Outstanding Hero's Journey

Rating: Null/10 (30 December 2019)

I worked on this movie both on the acting side and the crew side - something most people can't say with any movies. I belong to several unions.
I saw the bad reviews and I believed them so I had to see the movie to see the way it came out. I had a chance to experience the sets and the props just like the actors as well as tearing the sets down. People complain about CGI and how the actors had to deal a lot with green screens - these comments are pure fantasy. There were a ton of practicals done for this movie. The props were there, the sets were built, they were massive, and the actors had something to fight back and interact with. I know because I was there. What you see is very real a lot of times. As you gonna see below - I do agree that what was CGIed could have been more effective if it wasn't so gimmicky, with so much movement, twists and flash incorporated to keep up with the modern trend of film making; they would have improved the movie if they would have taken the practical aspect further (people mention Tim Curry in a suit - less money, more practicals). I'm not sure if this was some big wig decision or straight from the Dir. - but if you complain about that, as if it's a deal breaker, I think you're missing the point of this movie entirely.
A 6.9 rating??? Really? Do you see any cheap writing, cliche movie making, tacky acting? This movie is ABVOE AVERAGE. Its acting is good to very good and outstanding at times, the writing as well; superb camera action, framing, lighting. Great sets and costumes. I agree that maybe the fear inducing moments were not as strong as could have been but they worked ok, and good at least 50% of the time. Above all: They contribute to the story telling well. And I think that being scared as a viewer is not the main point - you only have to understand that the characters are going through hell, not to be in hell yourself.
The fallback on trendy CGI indeed somewhat distracted from the storytelling (to a minor extent - I'm being critical here). If this would have been refined further with well thought out practicals it could have made this movie more of a classic (and less money spent for sure - maybe they should give Andy less money next time to force him to create better, not to be mean to him). I think, like I said, that it distracted from our understanding of how these characters are going through hell. The repetitive nature of it makes us anticipate; it dulls the moment. The dynamics, the whirlwind rotation of transformations, fairy tale like magic disorient and wear out the focus of the viewer. I think the writing team would have spent better time on creating meaningful actions of the monster's tactics, something that would have been deeply visceral to the audience as well as meaningful anchored more in the practical. The choices in the movie do that - ok/good as stated - but they are not as effective, they are not brilliant and everlasting, they are not classic moments. They are probably borderline gimmicky and borderline easy way out but still, in my opinion, they don't cross yet into the cheap slasher genre, they keep their effectiveness for carrying the story. Given how complex is the story - this criticism is asking a lot - and it takes some Kubrick level genius for that kind of ideal execution. To cross into that type of heightened visceral meaning it would take more time (something the studios rarely have patience with), more stamina from an already (most likely) worn out director and above all creative uber-genius, an obsessive mind wanting to give something wonderful back to the audience.
Most directors want to be outstanding. But being genius like Kubrick (or the likes) takes more than that: it takes wanting to suffer, to take upon madness, to go to the edge of sanity to find the unthinkable result. It's a superhuman level of endurance that normally goes further than normal good film making. To ask that of any human is mean, selfish and unrealistic. You are mean to ask this of Dir. A. M. .You can't demand of someone to suffer that excruciatingly for your entertainment - only geniuses suffer that much willingly because they revel into the creative process to that extent unlike most people that aren't able of doing that. Film making is very hard; Dir A M has pulled a lot with this one - give him that much credit.
I don't think this was a scary movie nor that it should have been. Not in the mindless slasher way, the cheap, summer release anyway. This is more: it is about fear, faith and belief. It effectively talked about that aspect of life that most adults try to fight back: the fear seeded into imagination that holds us down since our youth, the fear that cripples us and chases us into the hell of grownup reality all the way until our deaths. The fear that we have to fight and we have to conquer to live in peace.
This movie tackles life. It's not a shallow haunted house experience. It's a movie with substance that makes you care.
This is a True Hero's Journey that takes the role of teaching. It makes the viewer CARE about the protagonists - something most movies fail to pull off these days in Hollywood productions. It's a movie that teaches through experience, that gives back, it rewards the viewer in a positive way - it makes the viewer grow wiser by having went through this experience.
It is very well directed - above average I think; however. Along with the moderately effective fear inducing clown and CGI minions, I found there were micro cliche bits that could have been refined - but they didn't take much away from the story. The characters behaved irrational by any standards at times, completely ignoring the realistic situation given at hand (acting as defined by Sanford Meisner). They could have been more down to Earth, listening to each other, to the situation and being more connected to it. Going big is not about how much you can scream or how tense you can be but how connected you are with the reality of the scene, how much you live it. The shocking life, when it happens, it's unlike what we think of it - it is what it is: and most often it is is intense but very quiet. I wish the writing would have refined out more the behavioral aspect of these critical moments.
I would give it an 8/10. At 7.5 you have an enjoyable summer blockbuster; like I said, this is more: it has substance so it steps into the realm of art. It's not Shawshank but it's halfway between blockbuster and that. I rated it 10/10 to counter all these negative comments - not sure if they expected a heart pumping mindless slasher or were so disappointed by the CGI that they lowered the grades to such a low point. I think Dir. A. M. delivered a heart warming experience that is rewarding on a lot of levels. Both Chapters keep the same tone and they touch the viewer in a profound manner - something very rare these days.
I felt rejuvenated by having watched both chapters. I felt as if life has become more bearable, worth living, as if I have grown wings of love to get over problems. It gave more meaning to the relationships with my friends and their roles in my life. It is fine cinema, it is effective, this is good film making.
This movie feels like a movie - not like a cheap money grabbing excuse of a product. And I have worked on plenty of those and I am the first to harshly criticize the stinking scripts that get green lit for production.