The Snowman was right from the start panned with bad reviews. But I found this film was way better on the second viewing, just like Tomas Alfredsons Tinker Taylor Soldier Spy was. Exactly the same way! And that says a lot. Alfredson likes to do some subtle moves.
When I saw this at a large outdoor pre-screening at the film's location Rjukan two days before the world premiere, I must admit I agreed to the rather bad reviews saying it's a 3 or 4/10. There were too many strange things which didn't make sense to me. Whatæs up with coffee bean thing? Why snowmen? Why this and that seemingly unmotivated scene?
Well, I saw it again tonight, at peace with myself in a complete packed cinema, and everything was clear right from the start, though this film is in fact a murder mystery, and not a horror movie.
I even found the drunken police man Val Kilmer's role quite decent the second time, and much of the acting was superb. I must admin I found Charlotte Gainsbourg over-playing a couple of times, and so with young Michael Yates as Oleg, but probably something they were asked to do.
The photo is exquisite, the locations are interesting and beautiful, the cold and the feel is chilling, though i guess the film has been cut to much in the start. It's really difficult to follow what's happening in the first 1/3. More than this being a bad script or bad directing, I think it's but cut to pieces. Some parts makes no sense, before you the mystery bricks fell into place at the second view.
So i really recommend those of you who have questions after the first viewing to go see it, or more likely put it on, once more. It's really not that bad at all. It's actually a quite decent serial murder mystery thriller.
I also think this film is poised to be a box office success, though panned with the bad reviews, and so the makers, investors and actors will all laugh all the way to the bank. Maybe the film even will be labeled underrated in a few years. It wouldn't surprise me, now after my second view.
Go see it again! And if you only saw Tinker Taylor Soldier Spy one, make sure you also watch that one also a second time. You might say with some right that a film isn't good enough if you have to watch it twice to really appreciate it, but then again that's what some might say is a mystery.
When I saw this at a large outdoor pre-screening at the film's location Rjukan two days before the world premiere, I must admit I agreed to the rather bad reviews saying it's a 3 or 4/10. There were too many strange things which didn't make sense to me. Whatæs up with coffee bean thing? Why snowmen? Why this and that seemingly unmotivated scene?
Well, I saw it again tonight, at peace with myself in a complete packed cinema, and everything was clear right from the start, though this film is in fact a murder mystery, and not a horror movie.
I even found the drunken police man Val Kilmer's role quite decent the second time, and much of the acting was superb. I must admin I found Charlotte Gainsbourg over-playing a couple of times, and so with young Michael Yates as Oleg, but probably something they were asked to do.
The photo is exquisite, the locations are interesting and beautiful, the cold and the feel is chilling, though i guess the film has been cut to much in the start. It's really difficult to follow what's happening in the first 1/3. More than this being a bad script or bad directing, I think it's but cut to pieces. Some parts makes no sense, before you the mystery bricks fell into place at the second view.
So i really recommend those of you who have questions after the first viewing to go see it, or more likely put it on, once more. It's really not that bad at all. It's actually a quite decent serial murder mystery thriller.
I also think this film is poised to be a box office success, though panned with the bad reviews, and so the makers, investors and actors will all laugh all the way to the bank. Maybe the film even will be labeled underrated in a few years. It wouldn't surprise me, now after my second view.
Go see it again! And if you only saw Tinker Taylor Soldier Spy one, make sure you also watch that one also a second time. You might say with some right that a film isn't good enough if you have to watch it twice to really appreciate it, but then again that's what some might say is a mystery.