BRILLIANT!!! But read the book first if you want to understand it the first time through

Rating: 10/10 (24 October 2006)

Okay, so many of the 10-star reviewers said they didn't like this movie the first time they watched it, but that they loved after repeated rewatchings. I'm telling you, if you want to understand it and LOVE it the first time through, read the book first! It's one of the best books of all time (just like the movie is one of the best movies of all time), and you'll get a head start on sorting out all the themes.
Then watch the movie. See what Kubrick lends to Burgess's masterpiece. See the juxtaposition of classical music (actually much of it is from the Romantic Era, not the Classical Era) against ultra violence. See Malcolm McDowell's amazing act (and the amazing acting of pretty much everyone else in the cast). See his amazing turnaround(s), and marvel at the most disturbing happy ending of all times. Then leave the movie screen, unable to think of "Singing in the Rain" and "William Tell Overture" in the same way ever again.
I won't go into great details to explain the plot, as you can find it on other reviews in this site. However, I will go on a bit farther to name random thinks I loved. Firstly: "Singing in the Rain" was more appropriate and more effective in this movie than it was in its own movie. Secondly, the humiliation scene was simply amazing, and very sad. Thirdly, the scene where ALex leaves his parents' house after they gave his room to a tenant made me cry and cry and cry and cry. Fourthly, the threesome played to the "William Tell Overture" is the BEST bit of fast motion in a movie. . . EVER!! Fifthly, everything else in the movie was amazing.
Yes, so read the book first, and then watch the movie, and you'll enjoy them both immensely. Read the book also if you want to know the meaning of "A Clockwork Orange", because the movie never really explains it. Oh, and look past the violence and sex. My parents refused to watch it because of it, my sister walked out after the first ten minutes, and my brother wasn't able to see past it. But I was, and I marveled at what I found underneath. This isn't a light entertainment film, nor is it a glorification of violence. But to see that, you need a brain--scratch that, a functional brain that isn't allergic to a good workout. Then you're set. Enjoy the greatest masterpiece of film-making!