| Overall Grade: |
A |
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| Story: |
A |
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| Acting: |
A+ |
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| Direction: |
A- |
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|
| Visuals: |
A+ |
|
|
It's mind-boggling, and in a good way.
by Gian (movies profile)
Jun 12, 2008
130
of
158 people found this review helpful
Okay, I have to admit - I came out of the theatre frustratingly perplexed, having to drive home wondering if any of it made sense. It took me a while to realize that none of it had to make sense because the majority of the movie is seen through a hallucination Henry (Ryan Gosling) suffers before he dies, which leads to more confusion because we are viewing events in his hallucination through Sam's (Ewan McGregor) eyes, who (in actuality) is the doctor who attempted to save him.
So naturally, we (the audience) are lead to believe Sam is the protagonist of Henry's fantasy/near-death induced delusion/hallucination - in which he is, of course.
What makes this film interesting is that it doesn't follow the typical, weirdly sequential, or even logical demeanor most people come to expect (thanks to "The Sixth Sense" and misleading pieces of trash like "The Village"). From visual effects to deja vu-esque scenes to subtle entities like random, insignificant characters incoporated into Henry's hallucination - this is all beautifully wrapped to evoke either a feeling of confusion, or a curiousity to sympathize with the movie's theme: Reality imposes painful limitations like blindness and death. But, beyond reality/death - we our able to paint our own portraits.
This isn't your average movie, but I would recommend this to anyone with an open mind. You aren't alone if you STAY through 'til the end, feeling incomplete. But once you've gained an understanding of where I'm coming from, fathoming the hidden beauty of this film, surely, is a satisfying feeling.
Otherwise, watch Doom. It's October. It's almost Halloween. It has mindless splendor written all over it. |
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