Very Yorgos, he’s still flipping the rules of society on its head. Compared to his other films this one’s more focussed on sex and femininity, it’s almost like Barbie with a high arts degree. The plot even has this similar ‘discovering the horrors of the real world’ element to it, but with Lanthimos at the helm this obviously goes to more challenging, boundary pushing places than Barbie ever could. For me this is easily the funniest film of 2023, there are so many incredible zingers and moments of physical comedy that contrast very well with the dark subject matter. Its sense of humour is complemented by sharp editing and some exceptional performances. I’ve been critical of some of Ruffalo’s acting in the past (his MCU work tends to feel really phoned in to me), however this time he turns in some of his best work. Emma Stone, stripped from most of her natural charisma here, continuously finds ways to make you laugh through a look, the cadence in her voice or her posture. Bella’s arc throughout this film is massive and every beat felt earned to me. Visually I found this extremely inspired; the sets are so detailed, colourful and contain references to filmmakers such as Fritz Lang, Tim Burton and Wes Anderson. Stanley Kubrick is another filmmaker that keeps popping up as an influence throughout Yorgos’ filmography, and that’s no different here. The fish eye lenses, which to me stood out a little awkwardly during The Favourite, completely work for the wacky, fantastical world that Poor Things presents to us. The score still contains that off-kilter, oblique sound from Lanthimos’ previous work, but the instrumentation is much more distinct and unique this time around. Overall, it’s just a very complete, well realized vision that builds and even improves on the style of the filmmaker. Can’t wait to see where he goes next.
Review by JordyVIP 8BlockedParent2024-02-29T23:36:16Z
Very Yorgos, he’s still flipping the rules of society on its head. Compared to his other films this one’s more focussed on sex and femininity, it’s almost like Barbie with a high arts degree. The plot even has this similar ‘discovering the horrors of the real world’ element to it, but with Lanthimos at the helm this obviously goes to more challenging, boundary pushing places than Barbie ever could. For me this is easily the funniest film of 2023, there are so many incredible zingers and moments of physical comedy that contrast very well with the dark subject matter. Its sense of humour is complemented by sharp editing and some exceptional performances. I’ve been critical of some of Ruffalo’s acting in the past (his MCU work tends to feel really phoned in to me), however this time he turns in some of his best work. Emma Stone, stripped from most of her natural charisma here, continuously finds ways to make you laugh through a look, the cadence in her voice or her posture. Bella’s arc throughout this film is massive and every beat felt earned to me. Visually I found this extremely inspired; the sets are so detailed, colourful and contain references to filmmakers such as Fritz Lang, Tim Burton and Wes Anderson. Stanley Kubrick is another filmmaker that keeps popping up as an influence throughout Yorgos’ filmography, and that’s no different here. The fish eye lenses, which to me stood out a little awkwardly during The Favourite, completely work for the wacky, fantastical world that Poor Things presents to us. The score still contains that off-kilter, oblique sound from Lanthimos’ previous work, but the instrumentation is much more distinct and unique this time around. Overall, it’s just a very complete, well realized vision that builds and even improves on the style of the filmmaker. Can’t wait to see where he goes next.
9/10