Reviews

I must admit, I watched it all. Haven't watched a movie in a while, so.. I just remained for the superficial action. This is what I sought to begin with, right? But the plot was bad, the laws of physics broken, the CGI quite meh, the dialogue and characters shallow and disjointed. So yes, I do regret watching it, because it was really just a waste of time. Action flicks used to have somewhat more consistency, as I remember them. This one had the feel of a youtube AI-generated collage. Felt very generic and uninspiring. I hope this is not a new standard for action flicks! Doesn't even have the flavor of a true B-movie. It's just regurgitated cardboard.

What the hell is wrong with the camera in SEASON 2! I can't believe how much they are moving around! This is NOT BLAIRWITCH Project!

The first season was great, including due to the sobrieness of the camera angles, giving the comedy solid serious space to spring from. Why are they doing this punk! Is the old set slightly damaged, and they don't want us to see the scratches? It substracts a lot from the actors and the script. The much more steady shots of the first season were so much more doing the show a favor, than these nonsense move the camera on all axes while zooming in on a walking character..

I think it's a pedagogical film, and it's bringing the most to the many appreciating it the least. Maybe it's reaching for a wider audience than it's capable of satisfying, but it's crafty, employing a wide variety of tricks to get the whatever message across. For example, the first part is annoyingly noisy, while the second part, mostly a long explicit collage of the whatever message, slips right into the audiences now relaxing mind.

However, the true value of this movie lies in the future. In 10, 30 years, this snapshot of ~today's ~Bucharest is going to be a real historic nugget to watch.

Soo... it's a technically sane, very believable movie, up-to-date with the possible development of a singularity event happening today. Acting, cut, sound is good. Maybe some dialogues are a tat dragged out, but... hefty, real sci-fi. It's the best "documentary" of how such an event would get played out. The AI would be out there long before people would notice. It would influence things in the real world. It would try to hide. Observe, this show with good ratings, telling the in-depth story of an AI controlling the shadows was canceled. :)) It was also accidentaly released in baaad way. According to a fellow reviewer: "...people didn't watch the 3rd episode when episode 2 aired 6 weeks earlier. Out of sight out of mind. Or in Next's case episode 3 didn't even air on the network (Fox) but on Hulu." Coincidence? I think not. *Puts his tinfoil hat on, and goes to kill the smart-fridge with an axe.

It was either B-grade actors or C-grade directors who spoiled it, or both. The actors that portray scientists are trying hard to remember their "sciency" lines and their invented noble accent, but transmit ZERO passion for their work, and the exceptional historic moment they are presumably living. Scientists speak fast when talking about their work, and with joy (even if a wormhole has not opened in the sky). This film is watchable at 125% or 150% speed. I did that. Recommended. They don't act better, but.. it just seems more fluent; and you win at life.

Is my car faster than yours? Is your phone newer than mine? Is your wife better than mine? One of those questions is not only out of line and insensible, but makes the questioner a bit of a psycho. Equally complex and beautiful entities should not be compared. "Uncanny" starts off with two guys playing chess. Dialogue, acting, cut and soundtrack instantly create the atmosphere and draw one in. If a sci-fi can do that without fancy concepts explained in words, big motherships and fasers it's worth watching. They manage to do this with the same tools throughout the movie. Yes, you know it's a movie about an AI, and you kind of expect it to go berzerk, as they tend to go since Space Odyssey; but then again, the robots in Interstellar did not. So will this one? The plot twists, turns and evolves while there are several occasions you expect the robot to snap. It's probably the main source of maintaining a sense of suspense besides the soundtrack, which fits in perfectly. At the same time it lets You keep enough distance to remain relaxed and consciously digest the concepts and thought-seeds presented. I love this aspect, and few movies manage this magic act of balance. My rating is 9/10 because the ending is flawed. It's flawed not because it's bad. It's actually quite good. Uuhm... at least one of them. The movie has 3 endings. The last one even comes in after the credits start. I will never understand why great movies sometimes feel the need to throw in all ending ideas the scriptwriter scribbled on a paper towel in the first draft. "Coffe or Tea?" "Both, and please mix them in the same cup!" :)

