I can appreciate some darkness in movies. But having every single last one of the characters detestable with no redeeming qualities, while at the same time dragging things out with self fellating artsy nonsense taken from better movies, to the point that the entire movie essentially lacks a plot and instead only has singular cardboard cutout events and characters and a ton of talking.... that is pushing it too far.
I really wish directors who think that disturbing the audience is a valid replacement for creating actual excitement, fear, and suspense would get booted out of mainstream hollywood already. Along with all the critics who will gush all over any movie with praise as long as it does a few lighting tricks, and weird cuts for dat sweet artsy cred.
Don't get me wrong the movie is absolutely beautifully shot, and the acting is nice, but the singular motivation throughout remains the one from the trailer: revenge.... And while that motivation is understandable in some of its incarnations, it's not so much in others.
Also everything ABOUT the variations of revenge is so hollow and grim and evil in every line and action that one comes away feeling dirty just having observed these characters for a while, as well as a sense of having been attacked. The only things it accomplishes are to make one feel really disturbed by a too creepy and sad portrayal of psychopathic insanity. So if that and a sea of artsy stuff is all you need to like a movie you'll love this one.
Glorifying revenge is bad.
Glorifying murder is evil.
This movie attempts to do both.
The only reason it might not succeed is because all the characters are actually detestable despite their cool demeanor. Plus sympathetic characters are revealed to be monsters. Which is thoroughly uncomfortable. But this means that if it isn't damaging because it glorifies revenge, it's damaging for being incredibly depressing. Seriously, even Tarantino movies are less depressing to watch.
Although maybe this could actually be a meta cautionary tale against how hollow people become when consumed by revenge. Though with how low brow the artsy stuff in the movie is i wouldn't bet on it.
In either case a movie needs to have some characters the audience at least isn't creeped out by. This one doesn't. Its awful to watch awful people do awful things, so 3 stars.
I really wish directors who think that disturbing the audience is a valid replacement for creating actual excitement, fear, and suspense would get booted out of mainstream hollywood already. Along with all the critics who will gush all over any movie with praise as long as it does a few lighting tricks, and weird cuts for dat sweet artsy cred.
Don't get me wrong the movie is absolutely beautifully shot, and the acting is nice, but the singular motivation throughout remains the one from the trailer: revenge.... And while that motivation is understandable in some of its incarnations, it's not so much in others.
Also everything ABOUT the variations of revenge is so hollow and grim and evil in every line and action that one comes away feeling dirty just having observed these characters for a while, as well as a sense of having been attacked. The only things it accomplishes are to make one feel really disturbed by a too creepy and sad portrayal of psychopathic insanity. So if that and a sea of artsy stuff is all you need to like a movie you'll love this one.
Glorifying revenge is bad.
Glorifying murder is evil.
This movie attempts to do both.
The only reason it might not succeed is because all the characters are actually detestable despite their cool demeanor. Plus sympathetic characters are revealed to be monsters. Which is thoroughly uncomfortable. But this means that if it isn't damaging because it glorifies revenge, it's damaging for being incredibly depressing. Seriously, even Tarantino movies are less depressing to watch.
Although maybe this could actually be a meta cautionary tale against how hollow people become when consumed by revenge. Though with how low brow the artsy stuff in the movie is i wouldn't bet on it.
In either case a movie needs to have some characters the audience at least isn't creeped out by. This one doesn't. Its awful to watch awful people do awful things, so 3 stars.