A lesser Kubrick work, but still quite good

Rating: 7/10 (29 July 2012)

Besides his masterpiece, "2001: A Space Odyssey", "A Clockwork Orange" tends to get labeled the finest work by arguably the most important film maker of all time. Being a rather avid fan of his work, I imagine I'd fall into the minority, because I think this is only third tier Kubrick. My main problem with the film is it's theme, which is no more insightful than what you'd hear on Fox News. Seriously, does anyone buy into this whole "a dark tomorrow full of violence" crap. It's this sort of childish misanthropy that just makes my humanist blood boil. Sadly, there are murderers and rapists, people just like Alex today, and they've been there, and they'll continue be here throughout time. However, the thought that, in the future, these people will be everywhere and we can do nothing to stop them is silly. The fact that this is wildly considered a deep film that merits excessive discussion puzzles me. Roger Ebert (who sucks, for the most part) called it a "right wing paranoia fantasy", and I'm definitely inclined to agree
That said, it's still a Kubrick film. The directing is top notch as usual, Kubrick's usual brand of innovative camera work, and the sound editing s great as well, giving the film a very effective atmosphere. The film is noted for it's incredibly unnerving scenes depicting sadism, which I have to agree are quite traumatizing, but Kubrick has the tact to make it not seem exploitative or just made to shock for the sake of shocking. And, of course, McDowell; god, did he ever have stage presence. Thankfully, Kubrick also doesn't shove the message down your throat in a painfully unsubtle manner, which does make the film a LOT easier to appreciate.
Looking past the idiotic thematic and the fact that a large portion of this film's fan base are made up of obnoxious teenagers, "A Clockwork Orange" is pretty great film, especially when looked at from a strictly technical standpoint. But Kubrick has many better films, and not just "2001" and Dr. Strangelove"