My Vote: I would have actually aimed for a 7, but since I find it so underrated, here comes the 8. Given the general low IMDb rating I was pleasantly surprised by the first shots, and the first dialogues that were.. more than decent. And it got better- negligible amount of cheesy, just 4 moments of "wtf- no one would do that in real life". There were some familiar actors, and some new to me, and they all played their parts well. Suspense, there was. Emotion there was not. It's not a must for a sci-fi to bring a tear to my eye, but maybe if you kill some characters or put sentimental music on the soundtrack, make sure I get to care about the moment? Just saying... All in all a very, very decent sci-fi. Maybe a bit too long. I confess, I watched it all in one piece, while it was meant as a miniseries, but I believe that in the end, after 2:40 h, I actually accumulated a total of some 40 minutes of watching fancy camera shots and coloured lines and dots swooshing by, the visual representation of the AI in action. While I initially enjoyed the innovative shots they got to be over-exploited and story-diluting. The length allowed for quite a few twists and turns, while the film did not fall into the trap of useless sub-plots (although, again, they could have told the story of the titanic, had they removed the useless AI animations). Scientifically feasible? I would say yes. I guess a Spontaneous Technological Singularity would not really be spontaneous. But if You put a good enough AI together with a virus able to create a botnet, You will at least get an AI with unlimited computing power. At this point, let me remind You that the Turner Test has been finally passed by an AI in 2014, and that in the last 7 years, some 60.000.000 PCs have been unknowingly been part of DISCOVERED botnets, and that any new smartphone has more speed and storage than the best supercomputer of 1990. So slowly, You can start adapting the question "Are there aliens among us?"

So there are 400+ reviews for this movie, but I will share my thoughts as a thank You, to who may have been involved in making this movie. I really thought out of the trailer this is some mellow romance-comedy sci-fi. Not really my style. The lack of something better suiting my tastes and the 8.2 IMDb rating made me start watching it. The truth is, it is a great movie! And it is a great sci-fi even. Not bothering with too many technical explanations, but just enough to give you a hint that the facts might be reasonable. The story holds, and although I caught myself being afraid the movie will let me down, it did not. And the twists and turns, although seen before individually, were not predictable. This was a movie of sentences, words and details. I only know one more movie that made great sci-fi just by telling stories: the man from earth. To tell a story with the camera following almost just one actor is a great achievement. To make something that counts as sci-fi with zero gimmicks is awesome too. So.. hey, thanks! Love.

This one was like a soft wine, or a good book. As an entry-level sci-fi, it was balanced in all aspects. The logic is sturdy, the special effects are amazing, but not opulent, the dialog and acting are just so natural. If You've seen a few dramas, and love stories, it will probably not make You weep, and if You've seen a bit of sci-fi, it will not blow Your mind with mindfokk concepts. It will not keep You on the edge of the seat all the time either, but it has pleasant pacing and fluctuations appropriate for the concept. In the end, like a story well told, it will leave You with an induced state of thoughtful emotion. And I think, that is what art is all about.

I've seen much, much worse lines and logic in bigger budget sci-fis that hit the screens. I've seen equal quality acting in blockbusters like Transformers, Battleship, etc. I mean - come on - it's Jurassic Park with a twist of smart. It's a film for kids that can be enjoyed by adults. What it lacks are ripe special effects, because I hear they went bankrupt during the final production stages. So really - this movie should have the same rating as John Carter or Jurassic Park. Since I have been thrown so many stupid special effects and 3D gimmicks lately, I learned to disregard them, and weigh in a film more by it's story than by the bling. If You read light sci-fi, you don't get 3D bling there either. So I say, if the acting was OK, and the story was OK, then the movie was OK. Decent sci-fi with decent entertainment value.

