The Invisible Guardian a.k.a. El guardián invisible (2017)
The Baztan Trilogy starts with a very intriguing mystery where supernatural elements may or may not play a role. It definitely is filled with dark legends and superstition. Throughout the film series there is this ominous feeling present mostly due to the location, the atmosphere and the mysterious characters.
Our main character, inspector Amaia Salazar, a former FBI agent, returns to her hometown of Baztan and it is clear that she doesn't really want to be back. It will become apparent why that is but it's one of the many riddles that is fun to explore. Of course most important is the main mystery that puts Amaia and everybody surrounding her on edge. At first I really dug that so many events and characters in her life were connected to the main mystery somehow. Later in the sequels it started to become annoying. However there is one standout. The plot concerning Amaia and her past. It's one so dark and disturbing that will have an impact on you. So much so that I really was looking forward to the sequels.
So this original is a film I can recommend.
The Legacy of the Bones a.k.a. Legado en los huesos (2019)
Naturally it would seem logic that The Legacy of the Bones continues where the original left of. And in a way it does.
However our main character Amaia is behaving very differently. In the first she seemed confident, strong and tenacious. Now she is one big mess where she is far from it. I was very willing to believe she was troubled due to the impact of some of the events in the original but she very rarely demonstrated to have real skills as an investigator. It's also weird to have her call her old mentor for almost every issue you can think of. Like she is incapable of anything herself. I am not familiar with the books but somehow I don't think that she is supposed to be portrayed that way.
The ominous vibe is still present although considerably less. The suspense comes and goes. There are some real good moments. But then there are many moments where those are ruined simply because of the incompetence of Amaia. It also doesn't help that the once compelling main mystery gets more convoluted and ridiculous every second.
While this sequel builds on the first and does have some tense and thrilling moments it kinda disappoints.
At this point I was already pretty skeptic about how this trilogy would end. But honestly I was hoping for the last part to redeem itself especially since the second film was disappointing. Unfortunately Offering to the Storm continues the wrong path with unnecessary confusion, immense boredom and unbridled rage.
Amaia already had transformed from a character you root for into a pretty annoying character in the second part. But believe it or not you haven't seen anything yet. Somehow she manages to have become one of the worst characters ever put on film. At this point you can't just blame the writing or direction. The actress Marta Etura also does a poor job of making her character deep and compelling. She basically has two emotions which she repeats over and over again. It also doesn't help that a couple of the best characters who are much better actors get very poor treatment plot wise. Without having read the books it is clear to me that many essential details and events have been cut. Especially considering exposition on Amaia and what she is capable of. Somehow these films expect you to accept that she is this super brilliant detective who has to fight prejudice, trauma and more to get the recognition she deserves. But solely judging on what they have told and shown about her she is a pathetic fool and takes credit for work done by others.
The conclusion will crush your soul as it is rather uneventful and predictable. If you are observant enough you can guess certain twists already in the second part. The main one however is so idiotic and generic that I can't believe they dared to put it in. My advice to you is to only watch the original and then forget it's part of the trilogy. Your mind and imagination will come up with much better storytelling than they did here. What a waste!
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