Satisfying on a visceral level, but overcooked and conceptually absurd

Rating: 7/10 (6 February 2015)

Saw the film this past weekend and, after mulling it over, ultimately came away liking it. but not quite loving it. I think the movie is superbly made on a technical level: it's tremendously edited, the use of sound is terrific, the whole thing is incredibly kinetic, has great energy, and is an absolutely enthralling, gripping experience. But on a conceptual level, it's just so preposterous and absurd, I had a lot of trouble taking it seriously (and maybe I'm not supposed to(?)). But for this film in particular, it was problematic for me and kept me from embracing it completely.
This is going to sound harsh, but the movie played to me like a really, really good student film. It just feels overcooked, sort of "show-offy," but without much justification for all the razzle dazzle. It's set at such an outrageously high pitch from the outset, but the dramatic beats don't feel earned or believable in any way. It makes me wish the film were set in a different world where the character dynamic is still the same, but credible in a different narrative context. I get that part of the appeal of the film is that it's set in this world where you wouldn't necessarily expect this kind of tension and intensity to be wrung out of it but that's part of the problem for me. It's like Chazelle started with this idea and setting and graphed the drama onto it so forcibly that the whole thing just feels inorganic and overtly "concocted" if that makes sense.
So much of it works incredibly well, but it just lacks a convincing conceptual backbone This may seem like a strange comparison, but I enjoyed the film for the similar reasons that I liked Blackhat (another film I saw this past week) I found both films to be very engrossing and satisfying on a purely visceral level, in spite of their shortcomings.
Chazelle seems like a promising filmmaker, and this film is impressive on a craftsmanship level, so I look forward to whatever he makes next.
Again, I ultimately liked it but not enough to call it one of the best of the year. I feel like I'm in the minority in saying that because I've seen it on so many people's top ten lists.