I met an old lady on Sunday in the vegetable market. She was smart, friendly, smiling, tastefully dressed, but when she walked by, she smelled a bit like pee, so I smacked her in the face! ...NO. It does not work like that. So yes, there are flaws in the scripting, and they are perfectly and amusingly laid down in the longer 1-star reviews here. But if you are not suffering from over-infatuation with your own intellect, or from the professional deformations of a self-proclaimed art critic, it's certainly a great sci-fi. Alone the fact that people compare it to so many other movies, or liked so many divergent aspects about it, should tell you that it's not simple, not predictable, and well executed. So if you crave for one of those, oh so rare, good scifis with a bit of everything, you certainly want to watch it. And if you start watching it, you may want to enjoy it. So do yourself a favor - switch off a few neural connections, if you suspect you own many, let the fear go, lay back and enjoy it. It will be a warm, dark, comfy ride into some future.(!The plot summaries for this movie on IMDb are a failure)

It was a nice movie. Can't hate it, can't love it, even though, according to the extreme reviews I saw here, one of those was to be expected. The logic does not hold up very well most of the time, so you try to enjoy it as some kind of strange riot action-movie. Then, you get some dark humor, and you try to view it as comedy. When you think you can sit back and use that watching glass for the rest of the movie, it suddenly gets deep, and all psychological on you. And you say "Hey! I know, it's a drama! I see Greek mythology here!", but then... it's the Matrix all over again. And then some older characters pop back into the storyline, focus on them, just to tell me utterly nothing at all. And then, it's the ending scenes... - what to make of them, I really could not understand. But then I remembered - Yeees! It started out as a "POSTAPOCALIPTIC TRAIN movie"! Acting is good, directing is good, CGI is good, pacing is good. It's OK entertainment. And if we all had Alzheimer's or ADHD, it would be a superb blockbuster!

NO, the "actors" did not play well at all. None of them. Any B-movie still has some guy that has charisma, or a guy that at least remembers his lines. This movie has nobody. Anger, fear, trivial discussions - it all feels like hesitantly chewing on plastic. NO, the script was not good. I know, the place exists and it had some of the occurrences portraited here allegedly going on. To line up all those strange events, and throw in some of your own strange ideas, would take up some skill to be glued together in a coherent story. There was no glue. It felt like parody paranormal youtube movies mashed together. Dialogues? Neah! Just a farmer that "wants his kid back" and long, useless selfie monologues. NO, the "paranormal" part was not right. It was not suspenseful and classy, it was not blockbuster glitter, and had nothing to do with "classic" paranormal encounters. NO, do not watch this movie, unless you want to agree with me, and up this review afterwards. NO, you did not count right. :)

One reviewer stated "Eye candy that reflects the emptiness of American culture". What if the director wanted us to feel disgusted about the movie...like Toby's character did. Like a dark joke. It's the only way I can understand why such movie was created. No. I'm not in shock. In trance - maybe. I just FINISHED watching the movie, but I'm still waiting for it to begin. Really, the characters and scenes were so shallow, that I caught myself laughing in disbelief at a few scenes. Like the one when Gatsby was contemplating the happy moments with Daisy. Wtf. Contemplating what? -You throwing clothes at her from the balcony? There is no connection, no depth. Just ADHD. I don't know... take some medicine, or drill a hole in your skull to rewire it before watching this movie. It might help you make sense of it, or feel some empathy for the characters.

