Until I read someone's explanation of the opening of the movie, there was no way I was going to understand it. It culminated in an eye (which I kind of anticipated). Beyond that, I was clueless, but knew that I was in for an "interesting" 90 minutes.
One review I read elsewhere stated, "If you want to see Scarlett Johansson drive around in a van for 90 minutes... go for it!" While not entirely inaccurate as far as reviews go, it's not all she does in the movie. Having been disappointed again and again by her acting, it made perfect sense to cast her as an emotionless alien predator. In many ways, this is just another take on the vampire genre. It has sci-fi elements scattered about the place, but it's mostly a beautiful exposition of early spring-time Scotland and a terrible characterization of Scottish people.
Almost entirely devoid of language, barring the odd, "Do you have a girlfriend?" or, "I'm trying to get to the M8," it relies almost entirely on imagery and action to tell the story.
Having said that, you may be fooled into thinking that I didn't like the movie at all. I actually enjoyed it. I "got" the plot without any problems, though a reading of the novel would definitely fill in some gray areas. But I can't get over the idea that a lot of the plot went on in Scarlett's character's head. Her ultimate empathy for the human race and her desperate bid to break free of her ghoulish task are only partly explained.
All in all, not enough plot to cover the time allotted, but I didn't feel scammed or that I'd entirely wasted my time. But definitely not a "redefining of what it means to be human" as one reviewer put it.
I also have to note that my television turned itself off about halfway through. That's never happened before. Was it trying to tell me something?
One review I read elsewhere stated, "If you want to see Scarlett Johansson drive around in a van for 90 minutes... go for it!" While not entirely inaccurate as far as reviews go, it's not all she does in the movie. Having been disappointed again and again by her acting, it made perfect sense to cast her as an emotionless alien predator. In many ways, this is just another take on the vampire genre. It has sci-fi elements scattered about the place, but it's mostly a beautiful exposition of early spring-time Scotland and a terrible characterization of Scottish people.
Almost entirely devoid of language, barring the odd, "Do you have a girlfriend?" or, "I'm trying to get to the M8," it relies almost entirely on imagery and action to tell the story.
Having said that, you may be fooled into thinking that I didn't like the movie at all. I actually enjoyed it. I "got" the plot without any problems, though a reading of the novel would definitely fill in some gray areas. But I can't get over the idea that a lot of the plot went on in Scarlett's character's head. Her ultimate empathy for the human race and her desperate bid to break free of her ghoulish task are only partly explained.
All in all, not enough plot to cover the time allotted, but I didn't feel scammed or that I'd entirely wasted my time. But definitely not a "redefining of what it means to be human" as one reviewer put it.
I also have to note that my television turned itself off about halfway through. That's never happened before. Was it trying to tell me something?