Under the Skin (2014)

[Ezen Baklattan]

How close is the movie to the novel? Not in terms of plot, but rather tone and abstract style?

[La Binoche]

Loved it. A-

[Lizzy]

The reads like a mystery as you find out slowly what the main character is about. In comparison it's a wealth of information when compared to the movie, I did wonder if the plot would be hard to follow if you went in without knowing anything. I loved in the film that most clues were visual not endless plot points discussed amount the characters. The tone of the novel is similar strange and unsettling but I think it works better in the film. I thought it worked very well with the director cutting away lots and all you have left are the strongest ideas from the novel.

[LexJoker]

Reading the plot of the book in wiki, it seems the movie was a bare minimum artistic vision of the director.

[Jack Nevada]

After two viewings I can safely say that this is not my cup of tea. I kinda understand why people think it's a masterpiece, and I'm sure it can make for some interesting discussions, but personally I find it tedious and mostly unappealing. Sorry folks.

[JohnnyGossamer]

After two viewings I can safely say that this is not my cup of tea. I kinda understand why people think it's a masterpiece, and I'm sure it can make for some interesting discussions, but personally I find it tedious and mostly unappealing. Sorry folks.

Hey, most viewers wouldn't even give it a second chance. Kudos to you giving it a fair shake. Now, go ahead and revisit Snowpiercer sometime in the near future. I have a feeling you'll raise your grade from 3.0/5.0 to a 3.5 or 4.0

[JohnnyGossamer]

Revisited it yesterday afternoon. Still pretty damn hauntingly, achingly mesmerizing. Great stuff from Glazer here.

[mattmav45]

Life in motion, life in transition, and most importantly life itself.

 

No matter what your interpretation may be regarding the events on screen, there is no denying the outright beauty of this film.  It is in fact a gorgeous piece of work full of stunning visuals and a damn good score.  For any cinema fan, this aspect alone is worth a watch.  Thankfully, there is so much more to this film than just a great music and look.

 

For the most part the events in the film are seen through the eyes of of the alien and her initial experiences within a new environment.  The special aspect of this film lies in its ability to make the viewer feel like that of the alien portrayed on screen.  As she learns about her new world around her, so do we.  We are merely along for the ride as she encounters both the lightness and darkness of the modern world. Scenes of people walking the streets are powerful glimpses into everyday life.  It is up to the viewer to make what they will of images such as these.

 

There are so many great scenes on display here.  One of my favorites has to be the ocean scene with the family and dog.  I'm not going to go into specifics here, but it just doesn't get any more bleak than that.  That scene was handled brilliantly.  To me, it is the scene which laid the foundation and change for things to come.

 

Perhaps midway through the film, there is an abrupt change in the way the alien behaves.  I am not of the opinion that the alien grows a conscience.  Rather, I feel like at a certain point she becomes fascinated with humans and their way of life.  It is curiosity about life that is propelling her changed behaviors.  In a way this is a study on assimilation into cultures in all walks of life.

 

There is much to be found here regarding one's identity and how fragile it ultimately is.  One's environment is such a powerful factor here.  I wouldn't go so far to say she ultimately wanted to be human, but I feel one's interpretation can go many ways here.  To me, this film at its core is about life and all that comes with it.  It is simply more powerful when viewed through the eyes of an alien organism such as is the case here.

 

Open-ended films can be a tricky matter.  When done right, as a viewer you can't really ask for a more rewarding experience.  The viewer's interpretation guides the proceedings here.  As a result, I found this to be a very intimate and personal viewing experience.  I would in fact not be surprised if this is one of those films in which you get a different watch each time. Of course, setting, mood, etc. will always play a factor with films such as these.

 

Simply put.........everything as fuck.

[narniadis]

Hard to wrap my mind around this film. I am like Jack in someways - having finally watched it and then watched it again, its not my normal cup of tea and if my wife hadn't picked it out randomly to rent I probably wouldn't have watched it at all. But damn, this movie has some of the most striking visuals for thought provocation that I have seen all year.

 

B - artistcally beautiful and seductive (and yet bleak and melonchaly at the same time).

[4815162342]

Fairly underwhelmed.

 

The cinematography in a lot of places is great, but there was one part where I just laughed because it was literally the director saying to the audience "Look we don't actually have the budget to show you anything interesting or revealing so here's a bunch of bright flashy lights."

[Dementeleus]

Are you sure?

[4815162342]

Are you sure?

 

That was how it felt. Cool images, cool images, cool images, bright flashy lights flashing in your face. Obviously it was intended to convey something about the human liquification goo process. I just thought it was done poorly.

Edited July 24, 2014 by 4815162342

[Jake Gittes]

So this was pretty great. I thought it was, first and foremost, an incredibly precise and effective study of what it is to be alien.

[The Panda]

If I enjoyed Snowpiercer (well loved, gave it an A+) will I likely enjoy this?

[CoolioD1]

If I enjoyed Snowpiercer (well loved, gave it an A+) will I likely enjoy this?

They are so, completely, totally different.

[darkelf]

Eh. Scarlett was fantastic but I just didn't find the story interesting enough for it not to be annoying when it takes it's time and that happened more often than it didn't and I felt like it could have been at least 20 minutes shorter. The character progression was very consistent even if it was so fucking slow and the movie was pretty well crafted.

 

6/10

[Goffe]

Atmospheric and it did hold my attention for almost two thirds of the duration. The visuals was quite uneven, some parts looked horrible (most of the beginning) and other parts looked great (most of the last half). That's the only positive things I can say about this.

 

it's not a bad film, it's just not my cup of tea. 45/100

 

One comment in the IMDB forums sums up my own thoughts pretty well

 

"I absolutely loved the first half while she's harvesting. It was so creepy and mysterious, and above all, unusual. Just brilliant. It's only later when she meets that guy and tries to be human that the pacing suffered, sometimes quite badly. "

Edited January 12, 2015 by Goffe Ascending

[Bishop54]

Just watched this tonight, brilliant and beautiful film. I know it's artsy and whatnot but damn, $5M worldwide???

[Dementeleus]

Nobody wanted to see ScarJo naked.

[Bishop54]

Nobody wanted to see ScarJo naked.

Haha, but Tele... $5M!!!! That kind of bothers me.