Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Under the Skin Was Terrible

I don't usually write poor reviews as I can often find the good in any movie but this particular film was an absolute chore to get through.  Several times I found myself wanting to just shut it off, but I stuck it out to the bitter end which was worth it as the best scenes in the movie are arguably the final few.  The film stars Scarlett Johansson as an alien seductress who comes to earth in search of human specimens.  After donning the clothes of a deceased female motorist, she begins to pursue men as she drives around the Scottish countryside.  All the while she learns a little bit at a time about the humans she is interacting with.  After abducting then men she brings them back to her apartment (which appears to be a disguise for her ship).  Once inside the ship, a simple, infinite black void, the men are stripped and absorbed into a viscous liquid where their insides are sucked out leaving behind only their skin.  In the end, the alien begins to sympathize with humanity, eventually letting one of the men she brings to her house go.  However, her mysterious accomplice, a man on a motorcycle who we assume is another alien, quickly tracks him down and disposes of him.  At the end of the film, the alien is attacked by a logger in the woods who manages to rip some of her "human suit" off revealing the shiny, obsidian like alien figure beneath.  This is without a doubt the best part of the film as we get to actually see what this modern take of the "body snatcher" looks like.  I won't give away the ending as I encourage everyone to form their own opinion and watch it for themselves.  The film garnered mostly positive reviews (incredibly) so there's no saying that you wouldn't thoroughly enjoy it yourself.  While I understand what the movie was trying to get across, I felt that it took forever for you to come to the realization that this is all that is going to happen.  Just Scarlett Johansson finding men to bring to her empty black spaceship over and over and over again.  By the time you realize that the plot isn't going to go anywhere else it's too late and you might as well just wait it out til the end.  Overall, the film is a dark take on the "alien abduction" theme and is more about experiencing humanity through the eyes of an extraterrestrial than anything else.  If you go in to it with that mindset, then it's easier to appreciate what the film was trying to do.  But I assure you, if you go into it expecting a sci-fi thriller, or really action of any kind, you will be 100% sorely disappointed.  No part of it keeps you on the edge of your seat and the lack of any sort of meaningful soundtrack (while adding to the films haunting nature) makes it feel drawn out and flat.  Most definitely the most disappointing film I've seen in years.

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