outrageously UNDERRATED this right here is a true misunderstood masterpiece
So many of the films that I really enjoy win me over with their dialogue. Whether it’s Quentin Tarantino’s expletive-laden, pop-culture referencing monologues (or Kevin Smith’s for that matter), or Joss Whedon’s trademark quippy banter, or the rat-a-tat back-and-forth of films written by Aaron Sorkin, so much of what draws me into a movie is how the characters speak. As much as film is a visual medium (and it’s worth noting that Sorkin and Whedon rose to prominence on television, which, to overgeneralize once more, is more of a writer’s medium), it’s also been the home of reams of classic dialogue which drives home story, character, or theme using the spoken word.
That’s why what stands out in Under the Skin, what makes it feel like such an ambitious and even avant garde film is how nigh-wordless it is. There is a bit of dialogue here and there: exchanges between the film’s protagonist and her unsuspecting victims, words offered from (almost exclusively male) strangers now and then, and sounds from television shows or ambient noise. But for most of the film’s running time, there is nothing said.
That puts pressure on director Jonathan Glazer to tell the film’s story in its visuals. Under the Skin traffics in the same other-worldly, deliberately explored images as 2001: A Space Odyssey. Glazer isn’t afraid to let the camera linger, whether it’s on the large zoom that makes up the first image in the film, or long takes that let these scenes breathe. There is a haunting serenity to this film, a sense that everything is calm but nothing is right, and the film’s aesthetic makes that come true.
The film is shot in a way that makes scenes like the protagonist stalking through a club or inveigling random strangers feel real, almost documentary, but that makes the scenes where these people are enveloped to their demise seem like some preternaturally clean and impossible space. It’s in that space where the film is at its most impressionistic and visually interesting, featuring a heartbreaking moment between two victims who find brief comfort in a pitch-black sea, before one of them is seamlessly gutted, his skin left to float beautifully in that abyss. The production design is impeccable, contrasting the difference between these two realms perfectly, and helping to convey the movie’s plot and ideas and emotion without ever having anyone explain them.
But even more of that pressure, and more of that success, falls on the shoulders of Scarlett Johansson. She, more than anything else in the movie, is called upon to tell its story, to communicate the feelings of her character who drives the piece, to show alternatively a practiced, almost scientific charm and an alien, unknowing curiosity and naiveté.
Johansson drifts effortlessly between the two. In the film’s early portions, she presents the perfect detachment, the sense of something conserving energy, not needing to present the social cues that human beings do, but just as quickly able to turn on those elements necessary to seem friendly, inviting, and kind.
But the true virtuosity of Johansson’s performance emerges after this dichotomy between motiveless creature and context-dependent venus flytrap is established, and the protagonist begins to discovery a glimpse of something approaching humanity, something that causes her to turn away from her programming. It’s an old cliché – the character who looks at themselves in the mirror and has a change of heart, but the understated nature of the way the film presents the story, and Johansson’s own subtle but powerful performance, makes the moment where she releases a disfigured man she’d previously lured and heads off on her own, a meaningful one.
It’s then that the protagonist begins to explore, with a childlike fear combined with curiosity, what our culture and society has to offer. She doesn’t speak, because she has no programming for these situations apart from the trap she was seemingly built for. That leaves Johansson expressing things like the bitter taste of chocolate cake, the quiet estimation and examination of her own body – what it has and lacks, and the shock of an assault, with only her expression, her body language, and her demeanor through each of these trials and discoveries.
The audience too, is offered no exposition, no bog-standard explanation of where the protagonist came from, who the men who seem to direct and follow her on motorcycles are, or that she is slowly discovering what it is to be a woman in our society. Glazer makes himself clear, but largely lets the audience fend for itself when it comes to anything but broad strokes. There are no details here, and none needed. It’s a choice that makes the film initially mystifying, in a way that can confuse and even unnerve the viewer, but that increases the power of the film, making the audience as unsure and tentative about what’s to come as the film’s protagonist is.
