola" out of her account. This second act shifts the focus from thirsting popularity to conspicuous mystery. Who or what is pretending to be "Lola"? Old videos that have been downloaded and re-uploaded? A doppelgänger? Regardless, the story's believability diminishes as the plot unfolds, but still remains captivating throughout due to the subject matter that is depicted. "Lola" as a character loses her dimensionality in order to focus on this imposter, detrimental to the thrilling nature of the narrative. Simply, it becomes more convoluted as it nears its climax. Then the third act commenced, and the mysterious reveal was exactly as I feared. Non-sensical. Illogical. Essentially, stupid. Initially what started out as a realistic subject study, concluded as a surrealistic mess. A dire shame considering how engaged I was throughout.

Nevertheless, Cam exceeded my expectations (although fairly low to begin with...). Illustrating a topic that should be discussed more frequently in today's Internet environment. Unfortunately though, this live show was losing viewers with every minute that ticked by.

3 stars is me being very lenient!

[jacobwadsworth · 3/10 · 16 December 2018]

I actually enjoyed the first 30-50 minutes, had me thinking so many different things throughout, but then the ending became so stupid, I'm becoming very frustrated with these terrible endings with modern horror/thriller movies, luckily imdb reviewer's are more than likely spot on so in future I shall read them before watching a film!

Such a weak ending

[PsychoBeard666 · 6/10 · 24 July 2019]

Great premise, intriguing story arc, very weak ending. I don't need a paint by numbers plot spoon fed to me, but a little closure would be nice.

Seriously ???

[phanthinga · 6/10 · 13 January 2019]

A cyber horror movie about a life of a camgirl turned upside down may sound like an intriguing idea and when it finally put to work in Cam the movie really intriguing from start to finish but when It finally get to the final conclusion the filmmakers decided to pull out that "Screw you guys it our movie" kind of ending that make me and probably any viewer out there who investing in the story so far realize how stupid we are for spending almost 2 hours to watching this movie in the first place. I really don't need to know the truth about what actually is that THING or why that THING love to be a camgirl that much cause the best way to make a lasting impression in any form of media for me is to show, don't tell but in the end. Cam make us know pretty clear how pointless the whole thing is by showing the main character after nearly damaged her face forever just to get back her life one gain back to square one and learn absolutely nothing

Interesting idea.. disappointing ending.. Kinda regrets watching the whole thing

[lollipopmkb · 4/10 · 15 December 2018]

Good plot, amazing actress, but the ending basically doesn't explain anything. It's like the movie has been cut into two halves except the second half is none existent

Surprisingly Interesting

[shadow_blade-89459 · 7/10 · 19 November 2018]

"Cam" (2018) is a professionally produced thriller mystery about a determined erotic web personality named Alice, played by Madeline Brewer, who finds herself mysteriously replaced on her own channel by an exact replica of herself. She tries every common tactic in the book only to find out that the fix is beyond conventional means. As with many mystery films, someone is always trying to conceal something, but this film especially resonates for me because the secret is more realistic and possible in real life as it is in the film. This film has a very simple premise, but I think it really adds to the overall product. I was skeptical, but I enjoyed this film.

There were few shots that slowed down the pace of this film. For example, the long static shot of the vanity while Alice sat on the bed felt extremely drawn out. I'm positive it was done for effect, but it didn't work well for me. The acting was marvelous as I felt like I could have been a witness to the situation versus a spectator at a movie. I salute Daniel Goldhaber for a well written and directed film. I enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone with even a minute knowledge of computer technology or interest in online erotica.

Kind of intriguing, a little creepy, weak ending.

[Andrew_Wiper · 5/10 · 20 November 2018]

Weird, kind of intriguing to watch, also kind of cringe worthy at the same time. It kept me guessing a little bit, and I guess this is what kept me watching to the end. By the end of the movie though I wish I hadn't. I feel like they had the opportunity to go in a different direction with this and they chose the ending that you see in the movie. Kind of ruined it for me. I feel like women may actually appreciate this movie more than guys, funny enough because it's web cam girl(s) modelling their bodies. I could be wrong about this though. I watched it until the end, so I'll give it a pass. 5/10

Started off great

[dnabney · 7/10 · 5 December 2018]

For me this movie started off really strong, then lost it at the end. The climax for me was anticlimactic. I loved the premise, but I would have preferred more detail on how the girls were actually copied. Also, why would she stay in that business after that happened? Are all the other girls who were copied dead? I assume so ... so why would she remain in a life threatening situation? Will her relationship with her brother get better? Will whoever is copying girls just get away with it? Does Barney fit in somehow? Too many unanswered questions. Like I said, awesome premise, poor execution for last quarter of the movie or so.

