I wanted to like this movie. It has many things I enjoy: sci-fi, philosophy, sociology, quantum physics, bio-and neuro-engineering, music, and shiny tech. After a bit of a rough start, it finally found its stride and proceeded to walk right over a cliff of plot holes and half-formed ideas, landing in some sort of messy diatribe on religion. Or that technology is evil. Or something.
The plot doesn't so much *twist* as flop about like a dying fish. And whenever you begin to think it's getting interesting, here comes that fish to slap your face.
(SPOILERS AHEAD)
The movie pokes at you in every scene, apparently terrified you'll miss this clever thing they've done on the back wall, or that reference to the devil with all the finesse of a forty-foot troll, and now oh my god there are hip-hop demons. Did you catch the SUBTLE references to the blonde seer woman and the birds? Birds have wings, you know. And they move together. Gee, I wonder what else has wings? Oh! Actual angels, do you get it? Still too subtle? Paint giant wings on a wall and have the actor brood a lot as he leans against them in the perfect place.
And that's just *one* example of a near infinite supply. It really seems desperate that you know how clever it is. I've never really thought of metaphor/symbolism as a weapon before, but this movie seems hell-bent on bludgeoning the audience to death with it. Everything - and I do mean everything - has been slathered in so much edgy symbolism I'm amazed the actors didn't drown in it. This can be a good thing when done well (as in The Sixth Sense), but can quickly become silly and full of itself (as in Lady in the Water). I laughed out loud several times at points that I'm fairly sure were intended to be serious, but towards the end, laughing seemed a bit like picking on a small child and I just felt sorry for the cast.
For example, the 'angelic', spiritually enlightened character who literally dresses in white and if she were any paler, she'd be translucent begins wearing white wings at one point, just in case you somehow missed the message. And *of course* their arch rivals seem allergic to the concept of colour. Many, many times things were just too on-the-nose and the actors seemed to struggle under the endless clichés. Mediocre acting by all, as though they didn't want to be in the movie, and it felt like a waste of big talent.
Rather than pick apart this tangled circus further, I'll just end with its climax because it sums up the whole thing well: Armageddon happens in this one town, with technologically-enhanced demons doing parkour. There's a christian/demon/zombie synchronised dance battle (à la Michael Jackson) *to the literal death* and I didn't make any of that up.
It isn't the worst movie I've ever seen, but it's rather far down the list.
(SPOILERS AHEAD)
The movie pokes at you in every scene, apparently terrified you'll miss this clever thing they've done on the back wall, or that reference to the devil with all the finesse of a forty-foot troll, and now oh my god there are hip-hop demons. Did you catch the SUBTLE references to the blonde seer woman and the birds? Birds have wings, you know. And they move together. Gee, I wonder what else has wings? Oh! Actual angels, do you get it? Still too subtle? Paint giant wings on a wall and have the actor brood a lot as he leans against them in the perfect place.
And that's just *one* example of a near infinite supply. It really seems desperate that you know how clever it is. I've never really thought of metaphor/symbolism as a weapon before, but this movie seems hell-bent on bludgeoning the audience to death with it. Everything - and I do mean everything - has been slathered in so much edgy symbolism I'm amazed the actors didn't drown in it. This can be a good thing when done well (as in The Sixth Sense), but can quickly become silly and full of itself (as in Lady in the Water). I laughed out loud several times at points that I'm fairly sure were intended to be serious, but towards the end, laughing seemed a bit like picking on a small child and I just felt sorry for the cast.
For example, the 'angelic', spiritually enlightened character who literally dresses in white and if she were any paler, she'd be translucent begins wearing white wings at one point, just in case you somehow missed the message. And *of course* their arch rivals seem allergic to the concept of colour. Many, many times things were just too on-the-nose and the actors seemed to struggle under the endless clichés. Mediocre acting by all, as though they didn't want to be in the movie, and it felt like a waste of big talent.
Rather than pick apart this tangled circus further, I'll just end with its climax because it sums up the whole thing well: Armageddon happens in this one town, with technologically-enhanced demons doing parkour. There's a christian/demon/zombie synchronised dance battle (à la Michael Jackson) *to the literal death* and I didn't make any of that up.
It isn't the worst movie I've ever seen, but it's rather far down the list.