That protagonist endures a great deal over the course of the film. There’s commentary there, on how men treat women, by showing a woman who is a literal object, a tool programmed by (what at least appear to be) men to serve their purpose. There’s thematic resonance in that she is designed as a trap, as something to play on atavistic impulses to bring victims to be harvested for her programmers’ unstated purposes. But there’s also commentary in how she is treated when she slowly realizes that she is more than that, the way she is a stranger to the men (and again, it’s almost exclusively men), and is, despite her inability to speak, coddled, protected, taken in, made the object of sexual desire, and also of sexual assault.
It is, in the strangest sort of way, a deconstruction of The Little Mermaid, that doesn’t tip its hand thanks to the almost removed, judgmentless nature of Glazer’s camera, but which still speaks volumes thanks to the events that are presented, the scenes that show how this total innocent, who is unfamiliar with our culture, with much of anything about how men and women are supposed to interact, is treated despite, or perhaps because, of her almost total inability to have any say in it.
For so much depth, so much truth, to come through in a film where almost nothing is said is an achievement. Under the Skin is a film that catches you off guard, leaves you guessing, marveling at the images Glazer and Director of Photography Daniel Landin paint on the screen while you try to unravel what exactly you’re seeing. But when the pieces fall into place, buoyed by an incredible performance from Scarlett Johansson, so much is conveyed, so much is understood, that it’s amazing how little it takes to say it.
if you've ever wanted to see scarlett johansonn choke on a cake then this is the film for you
the whole time watching this movie my face had this "WTF is this shit" expression.
There was nothing, absolutely nothing in this movie drawing me in, wanting to see more or hypnotizing me in any way..
This movie is total and utter crap.. Ignore this and do something useful in the mean time..
The WORST movie ever, in front of Conan the Destroyer. I want the last 108 minutes of my life back. Other than getting to see Scar Jo nude a few times, there is no plot, bizarre story, I think maybe if you are on hard mind altering drugs this movie might be somewhat worth your time, I was hoping that after 100 minutes out of the 108 the finale might make sense, but, absolutely not. A C-movie straight from the Ukraine with an A-list actor, Scarlett should be absolutely ashamed of herself for this garbage.
Scarlett Johansson is an alien that lures not-so-lucky men into a pool of black goo inside a house in Glasgow.
Yep. You read that right. And surprisingly, this was enough of a premise to keep me engaged throughout. This is a solid science fiction film with some totally stunning visuals. They are beautiful but bleak and impressive in scale. The camera often lingers for extended periods. At times it had me wondering if I had accidentally pressed the pause button on my remote.
If you are lover of movies that spend more time on the look than the dialogue, this is one for you. Quentin Tarantino fans need not apply. There aren't explanations for why Scarlett's alien is on Earth, how it got here, or what its goals are. That alone is going to piss a lot of viewers off. What won't help is the lack of details about the Scarlett alien's motorcycle-riding caretaker or about that strange goo pool and what dimension or place it exists in.
There is an absolutely devastating scene on a beach that was one of the more horrifying things I've seen in a film in a long time. And no, it's not a gory scene at all. You'll know what I mean when you see it.
There is a lot of nudity featured here, even the full-frontal variety. Scarlett Johansson bares all for lengthy stretches and there are a lot of naked dudes that appear happy to see Scarlett. If that bothers you, avoid this.
A lot of people will find this film confusing for its lack of dialogue and the shortage of explanations for the "What is that?" or "Why did that happen?" questions they will have. But there is nothing complex about the character arc of Scarlett's alien. The lack of a spoon fed ending won't help, either.
I am a "film viewer" and I watch and enjoy different and difficult films. This movie is total crap, avoid it!
I've read some things about Under the Skin last year when it was premiered in some film festivals but it was when I saw the trailer at the movie theater that I really get the interest to see it. Under the Skin trailer totally hypnotized me and it kinda made me reminded me of Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey even though the theme was not the same. If the trailer did that to me I was almost sure that I was going to love it but after reading a lot of five star reviews here I thought that I was going to be blown away and that did not happened.
