Klassic Kubrick

Rating: 9/10 (2 August 2014)

Like the glorious Ludwig Van, this film continues to affect each generation that embraces it or tries to ignore it. There's just nothing else like it, which was a Stanley Kubrick trademark from 2001 to Dr. Strangelove. But unlike those far-out fantasies, "A Clockwork Orange" seemed like it actually could become a frightening reality. Maybe that's why it has inspired perennial Hallowe'en costumes to rival KISS in rebellious popularity.
Many viewers hold political or religious grudges against "A Clockwork Orange", and I suppose it deserves any kind of ratings warning that makes parents feel comfortable enough to let their children view it (although they usually have done so already). Yet the ultra-violence is often strangely poetic, more artistic than gratuitous, and even at its most childish, it's a creepy, mischievous kind of immaturity that haunts both the polarizing Alex and the movie's audience.
Reading the book may help you better understand the film, although fanatics continue to vehemently disagree about "what it really means". It's irrelevant anyhow, because even if you end up confused by any of the plot, you'll realize you were too busy processing all the creative language, fierce action and indelible images you missed the first time you watched it.