Possible spoilers...
Shocked was I to see The Astronaut's Wife with such a low rating. I
understand some viewers not liking the ambiguous and potentially
depressing ending. I even understand some viewers not liking
Charleze Theron's performance, although the role is perfect for
her. And I can even sympathize with those who saw the obvious
parallels to Devil's Advocate and Rosemary's Baby (with some
Event Horizon and Stir of Echoes for good measure).
But I cannot understand people saying this movie was terrible. We
have here excellent directing, making use of a wide array of
camera angles and tricks that are put together wonderfully. We
have excellent acting at the hands of Johnny Depp, who proves
with every movie his mastery of the art, and Theron isn't that bad
either, because it's not as if she needs too much depth, and if
nothing else, she doesn't detract from the movie. We have an
excellent score that matches the movie well and features some
fun choral parts.
Some have criticized the movie's pacing-too slow at the
beginning. Are you serious? No one should ever take points away
for having a slow beginning, because Psycho is rated the No. 1
thriller of all time, and have you seen how slowly Hitchcock builds
the suspense? Granted, Wife is no Psycho, but it is an excellent
psychological thriller that builds suspense and tension
little-by-little until a terrific sci-fi climax that both reveals the
menace and avoids being corny.
The ending was something I didn't expect, and it left me
speechless (although I'm one that gets thoroughly caught up in
movies and spares little energy in trying to figure out potential plot
twists before they happen). Visually stunning and a treat to watch,
Astronaut's Wife deserves much higher than a 4.x. Give that rating
to something more deserving, like Crouching Tiger, Hidden
Dragon.
10/10
Shocked was I to see The Astronaut's Wife with such a low rating. I
understand some viewers not liking the ambiguous and potentially
depressing ending. I even understand some viewers not liking
Charleze Theron's performance, although the role is perfect for
her. And I can even sympathize with those who saw the obvious
parallels to Devil's Advocate and Rosemary's Baby (with some
Event Horizon and Stir of Echoes for good measure).
But I cannot understand people saying this movie was terrible. We
have here excellent directing, making use of a wide array of
camera angles and tricks that are put together wonderfully. We
have excellent acting at the hands of Johnny Depp, who proves
with every movie his mastery of the art, and Theron isn't that bad
either, because it's not as if she needs too much depth, and if
nothing else, she doesn't detract from the movie. We have an
excellent score that matches the movie well and features some
fun choral parts.
Some have criticized the movie's pacing-too slow at the
beginning. Are you serious? No one should ever take points away
for having a slow beginning, because Psycho is rated the No. 1
thriller of all time, and have you seen how slowly Hitchcock builds
the suspense? Granted, Wife is no Psycho, but it is an excellent
psychological thriller that builds suspense and tension
little-by-little until a terrific sci-fi climax that both reveals the
menace and avoids being corny.
The ending was something I didn't expect, and it left me
speechless (although I'm one that gets thoroughly caught up in
movies and spares little energy in trying to figure out potential plot
twists before they happen). Visually stunning and a treat to watch,
Astronaut's Wife deserves much higher than a 4.x. Give that rating
to something more deserving, like Crouching Tiger, Hidden
Dragon.
10/10