Reviews

Having little exposure to this genre, I had no idea what to expect. It carries a 14G Rating, which is primarily due to some of the fight scenes and violent imagery, which could be intense for younger children, so respect that.

First, the motif of Yin-Yang is reflected throughout - the play of light and dark; white and black, good and evil, etc.; with a bit of each opposite within the other. For example, that a demon can know what love is; I'm presuming the Chinese view of a demon is different than that of the West (in general) And, of course, even the shape of the symbol is utilized in various forms throughout.

The costuming, the lighting, the saturation of colors, the richness of detail is superb! This may take more than one viewing to take it all in. Notice that the cherry trees are in bloom, so this tells you what time of year it is; that has symbolism. And, during some scenes of the snake, even the iridescence of the scales are included. There is such a snake in Southeast Asia called the Xenopeltis unicolor, also called the Sunbeam snake, so I'm sure there's symbolism in that, too.

And, as it begins, it tells you that names are significant. In Western culture, it is powerful to force a demon to reveal its name. And, the swords have names, too. There's a whole art to the creation of a sword (particularly a katana), and elaborate etiquette surrounding their handling.

The storyline is intriguing, and immediately captures one's attention and interest. The acting is excellent, and as another reviewer pointed out, there's a lot that is lost in translation from the Chinese to English. But, even so, this reviewer (who doesn't speak or read Chinese) found it to be entertaining and thought-provoking. The closing song is sweet, with a touch of sadness. The Yin-Yang Master will not disappoint!

Oh my. Where to start? I was looking for a different type of movie, and this caught my eye. I thought maybe it would have a different slant, or give a peek as to how a real exorcism is performed. The promo implies a heroic fight of good vs evil, so I thought I'd check it out.

What's truly scary about this movie is that it was allowed to be released, and that they paid people real money to act in it.

A young woman becomes possessed through...writing an article on the anti-Christ? Seriously? We know "the drill"...attractive young person becomes possessed, it gets progressively worse, someone has the bright idea that it's probably a demonic possession, and let's get a priest over here pronto. About halfway through, I was wondering, when is the big fight of good vs evil going to happen?

There were some startling scenes, but you were forewarned by the crescendo in the music, a raven showing up, and the actress having a contemptuous look on her face. Predictable.

And, what's with all the focus on cameras? Maybe a subtext commentary? Who knows?

Finally, the exorcism is planned and carried out. They didn't even get that right. First of all, real exorcisms take place in a sacred place, like a church or a chapel. Second, the priest will wear a purple stole, which is worn during hearing Confession and during an exorcism. It symbolizes his authority from the bishop, and representing Christ. It's also a symbol of healing and penance. The priest had no stole, and did a few other things that wouldn't necessarily happen during an exorcism.

I was expecting the battle for Good vs Evil to happen after the "big reveal"....but...then what?! All of a sudden, the credits start rolling. For TEN minutes. That means that the movie is only 1 hour, twenty minutes.

The acting is ho-hum; the characters don't really have much depth to them, or reason for being there. This movie is really not worth your time, except maybe from a clinical standpoint.. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Take the camp of The Mummy [1999] (and the sometimes not-so-witty repartee between the characters) and the CGI and supernatural lore of the LOTR, you've got an idea of what to expect. A movie that doesn't take itself too seriously and takes ample liberty with classic mythology; I'm not sure how much of a story would be there without the CGI effects, though. It's light fare, just there for entertainment. Don't expect a "docu-drama" or serious acting, and you'll enjoy it.

I agree with the PG-13 rating; some of the violence and other imagery could scare young children. The sexual scenes are more implied than graphic, so no surprises there. The lack of diversity has been noted in other reviews; it brings to mind the old saying, "Mighty white of you...!"

And, in the end (spoiler alert!), Good triumphs over Evil; the world avoids Chaos; and True Love finds a way. Oh, and Gerard Butler reprises his best "This is SPAAAAR- TAAAAA!" voice.

"The trick,William Potter, is not minding that it hurts." ~ quote from the movie, "Lawrence of Arabia."

This quote is played at the very beginning of the movie, when David the android is watching a TV device which is playing that scene from Lawrence of Arabia.

This movie is so bad, it HURTS to watch it! Apparently, this is Scott's "sense of humor" - to warn you ahead of time - and the trick to watching it is to not mind that it's so BAD.

And -what IS it with quotes from LoA, anyway??? As the ship is landing on the planet/moon that they're about to explore, David quotes AGAIN from it - "There is nothing in the desert, and no man needs nothing". Huh? Why? What does that have to do with ANYTHING?

What other reviewers have commented on is so spot on - the lack of development of the characters, nonsensical behavior by the characters, unanswered questions that leave you wondering, etc., such that you really don't give a hoot about their fate. There are so many scientific flaws, that it would make for a very long review.

Theron might as well be an android for all the depth of feeling that her character shows - she's not even a good..b-...witch! Ironically, Fassbender as an android exudes more passion and sense of purpose than most of the other characters.

It really is like a clichéd horror genre flick - set in space - you know the type - some rowdy teens stay in a cabin in the woods, and repeatedly Do The Most Stupid Thing...and are bumped off one by one.

