I'm not sure if this movie was over-hyped or under delivered. I was very excited for this film like many others. I'm honestly not sure where to begin. I heard a lot about this film and the ideas behind it. Alex Garland didn't want to pick sides which I thought was a smart choice. Instead of giving backstory, Garland just wanted to show what a war torn America could look like. While I respect and understand the thematic and philosophical choices made it ends up being a nothing movie. The plot is nonexistent, the character development is lacking. All the moments in the film that were supposed to be tense were flat. Garland went too neutral and ended up not making much of a point at all. They make a few stops, most of which consist of redneck antics. Not much context is given to the war which leaves you caring less. There's a few jokes in the movie that just felt forced or out of place. I understand comic relief is necessary in a film like this. There's just something about the way it's done here that was off.
The movie is visually striking and all The sets look fantastic. My only grip with the aesthetic is that it all kind of blends together. Look there's a smoldering humv in front of JCPenney. Look there's a smoldering humv in front of a suburban neighborhood. Look there's a smoldering humv in front of the White House. It's not all humv shots but 85% of them are pretty much that.
My last gripe is the soundtrack. The choices of songs and the times at which they played were daunting. Every time a song played it took me right out of the film. The songs didn't fit the tones of the scenes they were used in. They didn't even fit in any sort of ironic sense. I couldn't believe how mismatched and confusing the soundtrack was. I will say however this film made an incredible use of silence. The only times I felt excitement during this film were during these times.
All in all see it or don't see it. Maybe there's a directors cut on the way that's way better. For right now I wouldn't spend the money to see this movie in theaters. If you want to support of movie in theaters go see monkey man. Watch this one when it's streaming in a month.
The movie is visually striking and all The sets look fantastic. My only grip with the aesthetic is that it all kind of blends together. Look there's a smoldering humv in front of JCPenney. Look there's a smoldering humv in front of a suburban neighborhood. Look there's a smoldering humv in front of the White House. It's not all humv shots but 85% of them are pretty much that.
My last gripe is the soundtrack. The choices of songs and the times at which they played were daunting. Every time a song played it took me right out of the film. The songs didn't fit the tones of the scenes they were used in. They didn't even fit in any sort of ironic sense. I couldn't believe how mismatched and confusing the soundtrack was. I will say however this film made an incredible use of silence. The only times I felt excitement during this film were during these times.
All in all see it or don't see it. Maybe there's a directors cut on the way that's way better. For right now I wouldn't spend the money to see this movie in theaters. If you want to support of movie in theaters go see monkey man. Watch this one when it's streaming in a month.
Tell Your Friends