A perfect evolution of the series
You did it. I feel like this Madness has gone deeper into its world than any of the others before it. After the shocking tension of Madness Antipathy, we find an almost gentle feel to Consternation. No longer fighting the overwhelming chaos and disintegration of order that has evolved throughout the series, we, and Hank, have come to an almost peaceful acceptance of the situation. And through it, discover a deeper, fuller world.
I really didn't know what would happen after Antipathy. But I really like the way this follows up to it. It's definitely not anything I expected, but it fits perfectly. I think the strange gentleness of the violence, the chainsaw sequence really the direct opposite of the one in Tricky Madness 2, was a brilliant touch.
Hank's look in this movie is probably my favorite so far. And the solid red sky and glasses, contrasting with the gradients of the last few movies, really contributed to that feeling of being deep within this mood. It's like going from the rough and violent surface of the ocean to being completely submerged - on the outside things seem gentle, but in actuality the power behind it is much greater.
The main critique I would have is with the flames of Tricky's demon form. Based on what I saw at the end of Antipathy, I would have expected the flames to grow from the ground, to have some inertia and movement of their own. Instead, they were statically attached to the rest of the puppet body, which made the demon seem much less impressive and more like a usual, solid, killable character. Giving the flames a life of their own, though it may have increased the animating time, would in my opinion have been worth another month's wait.
All in all, I was very happy with Madness Consternation. Thank you.