I went into the preview screening for this movie with some anticipation -- especially after seeing the promising trailer and noting that Julianne Moore, Samuel L. Jackson and Edie Falco were in it. Unfortunately, without a doubt, this movie is simply one of the worst I've ever seen. The script is inconsistent: Is it a thriller? a ghost story? a socioeconomic statement? a pseudo-psychological MOW? The actors appear to be characters from different movies who can't communicate with each other here; it's almost as if they are phoning in from different dimensions. Moore's performance feels overblown and even incoherent at times -- against a surprisingly flat Jackson. The movie is obvious and self-indulgent in the guise of making an "important" political statement; it feels forced and trite -- and it ends with a "twist" that is wholly predictable from the start. In the rare occasions in which the message is clear, the subject matter feels dated; we've heard all this before . . . and in much more entertaining and insightful ways. The movie opens with some dramatic promise, but it quickly winds down -- becoming more stale and boring as the minutes tick by. Don't hold yourself hostage in a theater seat for this one; if you're curious, wait until the DVD release -- but you most likely will not see it through to the end.
Review of Freedomland
