|
Post by Johnny_Hellzapoppin on Oct 17, 2018 12:35:58 GMT
I re-watched this yesterday, as I recently read the book and now the film appeared in my Netflix recommendations (psychic Netflix strikes again).
On first watch two years ago, I though this was a slightly bad thriller, with a solid performance from Emily Blunt. The second watch last night, proved it to be an average thriller, with a very good performance from Emily Blunt, who now makes my 2016 Top 5, bye bye Natalie Portman.
Obviously it could have been a lot better, and they didn't develop Tom and Anna enough, or Megan properly, but they got Scott right, and Luke Evans did a good job.
Obviously this was a missed opportunity to make a very good film, but it is still a decent film.
Is everyone still generally thumbs down on this one?
|
|
|
Post by Christ_Ian_Bale on Oct 17, 2018 12:55:50 GMT
Really my main issue with it is just that Taylor is not a strong director at all, and his techniques to make the viewer feel a bit confused and disoriented just come off as annoying and in-your-face. I didn't mind the overall trashy, routine thriller feel as that's pretty much what I was expecting. I fall pretty easily for these cheesy thrillers that feel like they're released a couple of decades too late. (Pretty funny to recall it being built up as some prestige movie prior to release.) Blunt is as flawless as usual, brilliantly taking the character in all the mysterious directions it requires to make you uncertain about her actions and motives through its entirety without losing consistency.
|
|
|
Post by Johnny_Hellzapoppin on Oct 17, 2018 12:57:56 GMT
I fall pretty easily for these cheesy thrillers that feel like they're released a couple of decades too late. Me too.
|
|
LaraQ
Badass
English Rose
Posts: 2,305
Likes: 2,839
|
Post by LaraQ on Oct 17, 2018 13:29:34 GMT
Loved the book.Film was a huge letdown for me mostly due to the lacklustre direction,imagine what David Fincher could've done with this.Waste of a great cast.
|
|
|
Post by HELENA MARIA on Oct 17, 2018 14:34:58 GMT
Loved the book.Film was a huge letdown for me mostly due to the lacklustre direction,imagine what David Fincher could've done with this.Waste of a great cast. Agree. That being said, I can't deny the fact that Emily Blunt gave a really good performance.
|
|
cherry68
Based
Man is unhappy because he doesn't know he's happy. It's only that.
Posts: 3,705
Likes: 2,129
|
Post by cherry68 on Oct 17, 2018 14:46:11 GMT
I fall pretty easily for these cheesy thrillers that feel like they're released a couple of decades too late. Me too. As if you both were watching thrillers a couple of decades ago... 😛
|
|
cherry68
Based
Man is unhappy because he doesn't know he's happy. It's only that.
Posts: 3,705
Likes: 2,129
|
Post by cherry68 on Oct 17, 2018 14:48:17 GMT
Loved the book.Film was a huge letdown for me mostly due to the lacklustre direction,imagine what David Fincher could've done with this.Waste of a great cast. I was thinking Fincher too! Have you read Into the water, by the same writer?
|
|
|
Post by Johnny_Hellzapoppin on Oct 17, 2018 14:53:23 GMT
Me too. As if you both were watching thrillers a couple of decades ago... 😛 In 1996...when I was 14...
|
|
|
Post by wilcinema on Oct 17, 2018 14:56:10 GMT
I thought it was trash. But I hated the book too, so I'm biased.
|
|
|
Post by stephen on Oct 17, 2018 15:35:11 GMT
I still think it's a stupid fucking movie, and Emily Blunt is straight-up bad in it. I don't really blame her entirely because the material she's working with is intelligence-insulting and no one could salvage it, but Blunt's histrionics were so readily distracting that they took me out of the movie. Which, on retrospect, I suppose I should thank her for.
|
|
LaraQ
Badass
English Rose
Posts: 2,305
Likes: 2,839
|
Post by LaraQ on Oct 17, 2018 16:48:04 GMT
Loved the book.Film was a huge letdown for me mostly due to the lacklustre direction,imagine what David Fincher could've done with this.Waste of a great cast. I was thinking Fincher too! Have you read Into the water, by the same writer? No, never read it.
|
|
|
Post by notacrook on Oct 17, 2018 17:29:52 GMT
Yeh, it's an average 5/10 kinda movie, reasonably involving in the moment but instantly moved on from after. Blunt, however, was typically exceptional and stayed with me. The fight for the last slot or so in my 2016 BA lineup is brutal between her, Chastain and Portman.
|
|
|
Post by countjohn on Oct 17, 2018 22:45:01 GMT
Blunt did her best with the material, but it's still god-awful. As others have said, the direction/visual style are not on point. It's like it rotates between fake arthouse and an el cheapo Canadian TV movie.
|
|
speeders
Based
Posts: 4,094
Likes: 2,212
|
Post by speeders on Oct 17, 2018 23:15:01 GMT
This really should have been a no-brainer, the book is no Gone Girl but it was a thrilling read that was forgettable the moment you finished the book, it was all about the journey and not the destination. The strong writing masked a rather contrived story. Sadly, Universal didn't hire a strong enough director to elevate the adaptation and that's the biggest of its many shortcomings. Tate Taylor does such a poor job directing it that it's almost laughable. It's like the powers that be thought "Oh, let's get the guy who directed the film version of that other female-centered book that was popular a few years ago" and patted themselves on the back with their choice. It probably would've been 100% better with a female director, any female director, or even just any director with the mere skills to helm a thriller.
It was a baffling decision to move the location from heat wave London to a drab, autumn New York, and yet they cast three prominent British actors in the leads... The triple POV which worked wonders in the book did not translate well on film and felt really tacked on and confusing and would've been better left on the cutting room floor. It should've been from Rachel's POV, only showing flashbacks when a new discovery was made.
The book was a thrilling page-turner, the film was flat and felt devoid of suspense. There were no layers, no mystery to uncover, just getting from A to B with information, I've rarely seen such a mechanical film. Emily Blunt's performance is great, if overwrought, but deserves a much better film around her. You feel exhausted after watching it and not in a good way.
|
|