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Mad God (2021)
Dreadful beauty
As I approach 1,500 pictures seen, let me start off by saying that I've seen a lot of disturbing movies. For me the most disturbing of them all was Srpski film, and now Mad God takes an undoubtable second place right behind it. Some of the scenery in this film WILL affect you, no matter if you are of the uttermost faintheartedness, or a desensitized movie veteran - be warned. This film is what I imagine Event Horizon's deleted scenes from the "hell part" look like.
This movie, that has apparently been 30 years in the making, showcases one of the most stunning handcraftsmanship you will ever see. There is a clear cut in style not long into the second half, most likely attributed to a Kickstarter that allowed for the last parts of the film to be animated.
After viewing and reading the other reviews there are three things that have become crystal clear to me:
One, Phil Tippett has surely dabbled in LSD, although the first half of this movie is sure to induce a bad trip to anyone brave enough to indulge. You are absolutely taken for a ride in this movie. As other reviewers have pointed out, every minute of this film feels like ten, partly because of its horrificly sobering imagery that will haunt you, partly because of its implications both metaphorically and symbolically, and partly because of the lack of a concrete plot.
Two, there is beauty to go with the overwhelming dread, although you will have to be patient to find it. Nonetheless, once the film decides to let you off the depressing hook that its reeling you along with, it eventually rewards you with a sudden colorful change of scenery. Mad God is definitely not suited to the average viewer, especially the younger and more inexperienced crowd. This, combined with the mentioned lack of concrete plot and absurdity of it all, I completely understand the massive divide in ratings. Mad God is not your standard A4 blank paper, but rather a thousand year old bloodstained scroll, falling apart at the slightest touch.
Three, there is deeper meaning to be found here. After viewing I had a desperate need for an explanation to some of the scenes, although I suspect it is not for all to be understood. Some of the meaning is glaringly obvious, and will have you thinking grimly of humanity if you connect the dots presented to you.
Even though I'm probably going to have nightmares tonight, he handcraftship and creativity of it all causes me to rate this movie 8/10 - it is visually stunning.
Tradisjon (2013)
Creative and short!
This short piece by Severin Eskeland is entertaining, horrifying and funny at the same time! The viewer gets to know the characters only a couple of minutes in, which amazes me. After 3/6 minutes the viewer is put in a tough position, not knowing what's going to happen. It's tense, and there's a very good buildup. The end of the clip, like in all thrillers, for example, explains the rest of the movie and everything falls into place. An interesting piece. Of course, there is the feeling that something is missing in the movie, but it's expected for such a short clip. Since it's only 6 minutes long, I recommend spending them to watch this movie!
Flukt (2012)
A low budget Norwegian survival-drama
Well, after watching this movie yesterday (being shown for only 3 days, no surprise) I was not left with any good feelings, whatsoever. Frankly, the only thing making me rate it 5/10 is that it has some good, high quality shots of the Norwegian nature. I didn't find it particularly thrilling, and I could barely keep track of the movie, as it was so unilateral. The movie starts too slow, and ends too fast. I will not spoil either, but everyone in that cinema knew how the movie was going to develop. If you are Norwegian, and you just want to watch it, because it's Norwegian, that's the only valid excuse there is for watching this movie.
Prometheus (2012)
--- May contain spoilers! ---
"The perfect combination of a thriller, horror and sci-fi movie" is what comes to mind, after watching this movie. What didn't surprise me, after watching the movie, was all the bad reviews on IMDb. With all due respect, if you are a huge Alien 1,2,3 fan, you will be utterly disappointed by this movie. It seems that people who aren't really into the Alien films were amazed by this movie, while the Alien fans, in particular, were very disappointed and gave this movie low ratings, like 4/10, despite its great plot.
Personally, I am not extremely into the Alien series, although I think they are quite good. For this reason, I chose to not focus on the story enveloping the Alien films, and rather focus on the aspects of the movie.
To begin with, I loved the scenery in this movie, and some of the shots shade some directors completely. The shots of the waterfall, the planet, the inside of the ship, and the ruins on the planet are shot and displayed in a very great way, and for this we have to respect Ridley Scott. Most of the reviews managed to add how Ridley has "forgotten most there is to know about movies", but I disagree. He's still talented, and Prometheus was some incredible work, from his part.