I can't wait to see the first part. I saw this one with my girlfriend on the hint from an arts professor that the movie is being shown on TV. No time to read any reviews in advance. We think it was absolutely grandious. It's like a freakin' Russian painting. REAL. I really don't give squat about historical precision. I would read 20 books, or watch 20 documentaries if I wanted historical precision right now. In this movie every moment IS natural and real. Every moment is complex and unpredictable. Like in real life a situation or discussion involving more characters can find an infinite variety of endings. Now and then a sheet of grotesque improbable circumstancial humor is layered upon ...not unlike life. I was shocked by the 4.1 general IMDb rating. Relieved, when browsing through the reviews. It seems the rating is held down by the people of the former USSR mostly. "Not historically accurate" is the argument I found. So.. if you want to see a perfect movie about some strange situations and thoughts that MOST probably might have been lived and thought on Russian soil during WW2, see this! If you want "historically accurate", watch a few documentaries(again), or find some of those nice, dusty propaganda movies from that time! It will all be lean, clean and will match your current knowledge!

I will give you some tips on how to enjoy it: 1-use an age-reversing machine so that you are 12 years old. 2-then get a partial lobotomy. 3-watch the 10 minutes trailer and skip the movie. See! That was great fun! Except from that, expect an unhappy combination of Superman, Terminator, and Twilight. And by that I only mean the subject of the movie. The characters were absolutely shallow. Acting was decent, but the script was trash. I mean, forget clichés, I was prepared for those; forget plot-holes, I mastered my temper and numbed my mind with Tibetan meditation techniques. But there was OH so much STUPID that my mouth felt a metallic taste, and my eyes were bleeding, while I was petrified in my chair, my life slowly being sucked out of my body minute by minute.

I know... some "elevated critics" out there will raise a brow in disgust and disbelief, and spit on those 10 stars I gave the movie. But look - sci-fi movies made in the 50s just are just übercorny. From every point of view. Dialogue, acting, visuals. I tried it a few times. I guess if You are nostalgic, some musicals from the "golden age" might still work, but we are talking sci-fi here. So... probably the novel behind this movie is absolutely awesome. But beside some minor flaws I give the crew for this movie an A+. I saw great care for details. Plot-holes described by some reviews here are not really there, but rather a rush for labeling them as such is present before consulting the better brain half. Plot and acting is great. I watched the two parts in the same bite, and boy, it was a treat! I was smiling wider and wider on the edge of my seat, because I finally found a good sci-fi I had not watched yet. One that keeps clichés to a minimum, is smart enough, and has none of those pesky moments glorifying the American army, or spirit, or way, or folk, or freakin dishwasher on the notes of some WWII triumph march song. I mean... yeah.. it has one.. but it's digestible. And I noticed only two product-placements. And it is not in 3D(=no useless gimmics). And this is as good as it gets these days.

If you were a God, you could choose to look at the world now. You could look at an object of small importance and sense in an instant where every atom originated, where the molecules bounded, how the raw materials came into being, how the object was created. By whom it was created. Who it was ever touched by. For what purpose it was intended, for what it was used, and what each person thought while touching it. You could look at a human's face for a blink and remember his ancestors and each free-willed decision of his ancestors, and predict the most probable course of his upcoming life. And if you were a God, you would do all this in the instant; you would look at the world today, see all faces, all destinies, all colors, all smells, all links. You would surf in an instant on the vast oceans of the one track road of endless possibilities of the human soul from the monkey-man who first became aware of itself, until now. If You were a God and would want to explain Your glance at the world in one hour and forty two minutes, You would paint "Samsara", and make this director think he did it by himself. But would You smile?

I watched this movie without watching the trailer. I watched the trailer afterwards, and sadly it's one of those trailers that tells the whole story. Anyway... I rated this movie as a 7 because I'm a sucker for details. There is one scene and one word that makes it worthy of the Sci-Fi genre, and gives this movie sudden, unexpected depth, even though it might largely be by contrast. It is indeed a shame that the last word of the movie almost subtracts everything added by my favorite scene and finishes by throwing this one back into the inescapable black-hole-bin of clichés. As for those of you not attracted to over-analyzing golden nuggets - you will still find a very decent (6-ish) action movie as my fellow reviewers suggest.