Prepare to be confused

Rating: 5/10 (23 May 2006)

Anyone who says they understand this film after one, or even two viewings, is lying! I don't think either Nolan or Pearce fully understand it - indeed I suspect there's a deliberate intent to confuse! Personally i think it is trying to be a bit too clever, and it doesn't quite succeed in achieving what it sets out to (unless that was purely confusion!) The first hour is so slow and bewildering I found myself starting to pick holes in the plot and continuity, of which there are a great many. Shot over 25 days and with little room for error, I guess the faults are understandable. The problem is the story doesn't hold your attention long enough to mask them.
I suspect after a second viewing I may feel more comfortable with it, but I shall need a long time to recover from the numbness caused by the brain-scrambling complexity of this story. I'm tempted to describe it as pretentious, but I don't think that's entirely fair. Yes it's trying to be clever, but I don't think it's trying to deceive. Nolan is a fairly inexperienced director and I think he has much to offer, so I'm going to cut him some slack. Maybe he bit off more than he could chew with Memento, but you can't accuse him of being boring. I shall certainly be paying close attention to his future projects, as well as trying to unearth some of his early stuff.
I think this movie should come with an instruction manual, but failing that perhaps it would be better to get the DVD and watch the interview before the movie. I don't think it will spoil it, and may ease some of the pain. Unfortunately I think it's appeal will be severely limited, and many people will - understandably - be irritated by it. It needs working at, which perhaps isn't what movies are about. After all, this is supposed to be the entertainment industry. If you understand and accept that this film is not light entertainment, and will leave you with more questions than answers, then you must watch it.
If nothing else it inspires great debate, which is a good sign for the industry as a whole. I will simply sum it up as flawed, but fascinating.