Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Under the Skin - 3 stars

This movie is really interesting.  Scarlett Johansson plays an alien who preys on young men in Scotland.  She seems to have no emotions, but she is able to smile and flirt when trying to pick up her victims.  She drives around in a van and asks men for directions.  If she convinces them to get in her van, she takes them somewhere and they don't come back.

I know this sounds like Species, but it couldn't be more different.  This is like Species if it was made by Stanley Kubrick.  Director Jonathan Glazer (Sexy Beast, Birth) likes to shoot long, unnerving takes.  The first five minutes of the movie seems to be an eyeball being formed while we listen to her trying to speak like a human for the first time. 

There are some really cool, creepy sequences in this movie.  I love the way she leads her victims to ... wherever it is they go.  I'm not sure if what we're seeing is supposed to be literal, or just representative of what's happening to them, but it's fascinating to watch.  I also love the sound design.  Sometimes it's hard to tell whether you're hearing sound effects or musical score, but the sounds all help create this atmosphere that's very unique to this movie.

Some people will be bored watching it.  It takes it's time, and there isn't a whole lot of dialogue for long stretches at a time.  It isn't a traditional narrative, and the movie leaves you with a lot of questions.  In the hands of a less talented director, that could be a problem.  But the movie just works so well that none of that bothered me.  It's been two weeks since I've seen it, and there are things I just can't get out of my head.  I really need to see this again. 

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