Under the Skin is definitely an hypnotizing film. I felt that the film absorbed me into some of its creepy and weird scenes. I also felt disturbed a lot of times but I guess that those times were exactly the ones where the director wanted to pass some of the meanings. It is a very visual film and is terrifying soundtrack helps to create the creepy mood.
Scarlett Johansson's performance is great! She was able to be bizarre and show not a single emotion at the beginning but then her performance is transformed into something more powerful and touching and we might think.
I have to confess that I am little bit confused about the interpretation of the story but I think I am not far from what the story wanted to deliver me. I think is film wants to criticize society especially when it comes to women and it is a really interesting aspect to put an alien into the skin of a woman because afterall the synopsis does not really tells the significance of what we are about to see. It's another kind of film where each of us must fill the blanks.
Under the Skin is definitely a very original film. I liked it but I did not loved it as I expected.
A human race analysis. The movie is beautiful, stunning and intriguing, so are we (in the superficial view, 1st part). When Scarlett's character, the alien, starts to really look under her skin she finds that humans are more than that. We are strange, dark, cruel... We are imperfect and, as much as we try, we can't understand ourselves completely... And that's what happen in the 2nd part of this gorgeous art movie.
Great movie, very immersive. The end makes us realize how everything is so shallow, but yet beaultiful.
Fuck Knows!
Was it good?
Yes.
Would you recommend it?
No.
How do you rate it?
I don’t know.
How does that work?
Fuck knows!
A fantastic movie, wonderfully filmed and paced. But, evidently, not for everybody.
Under the Skin is...beyond weird.
It might have been me not being in the mood to try and understand it, or it might be that it's not meant to be understood the first time around, but it left me rather perplexed.
Did I like it?!?
In a way...
Was it bad?!?
No...certainly not!!
Was it good?!?
I'm not sure...
What was it then?!?
...interesting perhaps?!?
One thing that is safe to say though, is that Under the Skin isn't for everybody.
A film that is easy to admire, but difficult to review as it is one that almost demands further viewings. There are some striking visuals here, not least in the perfectly crafted scenes of Johansson leading men to their doom in a dark room, a cold Kubrickian atmosphere throughout, and some moments of utter dread and horror - the depiction of what is happening to the victims has shock value, but a sequence on the beach is far more horrifying in its gradual build-up and cold denouement. Yet, whilst the overall narrative is clear, Glazer isn't interested in explaining the hows and whys of the plot, preferring to let his visuals speak for themselves and leave the audience to interpret their meaning. It will leave many scratching their heads, given that allegory, ambiguity and abstract images are often used in favour of a literal interpretation, but these details are what make the film so fascinating and worthy of further discussion.
Scarlett Johansson driving round Scotland in a transit, no I swear I'm not drunk.
I tried to get into it and I just couldn't. I understand the artwork aspect of it and the concept, but it wasn't executed in a way that made me enjoy it.
Other reviewers must have watched the different film. Under the Skin is brilliant, and one of the best performances I've seen by Scarlett Johansson. This is a subtle, thoughtful film: A feminist take on the Man Who Fell to Earth. It subverts toxic masculinity and macho rape culture by showing weak, flawed men falling victim to a predatory female alien, while she is struggling to understand her own human disguise. Black Widow it ain't, but then, why should it be?
One of the worst, most pretentious pieces of claptrap in the last 10 years. A truly awful spectacle, with slow as molasses pacing, bad acting, and stilted dialogue.
I'd rather rewatch The Room again. At least it's makes me laugh, while cringing.
A kind of pretentious movie. A bit boring too. It was good but could have been much better.
Interesting and well shot but absolutely not for everybody. Only watch if you are in the mood to be challenged and let Under The Skin wash over you.
i want to have breakfast at her house
I did not like with this movie. Maybe I’m missing something but it was not good at all IMO. It was slow and confusing, nothing was answered. After we finished it our mouths just dropped at how awful it was and it really felt like a waste of time. I really don’t get all of the good reviews that it got. It’s considered a mind fuck, but its just straight up weird and confusing.
