Finally watched this film. I skipped it in the cinema – at no big loss, it seems. I found it to be Aronowsky's weakest film so far. He's never been a subtle director, but here he takes a step into Oliver Stone Country. The film is very one note - Ooh, the mirrors! - harping on the theme of doubles. There are plenty of horror film scares, but it's never really creepy – not in the way the best Polanski films are. It's another film that would maybe have been better without CGI – if they'd rather gone for more creative solutions. Also, and a bit of SPOILERS here, I don't find the way Nathalie Portman loses her mind towards the end to be credible. The mix of things that really happen and things going on only in her head never really adds up. It's a movie version of losing your mind, not how it would be in real life. I guess! Maybe, who knows...
Wes Anderson has one problem: his
second film, Rushmore, was a masterpiece, and all his films after
that have been... good, but not quite as good as Rushmore (Fantastic
Mr Fox being an exception). Moonrise Kingdom is a step up from Life
Aquatic and Darjeeling Limited but still... I wish we had spent some
more time with the adults. Possibly that would have tipped the film
off balance, but none of the adults seemed as real as, say, Seymour
Cassel's character from Rushmore. Even though the actors, including
Bruce Willis, do a good job. But I think I liked the film, and look
forward to re-watching it on dvd. Visually the film is a delight, as
always with Wes Anderson.
I did'nt even know about this movie, and I'm a big Wes Anderson-fan. I agree that he probably never will top Rushmore, but I will gladly witness any of his future attempts. What is it about Life Aquatic? Everyone who I have ever recommended it to hates it; I think it's great and Bill Murrays finest moment. Anyway, I just saw the trailer for Moonrise Kingdom and I look forward to the danish premiere.
ReplyDeleteI had problems with both Life Aquatic and Darjeeling Limited. In Bottle Rocket and Rushmore you can actually believe in the characters, something that is not always the case with the later films. Wes Anderson at his worst, you marvel at the images, but you are never invested in the story.
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