I admire the film-makers for choosing the pseudo-documentary style and trying to do something new with it. That said, this movie is D+ in every way and it'd be the very last choice I'd have to watch (narrowly edging out a test pattern).
"Animals" is based on a true story and the real people are really in it. The problem here is the story makes a marginally adequate script that would need to be fleshed out with something or someone unique or ground breaking to make it really work. Instead it's a story of four not-too-smart young men, none of whom has anything compelling, or even remotely interesting about them.
None of them are facing any sort of desperate situation that would push them to crime (drug addiction, debt, etc.) and their only motive for committing the crime in this movie seems to be boredom. So this train doesn't have enough momentum to push it over into even being mildly entertaining - instead it's a cringe-fest of stupidity. Even the music tries to get in on the story; the score is always there to tell us in big bold terms what we ought to be feeling.
But ultimately "Animals" is just disappointing. Their crime is stupid, their motives are stupid, even the method of carrying it out is stupid, and so it came to the point where I myself felt, well STUPID - and even a bit guilty for watching them botching things so horribly. The 4 men in this story have chemistry, of sorts, but ultimately I found it very difficult to even care what happened to them. If the point here is as a lesson for how NOT to commit crime, this movie succeeds in sending that message loud and clear. All in all though, "Animals" is more cringey then entertaining: it's unpleasant to watch, there's not enough humor, the characters are lifeless and dull. This movie has few/no redeeming qualities. If I had it to watch over again I wouldn't - it's not a good use of your time.
"Animals" is based on a true story and the real people are really in it. The problem here is the story makes a marginally adequate script that would need to be fleshed out with something or someone unique or ground breaking to make it really work. Instead it's a story of four not-too-smart young men, none of whom has anything compelling, or even remotely interesting about them.
None of them are facing any sort of desperate situation that would push them to crime (drug addiction, debt, etc.) and their only motive for committing the crime in this movie seems to be boredom. So this train doesn't have enough momentum to push it over into even being mildly entertaining - instead it's a cringe-fest of stupidity. Even the music tries to get in on the story; the score is always there to tell us in big bold terms what we ought to be feeling.
But ultimately "Animals" is just disappointing. Their crime is stupid, their motives are stupid, even the method of carrying it out is stupid, and so it came to the point where I myself felt, well STUPID - and even a bit guilty for watching them botching things so horribly. The 4 men in this story have chemistry, of sorts, but ultimately I found it very difficult to even care what happened to them. If the point here is as a lesson for how NOT to commit crime, this movie succeeds in sending that message loud and clear. All in all though, "Animals" is more cringey then entertaining: it's unpleasant to watch, there's not enough humor, the characters are lifeless and dull. This movie has few/no redeeming qualities. If I had it to watch over again I wouldn't - it's not a good use of your time.