WHAT I ALREADY KNEW ABOUT THE MOVIE:
That it's a futuristic film where a person who loves sex and violence is "reformed" by the government, only it doesn't work.
LET ME EXPLAIN...
This was the movie I was least looking forward to watching on the AFI List. I considered skipping it, but as I've noticed it get referenced in film discussions and moral debates regularly, I wanted to know exactly what it was all about.
Unfortunately, "what it was all about" was extremely difficult to find because this movie is so stupid. By stupid, I mean poorly done with unrelatable characters, strange home architecture, sexual decor, etc. It was so bizarre that there was no way for me to get invested anywhere in the story. Halfway through I started doing the dishes while semi-watching the movie because I was bored and unimpressed with any of it.
What makes this a "Top 100" Movie?
Absolutely no clue. Like I said, this movie is stupid. How it got nominated for 4 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Director, and Screenplay, is beyond me.
Complaints:
Every second of this movie. However, probably my biggest complaint is that this could have been a very good, thought-provoking movie. I went online after it ended to find out more about what the heck the point of it is, and it's actually very intriguing: the necessity of choice. As a Christian, I really appreciate this idea being illustrated in a movie. The point of this story really delves into the reason there is sin and evil in the world: free will. If our free will is taken away and we are incapable of choosing evil, we are nothing more than machines ("clockwork"). Unfortunately, the stupidity and blatant offensiveness of the actual movie ruins the entire premise.
LET ME SUM UP...
This movie is stupid, offensive, and bizarre, ruining a thought-provoking premise that could have been brought to film in a MUCH better way.
MY RATING: 1/10
TOTAL # OF FILMS WATCHED: 86
1 comment:
i disagree with your rating but didn't want to vote that i disagree with your review. it is thoughtful and fair.
a note: i set out to find your review on this movie because i recently re-watched it. i love kubrick and his constant focus on the many facets of the human condition, so i tend to love everything he does. we could talk more in the office if you want.
aside from graphic scenes that were largely unnecessary to the point of the film (although perhaps effective in the early 70s?), i found it to be an excellent expose of the choice/fate/free will questions that we all confront. i agree that the topic is quite thought-provoking, in fact i'd argue it's probably the basis of many "what is the meaning of life?" debates that people have; but i would also say that this film probably did a fantastic job of bringing the discussion to an otherwise insolent audience in its time. the brash approach today would be certainly deemed unnecessary and "jumping the shark."
you probably know that this film was originally rated X and is one of two films to be nominated for "Best Picture" as an X-rated film ("Midnight Cowboy" being the other) in the history of the academy. it was polarizing in its time and continues to be so, even though its rating has been reduced to R (via some edits, too, i believe). i think that's technical merit warrants attention here, as kubrick's tedious attention to camera work, lighting, and perspective make this movie hard to ignore as a masterful work of cinema. i suspect that that had a fair amount to do with why it was nominated.
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