More Moving Than I Expected It To Be

Rating: 10/10 (4 January 2009)

'Twas amazing. Best effects film in ages (not just awesome effects, but a real movie magic feeling comes from this that we kinda take for granted in the 21st Century with effects today). Ages, being really, I guess, since event effects films like Titanic, The Matrix, Jurassic Park and Forrest Gump. Not about animation, where amazing things happen every year in film, e.g.Wall-E, but visual effects blending with real live action. Along the lines of the successes of the Star Wars, Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings films recently. But those are so filled with animation and obviously computer-enhanced realities that the "magic" one feels by the use of less effects to create more illusion is a bit missing. Course, this was not about Two-Face in The Dark Knight stuff, not just like that with its half live action, half animated face, or even like a fully believable Golem in LotR, this was a movie where everything was fairy tale and everything was immediately touched with a sense of photographic trickery, but where you just couldn't tell exactly what was make-up and what was CGI, or what was an illusion or real... even though a lot of the tricks are clearly there. You know you're looking at Brad Pitt's face on an actor who is probably about 10 yrs old, with CGI and makeup all doing their best, but you're just not interested in thinking about that. Subjective of course, that's just what I felt. Plus, the movie was really eloquent on the subjects of our perception of age and beauty. It's a tragedy though. Like Forrest Gump in some ways, even if Forrest Gump was a cultural satire and a journey through the American Experience since the 60s, this was a similar feat of storytelling on film. Won't say much more, don't want any spoiling here. Verging on "a little too perfect", though, also... and I do some negative criticisms, but you should definitely see it...