a review of fight club for one of my college courses

Rating: 9/10 (1 November 2016)

Introduction
This movie, although rather dark and existential in nature, reels you in, slaps you across the face, and leaves you laughing in the face of social norms. A depressed man, played by Edward Norton, who suffers from insomnia meets a strange salesman named Tyler Durden, played by Brad Pitt. These two men soon start to live together in an old rundown house on Paper Street once The Narrator's apartment is destroyed by an explosion. The two men form an underground organization where men fight each other to get away from their mundane lives. The Narrator and Tyler's relationship starts to get rocky when a young woman The Narrator met at support groups attracts Tyler's attention, leading to not just underground fighting. Plot: 6
The plot throughout the movie kept the audience guessing. Nobody knew what would happen unless you've seen this movie. Throughout the film many different plot devices were used, and it didn't follow one linear, continuous path. This movie jumped from scene to scene and if the audience wasn't paying attention, they would lose an understanding of the movie entirely. For instance, the main plot device used was the character of Marla Singer. She was used to distract The Narrator and Tyler from their daily life, as well as their enrollment in the fight club. Without her key role in the movie, it would have had a very different outcome. Cinematography: 5
Cinematography, in its most basic definition, is "the art of making motion pictures." This includes the different shot types (close up, medium, long, and everything in between), the shot angle (low, high, birds-eye, and everything in between), as well as the different types of music and lighting used in the film. Cinematically, this movie is beautiful. Music isn't often used, except for the very ending scene when The Pixies lent their song to be played as the other high-rises crashed to the ground. Other than that, the lighting and shot type/angle changed to match the scene that was being portrayed. The director and editor knew what they were doing when they made this movie, and as I once heard "Everything in the film happens for a reason." This is clear in the movie Fight Club, as nothing seems "out of place" or strangeâ€”for the movie. Cinematically, this movie is very similar to one of David Fincher's other films, Se7en. Not only does Brad Pitt star in this movie as well, it is also similar in the sense that it is very dark, and the shot angles are not exactly paralleled, but still resemble Fight Club. Pictured below is Brad Pitt in Se7en and Edward Norton in Fight Club. As one can see, the two films are very similar in "aesthetic"
Mise en Scene: 6
Mise en scene is the blanket term used to note the makeup, hair style, costume, and props all the actors and actresses use throughout the film being made. For instance, "good" makeup, hair, etc. would be making the actors and actresses look like they literally were in an underground fight organization, but in reality they aren't. The makeup, costume, hairstyles, and props used drastically changed the movie. Without the use of makeup to make the men look beat up, the costumes to show how drastically different The Narrator and Tyler's lives are, and Marla Singer's hair: almost as messed up as her life, the movie would not have had the same effect on people that it had. Pictured below is Edward Norton as The Narrator with visible makeup effects applied to make him look like he was actually fighting someone the night before, as well as Brad Pitt as Tyler Durden when he was first introduced in very eccentric clothing.
Acting Ability: 5
The acting ability is obviously subjective but this movie does not have any "bad" actors. Edward Norton and Brad Pitt are a duo that belongs in a hall of fame. The two played off each other so well it was hard to distinguish the better actor. Helena Bonham Carter also added well to the mix, playing a suicidal group therapy addict, like the Narrator. Overall the actors fully committed to their roles, but their roles did not change them as people. Which some people, like Jared Leto as The Joker in Suicide Squad had a hard time distinguishing. Norton, Pitt, and Carter all know that they are playing a character, and while they may relate strongly to the personality they are impersonating, they are still their own person.
Conclusion
Overall this movie definitely deserves a 5.5 out of 6. It leaves you with a better understanding of the world in general. You realize that fundamentally, you are nothing. The world will not stop once you are gone. This is such a rude awakening for most people that this movie sticks with them. It's like a little voice in your head, pun not intended. It invites you to accept a completely different understanding of life and the functional timeline we are all used to. This film makes you understand that you are not special and that you have to know, not fear, that one day you're going to die.