Reviews

This was a great disappointment. The actors are obviously very capable, and this is clear from their delivery. The cinematography does make for some stunning and beautiful images. But despite this the completed film is a failure. Much of this is due to the script: this is terrible. The conversations are stilted and unreal. This is in keeping with the story line which is contrived and forced. The end result is a feeling that everything is artificial and, I hate to say it, pretentious. All the standard artistic stereotypes are here which, alas, is the coup de gras as it removes the film from its only real positive the beautiful and interesting community where it is set.

There must be a formula somewhere - eccentric characters, nostalgic setting, throw in religion and just add water. This did that and gave us a leaden and boring mess.

There are some excellent actors here who do their best with the script; but it is a hopeless endeavour. The characters are stereotypes and unbelievable and the legal setting fails to be credible. The slow pace destroys any attempt at being a thriller, the single viewpoint makes the legal drama fail. The ending robs everyone of any satisfaction.

This is an awful movie. It uses vulgarity in the place of comedy and, as a consequence, has no good jokes, simply uncouth dialogue. It is generally so distasteful that it leaves you feeling ashamed for watching it.

This is slow, boring and pointless. The acting and script are appalling and the cinematography only average. No amount of political drivel can save this

This film was overlong, largely because there was not enough subject matter to carry it along. The issues it did deal with it did so superficially and with little new.

The option of homeschooling was an obvious theme which was largely ignored (although if it gives rise to pretentious prats I'd avoid it).

Issues of how to live a moral life in an immoral society was also available and ignored.

The landscapes were beautiful. The acting was satisfactory. However, the cast were all stereotypes and caricatures and none had any depth.

The story was implausible with enough holes to make it look as if an ice- pick had been at it. Where did they get money, how did the father train in quantum physics and the arts, how can all the children of various ages do the same physical feats, how did they mesh their carnivorous fun with Bhuddism, how did they deal with sexual awakening, where did all the shop bought clothes come from, the list is endless ? ? ?

This is an American progressives' fantasy of life in the woods, just don't expect any depth or content

There is no doubt of the visual imagination of the director. This is clear and impressive but it is unfortunately not matched by similar moral or narrative abilities.

There is a weak and meandering storyline which seems to twist and turn and random with no direction. It is obvious that there was a disaster with the casting and the story-line reflects this.

The film hints at serious themes : religion, choices and moral dilemmas but delivers none of these. But instead it serves up a mish-mash of visual icons : tarot cards, god and a rock & roll devil, eastern mysticism, a homage to Hitchcock, you name it, it is probably here.

It is like a large bow festooned box of chocolates, with bright colours, shiny papers, crinkly wrappers but lacking sweets.

I though that this film was well done. It is a long time since I went to a horror movie, the recent change in the genre towards torture films has kept me away. The reputation of the team making this film suggested it was worth a shot.

It is excellent. Early on the tension starts to build and fairly early on the monsters are brought into view. The tentacles and the insects are well done scary creations.

However, as it progresses, it becomes cleverer. It develops its own 'Lord of the Flies' feel. Then the truly scary monsters start to appear - fear, loathing, paranoia and despair. By the end your nerves will have been shredded and when you thought it couldn't get worse.. it does

This is an excellent film and hopefully it will be widely seen. It certainly deserves a large audience.

Not only is it well made. The direction is very good, the acting first class, and the script is very good at delivering hard moral questions in a realistic setting.

Throughout the film characters have to make difficult choices, often between an easy short-term option and a more hazardous and onerous long-term moral choice. The characters are consistent in how they approach these dilemmas and how they succeed or fail.

It is the kind of film that will make you think and will make you want to talk to others who have seen it. You'll want to know "what would you have done".

Excellent

There is no doubt a lot of talent behind this film. There is good acting, good direction and at times good dialogue. The script is worthy and involves interesting themes of corruption, guilt and redemption. The big names involved and the trailer will mean a large audience is secured.

However, I feel it ultimately misses the mark. It is not its plodding slowness, nor is it the padding (which trying to be portentous becomes only pretentious), nor is it even the cold, grimy mire that envelopes everything. It is the failure to have any passion or any character that is worth a damn. All are damned from the start and we don't really care.

Although this is a fantasy it is a valuable film.

Slater gives an excellent performance of the schizoid loner on the edge and it it becomes possible to genuinely empathise with his lot. Rarely has a character so distorted and distopian managed to maintain some warmth.

The film work is stylish and stunning at times. Simple effects are used with great impact.

