It was painfully slow at times, but visually, as with all of von Trier's movies, it was stunning.
Painfully slow. You can skip the beginning and Part 1. I still loved the graphics for this film.
Tried so hard to be smart but fell flat. Great looking movie though.
Painful to watch, attempting to be smart but just light & sound for god-knows-how-long-this-film-was.
Luckily I gathered some information before watching this movie. It helped me understand quite a lot. With this information I have to say that this is a really good movie. On first sight, it's a Sci-Fi thing with beautiful imagery, but as soon as you take a closer look it's all a big metaphor for describing the feeling of melancholia and depression.
I pretty much agree with geeky_herman. The movie did have some visually stunning shots but there was so much unnecessary fluff. First part should NOT have been an hour long, the things that happened could have been shown in 30 minutes or so. Second half was slightly better, but not by much. The shaky camera was worse in the first part too.
It also disappointed me, that after everyone had called this "different from any movie I've ever seen!" and "unique", there are tons of movies, especially indie movies, that make a far better job at showcasing the same topics and themes.
So dull and worse still sloooow. Painful first hour of arty irrelevant drivel followed by a better second hour that you hope will ignite some kind of gripping finale. Instead you just spend that hour thinking 'f**king die already!!'. Reminded me of how I felt watching The Deer Hunter but that's supposed to be some sort of classic so what do I know!
The worst movie I have ever seen. Painfully bad.
In any film involving the destruction of the globe, we know that, if it is not to be saved, there must be a "money shot" depicting the actual cataclysm. I doubt any could do better than von Trier does here. There are no tidal waves. No animals fleeing through burning forests. No skyscrapers falling. None of that easy stuff. No, there is simply a character standing on a hill and staring straight at the impending doom, as von Trier shows it happening in what logically must be slow motion, with a fearsome preliminary merging of planetary atmospheres.
geeky_herman - You pretty much summed up that film in an excellent way. It pretty much sucked.
The opposite reactions of two sisters facing the end of the world. Gainsbourg's character is relatively full of life and survival instincts, and understandably goes on an hysteric rampage. On the other hand, Dunst's character is a chronic depressive, facing the apocalypse with subdued resignation if not a sense of peace. Some scenes even suggest she may even have attracted the planet Melancholia towards Earth, much like how depression can engulf and destroy everything and everyone around you.
The first part is undeniably the most exhilarating, being both hilarious in its presentation of silly characters and heartbreakingly poignant in highlighting the protagonist's depression and instability in relation to the expectations of her peers. Healthy people impose happiness on her, continuously reprimanding her lack of appreciation of the luck in her life. On the other hand, equally depressed individuals tend to minimize her condition, claiming everyone has their own battles to fight and that it's time for her to snap out of it.
The second part slows down considerably, and given the fact that the gorgeous opening of the film has already spoiled the ending, we are kind of left there waiting for it to happen. Initially, the focus is on Gainsbourg's character taking care of Dunst's, transitioning from her critical tone in the first part to a more neutral and respectful approach. However, as the end approaches, the roles reverse, offering consolation to us depressives who have caused trouble to our friends and families all our lives. When the apocalypse arrives, because it will, it will be our time to comfort and lead our loved ones in the face of the inevitable.
The film itself feels somewhat disjointed, and if you didn't enjoy it, it probably means you are healthier than you thought. Good for you! Personally, I couldn't handle the numerous parallels to real-life situations, even with all the grotesque overtone added by Von Trier.
Unfortunately, all the visually stunning scenes are concentrated in the first gorgeous minutes of the film, leaving us a bit thirsty for more during the rest.
the first 20 or 30 minutes the wedding part was really really super duper funny, but after that the movie was melancholia.
Aptly titled, Melancholia is a somber and melancholy film from director Lars von Trier. Kirsten Dunst stars as a depressed and troubled young woman who’s strangely affected by a rogue planet on a collision course with Earth. The writing is especially poor, and doesn’t develop the characters or the plot very well. Instead the film focuses on atmosphere and visual style, which offsets some of the weakness of the script. Yet the pacing is incredibly slow and makes the film drag on endlessly. While Melancholia presents a daring vision, it’s not a particularly pleasant or engaging one.
perhaps most of you have completely missed the point. melancholia is a mental disorder of periods of deep depression and fear and can come and go with no pattern. going from being happy to depressed with no warning.
The last scene was just amazing.
Sometimes a movie is a cerebral experience and sometimes it is an experience. This film was quite the latter. The film - especially the second of two parts - was visually and emotionally stunning. I felt like I was in the final scene, both full of emotion and emotionless at the same time. A truly amazing experience.
It's the end. Excellent movie
Regardless of strange flaws it totally worked for me!
I didn't understand everything but whoa.. it's amazing!
This is good, but not really enjoyable.
A waste of 2 hours. Skip it!!
A lot of people found the first half of the movie unnecessary. I completely disagree. The title of the film is Melancholia after all and the first half of the film shows the state of mind of every character in the film and adds motive and explanation to the reason they do the things they do in the second half of the movie. Maybe I just feel this way having experienced this sort of crippling depression but I actually enjoyed the set up the first act took us through. The second half, as most people have already explained, is where the "action" takes place and certainly adds quite nicely to the tension and intricacies we saw in the beginning. Great movie that will have you thinking about it long after it ends.
The most self indulgent film I have ever watched. It’s the movie for people who profess to love movies. An accurate depiction of people that need for nothing, but still dwell in self pity.
It’s like watching paint dry, while the painter sits their and laments the fact they need to hold the paint brush.
The most disturbing shot of a woman’s body and the best depiction of the end of the world, that’s it.
You can't escape from who you are. What cannot be, cannot be and is also impossible.
Liebestod amongst the ruins.
PS: Wagner ad nauseam.
First part is demanding if you are to sugarcoat it, second part is worth the wait though.
This movie is to scifi-y to appeal to drama fans, and too dramatic to appeal to sci fi fans. If you enjoy both dramas and are willing to sit through a lot of shaky camera angles with little to nothing happening for a majority of the movie, the ending makes it all worth it.
A tableau vivant you won't be able to get out of your head...
The movie doesn't consider physical upheavals due to gravity interaction
And now i am depressed
First 5 minutes, my heart rate is going down. I think I won't survive...
Shout by Marie Celeste.BlockedParent2014-11-15T20:24:54Z
Unnecessary first half an hour (or the complete first hour) but had visually incredible shots. I really liked the last scene, I swear I can forget the boring part of the entire plot just by watching Melancholia getting closer and closer of earth