visceral, beautiful, brilliant, jarring

Rating: 9/10 (2 April 2005)

this is truly an "event" film. the trailers and publicity for this movie have been driving me crazy for months, and tonight was a culmination of a whole lot of anticipation, and a whole lot of hype. i was apprehensive at the start, focusing more on the colorized portions of the shots than any kind of exposition that was beginning, and i must admit, in the first 3 scenes, the all digital background was distracting and false. before i knew it, however, i was 30 minutes into the film without another thought to the fact that no background i was seeing exists outside of a computer. without a doubt one of the most beautiful films i have ever seen. the color, the composition, the black and whites, and the computer generated graphics coupled with costumes and prosthetics made for a thoroughly surprising and aesthetically satisfying experience. this film is not perfect. some of the actors were obviously chosen for looks or prestige rather than acting chops, but no performance is so flat that it draws unnecessary attention from itself, or distracts from other performances (mickey rourke, benicio del toro and bruce willis, notably) that are nothing short of fantastic. this is a bloody, violent, and at times sadistic piece, but the context and the universe that is created makes everything justified, if not still stomach turning. my opinions may differ slightly after a good night's sleep and some time thinking on it, but as i'm sitting here, still wet from the walk home from the theater, i am pleased, surprised, shocked, sated, and overall, satisfied. i can't wait to see it again.