08-26-2018, 05:08 PM
Lady Cranefly and I watched this last night. We had high hopes for it, as it's based on the book by Jeff VanderMeer, for whom we have a great deal of respect.
It's a mixed bag; the lady liked it a bit more than me. On the positive side, it features five female leads -- a great opportunity for actresses. Also, it avoids familiar science fictional tropes (though I could see some influences). On the negative side, I'm not quite sure exactly where it tread. Garland seemed to be trying overly hard to avoid simple explanations, and in the end I'm not certain he said much of anything. The world-building and scientific elements and plot devices all were rather porous, spawning more questions than answers. As it turns out (as he openly admits), Alex Garland didn't really base this on VanderMeer's book but rather used the book as "inspiration." Methinks the weaker elements of the movie might be due to his inspiration.
But I'm not sure.
The Lady and I are on a wait list for VanderMeer's book at the library, as we're both now curious to see what the book is like.
I suppose I was hoping for more from the director of Ex Machina, and while I wouldn't call this bad, it was ultimately unsatisfying. But it's your call. The critics are widely scattered on this one.
It's a mixed bag; the lady liked it a bit more than me. On the positive side, it features five female leads -- a great opportunity for actresses. Also, it avoids familiar science fictional tropes (though I could see some influences). On the negative side, I'm not quite sure exactly where it tread. Garland seemed to be trying overly hard to avoid simple explanations, and in the end I'm not certain he said much of anything. The world-building and scientific elements and plot devices all were rather porous, spawning more questions than answers. As it turns out (as he openly admits), Alex Garland didn't really base this on VanderMeer's book but rather used the book as "inspiration." Methinks the weaker elements of the movie might be due to his inspiration.
But I'm not sure.
The Lady and I are on a wait list for VanderMeer's book at the library, as we're both now curious to see what the book is like.
I suppose I was hoping for more from the director of Ex Machina, and while I wouldn't call this bad, it was ultimately unsatisfying. But it's your call. The critics are widely scattered on this one.