The scenes in the beginning, where David is walking around on the ship, learning more about human technology, science and history is really good. I loved how they toned down that he was also studying the alien language. This gives us some sense of feeling that something mysterious is down on that planet. The actors chosen for each role were respectable, and Michael Fassbender in the role of David was a particularly good choice. The acting was incredible, and believable from all the actors, except for Guy Pearce who didn't manage to play his role as a power-obsessed, rich, businessman very well.
Although this movie is filled with random decisions made by the crew, and unanswered questions, I liked the movie very well, and found it very exciting from beginning to end. I would recommend watching this strongly, and would pass it on to a friend. A 8/10 from me.
- 16 year old
Sanctum (2011)
A review from a teenager's perspective
Being 16 has it's advantages (and disadvantages) when watching thrillers. I grew up and live in Norway, so please disregard any incorrect grammar throughout the review. There aren't as many teen movie- enthusiasts out there as there are adult ones (18+), therefore I personally love it when younger people review movies. That way I can tell if a movie compels to teens differently or equally as it does to adults.
If you are just strolling through reviews, trying to find out whether the movie is worth seeing or not, I found it thrilling and realistic, keeping in mind the two are very hard to put together in one movie. I think "Sanctum" is absolutely a movie worth watching, if you don't spend your time looking for flaws in movies, but in stead try to imagine being in the situation, the excitement and thrill in a movie.
I noticed that a good amount of people had rated the movie poorly, so I had to look closer at some of the reviews. It turns out the people who rated "Sanctum" poorly were people who showed total ignorance toward the situation the characters were put in and the environment they were in at the time, and focused only on their "emotionless", "cold", "neutral" acting and particular scenes that could have been improved. This is the wrong perspective of criticizing the movie. Sanctum is not, and was never, about displaying breathtaking acting and suspense, it was meant to display a realistic situation where viewers can experience the consequences of actions, decisions and see for themselves how situations, like this one change people emotionally and challenge them both mentally and physically. I couldn't help but notice how people showed ignorance toward this and did not point out how accurate the movie is, and the way it correctly shows people the truth behind dangerous cave systems - They are heartless and show no mercy towards bad decisions.
My first impression of the movie, when I first saw the rating it had, and had briefed through some reviews, wasn't very good. However, after I had watched the movie I thought it deserved much more than just 5.7/10 (as of 02.06.2012). The movie thrilled me from beginning to end, and I never found it even slightly boring. I was impressed by how the writers, John Garvin and Andrew Wight, managed to keep the movie thrilling and exciting at all times, yet make it realistically accurate, without adding excessive scenes "gory" or too cheesy. There are many scenes throughout the movie I actually held my breath in excitement, started feeling a bit claustrophobic or was moved by emotionally and action packed scenes, making the movie worthy of its genres: Action, Adventure, Drama.
The emotions the characters have (and would have in a real, similar situation) in the movie are incredibly hard to act. Even the best actors would find it difficult to realistically play the roles of the characters in "Sanctum". When people are put in a situation where they could die, they stop thinking about their surroundings and let their survivor instincts kick in. Anyone can sit in a chair, watching this movie and think "Wow, the actors are cold and heartless", but not anyone can imagine actually being in the movie and trying to figure out how they escape the situation. Because of this I think the acting was fair in the movie, though the acting can seem a bit "dry" at times.
The movie could have benefited from being more like a documentary, and I sometimes I miss some scenery that could have been added to make people more stunned or fascinated by the cave, and make them understand why people risk their lives for discovering such places. The cinematics in the movie are good, none the less. The reason I have not given Sanctum a full 10/10 is because it could easily have given its audience a better view of the environment and added a touch to the movie, making it more adventurous, and also make it a bit less predictable. In some parts I wish I saw more classic action, like water rushing through the caverns, interrupting someones sentence. Sanctum is a movie I would recommend to a friend, though and has different great aspects that made me feel like I was there, in some parts. A well deserved 9/10 in my opinion.