I can't believe this movie is only 6.5 in IMDB. This movie is so beautifully shot and within the first few minutes I just knew that Guillermo del Toro is behind it (yeah I didn't read about it beforehand). The distinctive camera and lighting works are there.
Fair enough, I'm only giving it 8 out of 10. I rarely give any movie 10, because 10 is perfection and perfection is rare. I had to further minus one point because the storyline is a tad predictable. BUT it doesn't diminish how beautiful the movie is. And I'm not only talking about the cinematography. The costume, the script, the morality questions, the philosophical message... are all thought through and blended beautifully.
And the details of it, ho my, the more I think about them, the more fascinated I am. Pay attention to the background, little details of the sounds, the words chosen --the word 'beautiful' keeps popping in my mind to describe this movie.
I didn't want to watch it earlier because I'm not really a fan of Mia Wasikowska. She only has that one expression and always play that misunderstood innocence. She's also part of the -1 that I can't give the movie a 9. But Tom Hiddlesont is there, who can deny his acting skills? And I only lately realised that Jessica Chastain is a gem too. So I finally watched it (a long Easter weekend helped too). And ho boy, did they deliver. The acting, their acting is soooo underrated. Tom Hiddleston can look at a tree, tell it that he loves it, and that tree will fall in love with him.
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| "I feel as if a link exists between your heart and mine, and should that link be broken, either by distance or by time, then my heart would cease to beat and I would die." |
And Jessica Chastain.. the whole time I keep thinking she's Eva Green. She carries that looming darkness so subtly yet so intensely. I get chills just remember her character. Her character is one of those that you knew something is wrong with her, your guts keep telling you to run away from her, but you can't pinpoint why. We all have such people in our real lives. But to convey this in a fictional character is another story, and to do it so convincingly is just absolutely amazing.
(Beside acting, remember when she tricked Michael Fassbender into breakdancing? What a gem. God bless her soul).
I'm not gonna talk about the plot points of the movie. Cos I'm lazy and this post is getting too long. All I can say is, it's so seldom a movie delivers a perfect balance of horror and romance, thriller, and love.
You gotta watch the movie and experience them yourselves. There are many bad reviews that saying it's not really a horror movie, and therefore it's a failed movie. Well, it's not, cos that's not the point of the movie. Go watch it and see it for yourself. If you appreciate subtlety and beauty, you will love this movie.
