Very nice Kafkaesque movie

Rating: 9/10 (18 March 2003)

This is a tremendous movie I must say! Unfortunately I only got to watch it on a small poor TV, but the style and plot is still captivating.

The strongest point is a very nice style: 50-ish random big city, neither clearly American or European. It is always dark, sun never shines, everything looks a bit run down. Some puddles and rain reinforces the mood.

The start of the movie is wonderful in its total mystery; it is really a whole lot like a Kafka novel as the main protagonist walks around in a strange world discovering ever more of it. And it is really really strange in an absolutely wonderful way.
The basic premise of aliens putting humans in a lab far out in space and messing with their minds is really nice, and the way they do it interesting enough. However, I felt that the movie dropped some in its intensity when the mechanics behind the scenes get revealed. An unseen horror is always more interesting than a seen horror.
The end is a bit disappointing as it all digresses into a "big fight" in classic american style.
But the final end is nice in that there is no complete happiness, only a hint that things could be getting better.
Overall, better than most movies. An 9 out of 10!