A world of its own

Rating: 8/10 (25 December 2008)

Apocalypse Now (redux) was the first DVD movie I owned (my father bought it for me), I was originally looking for the DVD to assist me with my reading of 'heart of darkness'. What I found was very different and more mesmerizing than the novella itself, Apocalypse Now paved the way for my uncontrollable obsession with fine cinema.
Dark and mysterious, the cinematography is characteristic of Francis Ford Coppola. No other film I have viewed has ever bought such a hypnotic, bizarre and strange world to the screen as apocalypse now does. It is realistic visual and auditory art at its finest and if not admired for its honesty towards presenting the complications of a particular life, then surely apocalypse now must be held in high regard for the indescribable unique atmosphere it produces, in which the enraptured viewer cannot help but simply become encapsulated within from the very beginning to powerful ending.
You wont come across another movie that will hypnotize you in the way that apocalypse now does. Martin Sheen is simply brilliant, his character, Marlowe, is strong willed and torn simultaneously - yet Martin Sheen gives the infinitely complex character of Marlowe an undying consistency and commitment that comes through as stunning and forever interesting. You will feel privileged to watch a film in which the main character is just as unexplainable and astounding as the setting in which he interacts with, the duality is purely artistic, and through the interplay of rationality and savagery, suggests that there are no answers to the complications of life itself.
Although not a cult classic, apocalypse now is an indication of the capabilities and possibilities that cinema could offer for audiences, contemporary Hollywood cinema is failing in its ability to make its audience not just see, but actually FEEL strange new worlds and open doors of perception for individuals. It makes me sad to see the kind of movies that are released as of today, MOST of them are horrible junk movies with no point and no taste, movies which you know your money was never worth because they don't provoke thoughts or emotions within you to a sufficient extent.
Hats off to Apocalypse Now for what it is. A must see.