And, what DOES the squid/octopus thing have to do with ANYTHING? It apparently is the precursor/Queen to the Alien, but...there are so many "disconnects" that it leaves you guessing.

One glaring flaw is when David is back on the ship with one of the cylinders containing the black goop - he unscrews the lid by turning it to the RIGHT. Whatever happened to "Lefty Loosey, Righty Tighty"? At least in the US, something is unscrewed by turning it to the left.

Why do the "Engineers" want to kill humans? You'd think that after all the time and trouble that it has taken us to even get to the Moon, they'd be happy to see humans in 2093 landing on their planet! WTF?!

I watched it because it was on TV, and I was curious about it. Should have saved myself some time, and read some reviews first. This is one of those movies that teases you with a whiff of profundity - mankind has always looked to the stars and contemplated our origins - and then leaves you instead with just cynical existentialism.

Save your time and choose something else to watch.

I like a good adventure story, with an emphasis on "story". This movie is worth watching with a critical eye.

As the movie opens, we find a man, Ottway, mourning his late wife. His job is set in Alaska, working at an oil refinery, killing wolves that threaten the workers in the field. His life no longer means very much to him; he's empty inside, and doesn't have any reason to go on living.

I think Liam Neeson saved the movie, the other acting was not very impressive, with some characters playing the stereotypical "yahoo" oil rigger.

Wolves can be dangerous, but the ferocity of these wolves in attacking humans really lacks credibility. "Eye roll".

That someone can fall into a river in the dead of winter, fully clothed and not freeze to death without building a fire also is very hard to believe.

And when one of the characters is crossing the chasm on a rope, he looks over his shoulder down at the chasm....and loses his glasses! REALLY??! Everyone knows - you don't look down! Especially in a movie! And, as people call to him to keep going, he grows confused and slows down....Of course - anyone with glasses knows that you can't hear as well when you don't have your glasses on....! (LOL)

Are the wolves an analogy for Fear in general? Aren't we all fighting some kind of fear? For Ottway's grief? What does "The Grey" refer to? That the whole movie is dark and gloomy? I don't know. It IS noticeable that the only truly bright scenes are when Ottway is having a flashback of lying next to his dying wife.

I think it's worth examining the question of what is it about Ottway that makes him a leader? It's ironic that he is a profoundly sad man, and yet he's the only one to think about everyone else. I think the question of mortality is important to think about - how we live, and how we die; what is the meaning of our having lived? Did we do something that made the world a little better?

The poem is a key motif for a deeper understanding of the story. I believe that the author was trying to say something profound, but the story falls short in conveying this.

For the most part, I think too much of the dialogue goes something like this:

Human: Man, it sure is cold. Wolf: Grrrr! Human: I don't think we're going to make it... Wolf: Grrrr! Rowr! GRRRR! Human: Aaaaeeeiiii!

This movie was a little too existential for this reviewer to truly enjoy.

However, it is believed by some, that because it ends in a similar way to how it begins - showing the rise and fall of the breathing of the dying wolf, that somehow Ottway kills the alpha wolf, conquers his fears and is found because of the beacon (otherwise, why show it?). He finds his way back into the Light, and leaves the Grey. It is, indeed, the last good fight he'll ever know.

This is my own opinion and "take" on the film.

You can understand the storyline from the main description, but the real story is that the subject is "the Garden of the Psyche". A B&W film, there is great usage of light and shadow for dramatic effect. It conveys a dreary, foreboding atmosphere, and a world devoid of color (Love and Joy).

A prominent symbol in this film is a raven. According to website www.ask.com, "...the raven symbolizes metamorphosis, change, or transformation...messengers from the cosmos...and help people to find answers to thoughts that they are unable to face...it is believed that ravens help to expose these secrets to help a person begin the process of healing from their effects..."

Mary comes to live with her uncle after her parents die in India from cholera, and she is deeply hurt by the loss of her parents, acting like a spoiled brat and insisting to be waited on/indulged as if she were a cripple.

Her uncle (Archibald Craven) is psychologically wounded by the loss of his wife 10 years earlier in a tragic accident, and takes out his grief on his son, treating him like a cripple.

His son (Mary's cousin), Colin, is told by doctors and other adults that he IS a cripple, and is a spoiled, miserable brat. An "outside" doctor eventually reveals that the boy is not crippled at all, and just needs some exercise and sunshine.

The discovery of the Secret Garden by Mary and Dickon begins to soften Mary's heart, and its subsequent clean-up becomes a labor of love. As the garden is healed, Mary and then Colin are healed psychologically, and become kind and thoughtful to each other. The three children become friends, and are bonded with a common love and joy about the Garden - which is translated visually when the Garden is shown in color.

Eventually, Archibald resolves to sell the house, including the Garden, and the children are beside themselves with grief. He learns from the realtor/banker that the Garden is in bloom and beautiful (after having been abandoned for 10 years), and he rushes to break into it and see for himself. The children are all there, and it's in color. Colin is sitting in his wheelchair, and in a plea to his father to save the Garden, gets up and walks stiffly into the waiting arms of his father; all are healed and are truly in the Garden of Joy.

IMHO, much like classics such as "It's a Wonderful Life" and "The Wizard of Oz", it is well worth your time to watch it, because of the journey that it takes you on, even if you know how it ends.