Saw Scarlet Johansson’s boobies. That is all. I have no idea what this movie was about. :grin:
It’s an art film. Scarlett Johansson plays the alien killer who becomes curious about humanity skillfully but there was just too much of nothing and not enough of something to keep me interested. I give this film a 5 (meh) out of 10. [SciFi art film]
Just a useless piece of trash. I mean, how can people give this movie a 7 or higher rating?? Nothing happens! Just Scarlett driving and finding men to maybe kill? I didn't even watch the whole movie cause it was boring and repetitive. I watched more than 1 hour and damn, useless waste of time.
Scarlett johansson isn't enough, guys.
Scarlett Johansson's high degree of commitment to this strange sci-fi horror thriller is surprising.
After watching this movie (and as many analysis as I could get my hands on) I do feel inspired and insightful but also bored out of my mind: I don’t know how they managed to make everything feel terrifyingly creepy and so freaking tedious at the same time! I can appreciate the depth and the unconventional technical choices used to convey the theme but in all honesty, I couldn’t wait for it to end.
I dont know if this is a movie or something. The only thing I liked is the actress
Very very weird but awesome filmography... And you get to watch Scarlett strip which is a plus.
El cine fantástico debería ser siempre tan lleno de sugerencias como esta locura. Cierto, exige un esfuerzo y un dejarse llevar pero el resultado es tremendamente sugerente e hipnótico. Y pocas estrellas de la talla de Scarlett se atreverían con algo así (el papel le queda como una segunda piel). Y encima suena el Real Gone Kind de Deacon Blue ains...
Missing too much from the book here. Good atmosphere, perfect music and gorgeous acting... but that's all: no in-deeps, no significance or metaphors and especially no sign of her distaste of her condition and humanity's.
Johansson, Glazer, and Landin create a journey like no other. Amazing.
An hour and forty minutes of Scarlett Johansson getting naked, seducing guys and killing them in some weird vortex pool inside a house. If you like her, watch it! Scarlett and the awesome film photography are good reasons to do so.
You have to be in the mood to be challenged and completely open to see it as a look of the world through her alien eyes.
It's bizarre, dark, intriguing and is going to make you think "WTF is going on here?!". But it's a boring film overall in which nothing really happens - be aware of that.
I gotta be honest. I saw this because of Scarlett Johansson... but not even because she was in the film did I enjoy it. This movie is BORING... like that... in all caps. The raging hard-ons made me chuckle, though. I guess I should’ve watched a trailer before.
This move was not really my kind of movie but I do understand, certain people may love it.
The trailer was great, it gave nothing away and left me wondering what the movie was actually about.
Though, in my case, even after the movie I was left wondering what the movie was all about :P That is what I don't like, but I know some people love it when it is up to themselves to interpret the movie.
Fantastic film, even a week later I am still peeling back layers to this movie, Johansson is the perfect casting, Scotland is the perfect setting, visually stunning.
This is one of the stupidest movies I've ever seen. yuck
Can anyone tell me what the f**k was this movie about?
Pseudo-girl seduces guys, guys get an erection and then drown. WTF..?!
Who was that partner in crime?
Why were the aliens doing this?
Why did they needed so many human skins?
What was the aliens energetic input (didn't ate and their skin was covered)?
Crappy stupid movie IMO.
Scarlet Johansson bring a certain type of audience (also the fact that is known she is nude here ) that is not the arthouse kind. This film says more about the human kind, specifically the male specie than any of the 25 Marvel movies.
I really loved the mix of documentary filmmaking and science fiction.
first half is one of the best films ever made. second half has not warmed up to me yet.
Bit of a "meh" film overall. I feel like 80% of the films budget must have been Scarlett's salary.
It was an interesting movie. And got even weirder near the end with no talking the last 18 min.
Absolute boring arty snooze fest. Nothing much happens & the little that does, no one cares about.
I gave it a 2 just for scarlet johansson, anyone rating it higher must be on drugs.
