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Ensoh
Ensoh's stats
- Review count2
- Helpfulness votes0
- First reviewDecember 23, 2009
- Last reviewJuly 2, 2010
- Featured reviews0
- Average rating4.5
Ensoh's Reviews
Overall rating
4
/
5
An Elder Perspective
PostedJuly 2, 2010
Ensoh
from New Hampshire
Okay, I see that most of the negative user reviews are written by those who, like many other fundamentalists, are totally attached to a previous model by which they judge anything "different" as being "bad." Same thing happened with STNG and Battlestar Gallactica, as I recall. The bad reviews almost put me off going, but fortunately we'd pre-purchased our tickets and went anyway. As a senior citizen I'm not drawn to manga or anime; so maybe my lack of familiarity with the originals allowed me more appreciation of what was there, as opposed to what wasn’t.
I especially liked the subtle Asian spirituality and motifs, which were very well blended into the direction -- contrary to what many of the pro critics wrote; maybe it just meant more to me as a meditator and practitioner. These themes were sometimes subtle and may not appeal to those looking for entertainment that lies closer to the surface; but Shyamalan and several of the actors are familiar with the deeper currents, and wove them nicely through the film. I would love to see Shyamalan pull out all the stops in this area, next time.
Visuals were good too, and very believable in context, although the afterthought 3-D overlay added nothing, and sometimes detracted from my ability to "be right there" because of the reduced colors and visibility.
My main criticisms would be first, that the acting was often very stiff; as if the director was trying to keep the film lined up with its comic-book origins, whereas the film begs to be let loose to run on its own. Secondly, the quick cutoff at the end was too abrupt, even as a setup for the sequel.
Overall a very enjoyable film and -- and this is important to me -- one with a universal spiritual message that I hope continues to develop.
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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Overall rating
5
/
5
Hopefully a new trend setter
PostedDecember 23, 2009
Ensoh
from New Hampshire
On pure technical merit, the film is worth seeing. Many found the dialog and spiritual message to be lame, but I thought it was profound although very subtle. I'd love to see the success of this film inspire others to make entertainment that doesn't assume the audience has an average IQ below 60; in the end, the directors' expectations seem to become self-fulfilling prophecy.
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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