The first time I saw Syriana, I fell asleep. Halfway through the movie, the person I was with leaned over and asked if it made any sense (this was before I fell asleep), and I had to honestly answer it didn't.
I thought I should give it another try, so I saw it again. This time, I didn't fall asleep, and I understood what was going on, but I realized it simply was not a good movie. It was a good story, but the director gave us no time to learn who the characters were, what they were doing, and what their connections were with each other, with the notable exception of the Matt Damon character's family. Even they weren't fully realized characters, however.
The scenes are too short, and the director over-uses the shaky/choppy pseudo-documentary style of camera work which drives me crazy. I can understand the use in certain instances, such as when the characters are walking, but he even used it while shooting a meeting in a board room, where everyone is seated and there is no logical reason for using this annoying technique. I realize this may be a personal preference issue on my part. The director also gives us far too many close ups, denying us the ability to see body language which is all too important in a movie such as this.
The story was good, but the movie was not.
The best scene in the movie was when Matt Damon's character's son jumped into a swimming pool. When he emerged from under the water, the look on the boy's face was priceless.
I thought I should give it another try, so I saw it again. This time, I didn't fall asleep, and I understood what was going on, but I realized it simply was not a good movie. It was a good story, but the director gave us no time to learn who the characters were, what they were doing, and what their connections were with each other, with the notable exception of the Matt Damon character's family. Even they weren't fully realized characters, however.
The scenes are too short, and the director over-uses the shaky/choppy pseudo-documentary style of camera work which drives me crazy. I can understand the use in certain instances, such as when the characters are walking, but he even used it while shooting a meeting in a board room, where everyone is seated and there is no logical reason for using this annoying technique. I realize this may be a personal preference issue on my part. The director also gives us far too many close ups, denying us the ability to see body language which is all too important in a movie such as this.
The story was good, but the movie was not.
The best scene in the movie was when Matt Damon's character's son jumped into a swimming pool. When he emerged from under the water, the look on the boy's face was priceless.