What did I just watch?

[breemartell · 2/10 · 8 December 2018]

I spent the whole movie wondering what was going on. And at the end of the movie I am left with more questions. There was no resolution, no reason why or how this happened. I'm frustrated I spent an hour and a half watching this

Well done - Better than I expected

[Hajimoto0625 · 8/10 · 24 November 2018]

I don't quite get where all of the terrible reviews are coming from. I guess if you need your movies tied up with a pretty red bow at the end, then you might not like this one. but if you like to have your thoughts provoked a bit, then definitely give this a watch. Personally, I 'got' the ending. I enjoy metaphors, and this story had a big one. But besides that...

1) Madeline Brewer is exceptional. She plays Alice/Lola perfectly.

2) The movie is visually well-done. It has a theme, which matches up with what I'm guessing a Cam Girls web site feels like, and carries it through really well.

3) It represents the whole adult-themed Cam Girl culture perfectly...just enough to communicate that it is naughty, without ever getting crude or relying on it's sexual theme to carry it.

The story keeps a fast pace, so it never gets dull or slow. Also, it does have a lot of the feel of a Black Mirror episode, just not quite as sophisticated in the story line. But then again, very few films do match up to BM when it comes to story lines.

Oh, and the metaphor? When Lola sold out and 'faked the big O' in her Vibatron show, she lost her own integrity of her real self (she says early on that she NEVER fakes 'it'), just to get herself into the top 50. The next morning she woke up and her identity was gone...stolen by some mystery culprit. When she fought to get it back by reverting back to being herself, she won it back.

Bottom line...this is a visually appealing, fast moving, grab your attention and keep it movie with a 10 star performance by Madeline Brewer (who I think in general is criminally underrated). It's better than a lot of the Netflix 'crank it out' movies.

Check it out...there are worse movies to spend your time with.

Kept my interest... ending could have been better..

[kruhohh · 6/10 · 16 February 2020]

I actually enjoyed this movie a bit.. It reminded me of a long episode of Black Mirror. The idea was interesting but never explained what was going on. I would watch it again just to see if anything was missed. However, I do not feel like I wasted my time with this film. The idea was interesting enough to keep me watching. If you enjoy Black Mirror and you're looking for something intriguing to watch I would recommend this movie.. However, I would tell you its odd.

Cheap Tittillation

[MadMike77 · 5/10 · 27 November 2018]

The movie was interesting for the most part, as it could've gone down a really dark path, but in the end it does nothing but glorify the fact you don't need talent to gain fame and fortune, which is so typical in this internet age.

Cam girl Lola is trying to break into the top 50 girls on the site she broadcasts through by showing her tits and faking her own death. Adorning fans, or rather pathetic men, shower her in money for this. Till eventually her account is copied/hacked. The rest of the film is Lola, or Alice as that's her real name, trying to find out what the hell is going on. That particular part of the film makes absolutely no sense.

Some on here, other reviewers, have suggested that these cam sites do this all the time to exploit more money by copying accounts and have them become virtual accounts. But how is this possible? The fake account is able to talk live and take requests. Also appears with a dead girl in a live show. No explanation needed, as their is no logic to it and the writers completely ignor this.

As I said at the beginning, this could've gone down a darker route with her possibly having a mental breakdown and developing a split personality or something along those lines.

But no. There's no moral to this seedy little film as once she gains access to her original account she carries on as if nothing happened.

Instead of covering the dangers of the internet, the addiction it can lead to and basically leading two different lives, it only celebrates how important it is to be popular.

As regards the 15 certificate, with the subject matter of the film alone, it should've been an 18. It's filled with nudity, sex toys being waved around and the lead actress riding a mechanical vibrater machine at one point. 15 year old boys will probably spank off to this film and 15 year old girls will want to become cam girls. When the age of consent is 16 in the UK, how can a film like this be aimed at younger teenagers as it quite clearly is. There is no moral to this film other than that. Hence, the film has no other purpose other than cheap titillation.

A very good modern identity theft thriller

[kverzani-2 · 7/10 · 18 November 2019]

Straight up commentary on loss of identity, the webcam society, and exploitation of women. Alice is part of a network of Cam girls. She works hard (and makes a lot of money) to climb the ladder of popularity in the questionable business. She performs lewd acts and even fakes violence to do this, but hides it from her family. One day after a bit of a downturn in her popularity, she notices her account has been hacked and another girl who looks just like her is now running it... and doing quite well! It's a tight, kinetic, thought-provoking film that has many awkward but poignant moments. I do agree that the ending although revealing, transpires much too quickly. There are also a few "really?" moments, but overall a solid film for today's society to engage in.