It's not "like" anything

Rating: 10/10 (22 February 2010)

Please, please do not read this if you have not seen the film already. I am not going to disclose anything major, but the less you know about the plot, the more I think you'd enjoy it.
From the time I first saw the trailer for this film, I was amazed that this was by Scorsese. A horror film? Okay. The film certainly establishes the mood and tension of a classic horror film, without dwelling too much on gore or relying too much on surprise cuts and sounds (the "Boo!" effect).
My recollection of the film is that the actors all gave extremely subtle performances which in light of the several plot twists in the end, all still rang true. I enjoyed the film so much on the first viewing knowing nothing, that I must see the film again to see if the earlier scenes still add up.
The exterior shots are fascinating. I am not sure if this was a location someone found, or whether it was all created digitally or on a back lot. Even the cemetery scene, almost obligatory in a great horror film, was perfectly devised and filmed. Even the few "daylight" scenes seem dark and gray, and the reference to a hurricane assaulting the island is an excellent explanation for the gloomy atmosphere to begin, which quickly deteriorates into an extended dark and stormy night when the storm causes a power failure.
What is this like? It's not really "like" anything. There are familiar elements: being cut off from the civilized world due to the weather (The Shining); haunting inexplicable dreams (Spellbound); crazed doctors on deserted islands experimenting on humans (Island of Lost Souls). An occasional similarity, but not a copy of anything.
I didn't know the supporting cast before seeing the film, and then I saw Patricia Clarkson giving the best performance by a hallucination that I have ever seen. After you've seen the film, try to figure out what that was all about.
Not entirely perfect. But very very close to it. After seeing the film, I have quite a lot of questions. But if absolutely everything was explained in detail, we'd have an 8-hour film. I loved it. I'm going again.
* * * * *
I've seen the film a second time. I don't think anyone can fully appreciate what Scorsese has done without seeing the film twice. Once you know the "secret," you can see how the earlier part of the film is so totally consistent with that secret. All characters act and react exactly in accordance with that secret. The secret is not just a bizarre computer-generated plot twist. The only potentially implausible thing is whether the government would have had the interest or the resources to underwrite what happens in this film, but this is not a film about government financing. This film is absolutely amazing. I upped my rating to a 10.