Yes the film looks occasionally stunning, it has some memorable scenes, memorable performances and an intriguing atmosphere, but after two and a half hours you realise it hasn't gone anywhere. Both characters are essentially the same person at the end and haven't changed or learnt anything. This is a film which pleases critics and the pretentious, but for most viewers it will be baffling, ploddingly slow, opaque and very very dull. You won't really learn anything about Scientology or New Religious Movements, as the film can't seem to decide whether to focus on Lancaster Dodd or Freddie Quall and doesn't draw any conclusions about either. The whole thing feels like a confused nightmare where you wake up in the middle of it, confused, slightly creeped out, but mostly bored.
Review of The Master