A comedy about catastrophe and despair, a romance about alienation, a hero who is past the point of breakdown, a hero who is the victim -- excellent

This was really quite an unpleasant film and one that it difficult to recommend at any level.

The characters are very poorly constructed.The villains (or victims) have only enough detail to allow their subsequent destruction – He is a child abuser, we can now do whatever depravity we wish. The heroes are unpleasant, egoistic hedonists who can only gain pleasure through suffering. The acting is stiff and stilted. No range of emotions are demonstrated and the acting is reduced to stereotyped visual clichés.

The plot is unbelievable. There is no need for the secret deserted pathology room when they work in a fully equipped department, the gore is unrealistic and the medical puzzles are unfeasible and pointless.

There is no redeeming feature to the film unless it is possibly to justify the film "Funny Games".

One is left feeling the need for a shower; dirty, guilty and disappointed. A film best to avoid.

This was simple dreadful. To take an excellent, thoughtful and genuinely scary film and to create this hash from it is blasphemous.

Where it kept to the same lines as the original it was always outshone. On every level it was unable to generate the creepy suspenseful feel of the original. In the original one could believe Summerisle existed, it was on the surface normal, it was what was underneath that menaced. In this version, everything was unreal (and thus unthreatening) from the start.

Where the film deviated from the original it normally debased itself. The gratuitous violence and CGI did nothing to save it.

The acting was uniformly porcine but perhaps we were able to sense the guilt the actors had when they realised what they were doing

This was one of the best films I have seen for many years. The photography is absolutely marvellous; it hardly needs anything else.

The acting is restrained, measured and true. I couldn't get much better than this.

It is true that it is emotionally laden but it is not all sadness, there is also humour, affection, and most importantly hope. If you find it too emotional you can always pretend that smoke got in your eyes.

Isn't the function of a good film to try and draw out emotions ? It is especially rewarding when these are positive and natural rather than base and specious.

An easy 10 out of 10

It is a pity that IMDB insist on us using a set number of words for our comments as this comment should just simply be 'Bravo'.

This is a superb film; perfectly acted, wonderfully crafted so that artifice doesn't interfere with content, and a deeply thought provoking parable.

This will presumably win no oscars as it is too far from the mainstream drivel that is produced and requires some use of the brain to enjoy.

This is three hours well spent in anyone's book.

Take the time, immerse youself in this film and wonder why more films can not be like this

This is a dreadful waste of celluloid. A trite, unfunny collection of stereotypes with no humour or true feeling.

The targets are easy but this film still manages to miss them

Even with the flu and trapped on the sofa watching the box with no concentration this was still not up to par

This is an excellent film and one should not be put off by its strangeness. There is genuine skill in manufacture of this work. It manages to be intrigiung, funny and frightening at various times. Work with it for the first few minutes and you won't be disappointed

Wonderful film

Beautiful to watch and to listen

Soft, gentle and thoughtful

Cinematic heaven if you will forgive the pun - we are all forgiven at the end

An excellent film

An antidote to much of the current output

Hard to watch, uncomfortable to laugh with, easy to summarise

Sex makes fools of us all

This is technically well made - in terms of audio-visuals. But, despite clear craftsmanship in this, area the film is let down in the end by a severe plot deficit. After tantalising the viewer as the to gender and identity of the perpetrator the film decides not to bother with this. SO one is left with a sense of annoyance.

Pity

Once apon a time there was an emperor who was very vain and not very bright. An unscrupulous tailor sold him a suit, a very magical suit, a suit so magical that only some people could see it.

I had difficulties with this films apparently deeper aspects - dreams avoid the necessity to have any logic

This is easy .. ..

Pretentious, self-indulgent, technically annoying and boring despite the attempts at titillation

The only good thing about it is that it makes you want to run out to the video store and rent a dogma film to wash away the excess

What can you say. A warm humane movie -

gentle humourous and funny, superb dialog, and well crafted. if that wasn't enought great songs ..

put on the 8 track ,, ,,

This was the most unpleasant film I have seen for many years. It qualifies for the definition of pornography in that all the plot was simply a device to allow the violent gruesome titillating scenes. No character development occurred, no moral agenda was pursued (other than rudeness (or inadequate culture) should be savagely punished, and the florentine/religious backdrop was a spurious cover for visual violence.

Many "video nasties" had more thought and development and, as we saw with Emmanuelle, a large budget and good cinematography do not stop a film lacking substance or avoid it being distasteful.