If you make it to the end give yourself a high five.
Abstract to the point where it gets unrewarding and annoying.
I get the main concept, but what it’s saying about the human race and sex seems kinda obvious to me. It feels like a post-MeToo movie, so maybe it felt more ahead of the curve in 2014. Regardless, I’m left to interpret a lot of stuff, which I don’t feel like doing because it doesn’t really throw a bone I find all that intriguing. Throwing weird stuff on the screen only works if the writing is compelling enough to make it interesting, and the writing here doesn’t connect the dots enough to the point where I feel engaged or encouraged to think deeper. What doesn’t help either is that the characters are kinda flat, however that’s a necessity for this story, it’s by design. The cinematography and sound design are good, but not mindblowing. The acting’s pretty well done, Scarlett can congratulate herself on being among the small list of American actors who can fake a British accent convincingly. Overall, I found it fairly underwhelming. It works decently on an emotional level, but the conceptual stuff needed work. A tighter pace might’ve improved the overall experience as well.
4.5/10
Scarlet Johansson has always been a mediocre actor. Her accent in this movie is just as bad as the ones in Black Widow. Seeing her naked wasn't worth watching this garbage.
I've been curious about this film for many years and I finally watched it. It was weird but I enjoyed the majority of it. It showcases the beauty and the ugliness of being human. This is one of those films that purposefully functions as a person's observation and don't really have much of a story and dialogue. I really like the social commentary on gender aspect, how men and women feel different levels of safety, how men are confident to get into stranger's car and follow someone to some dodgy place. The pace feels a bit tedious but this film is really hypnotic and it manages to keep me gripped. The lead character gives a unique performance and really gets me sucked into the story. I have to mention the score because I love it. Especially that loud and jarring one near the end. Overall, it's an interesting film to experience but I probably won't watch it again.
what a load crap, art house my ass
I dunno. I mean I get it was trying to reach for something deep here but it's the kind of movie you either have to watch a few times or be really stoned to get on that level. If you're just casually watching it it comes across more like "What just happened?".
A thoroughly stripped-down kernel of conceptual sci-fi from Jonathan Glazer, the director of many similarly moody, melancholy music videos. Under the Skin is a demanding film, and most certainly not a pleasant one, which lingers in the subconscious for days (or even weeks) like an unwelcome houseguest. Hence the apt title, I suppose.
Filmed in the guerilla style, with hidden cameras capturing Scarlett Johansson's interactions with all manner of unsuspecting men on the streets of Glasgow, the results are both authentic and rather listless. Somehow understanding the intricacies of conversation and sexual signal-sending, Johansson's alien psyche is completely helpless in baser respects. She wanders the pavement, seeing positive and negative sides of the human condition amidst her aimless wander, and responds to both with the same apathetic lack of emotion.
Eventually it does go somewhere, though much of the plot is left to subtle hints and unspoken subtext, and I'm not sure the destination is worth the effort it takes to arrive. Often very difficult to watch, drastically understated and strangely nuanced, it's a polarizing experience that's probably best suited to quiet, underpopulated art houses.
This film started off really strong but finished off rather weak. Extremely suspenseful and curious. I gave it a slightly higher mark because of its ambition
I've been meaning to see this one for a while. It was among the suggestions after seeing "HER" (2013).
Now what a strange film this one is. It does have some nice visuals though, almost David Lynch style, but more slow-paced.
The dark abyss that she takes her victims to is similar to the one we see in "Stranger Things" (2016) that Eleven goes in to.
It reminded me of another one I've seen that's in the same vein in terms of visual style and feel called "Beyond The Black Rainbow" (2010).
Underwhelming. Scarlett plays a lost soul, just like in Lost in Translation, but this time she is the brooding lead.
Really want to see this... And I'm going too!!!!
Shout by SchmoogieVIP 5BlockedParent2020-03-29T04:19:50Z— updated 2024-03-09T19:01:24Z
Under the Skin - :heart:x8
OK...um...not quite sure what I just watched. But it was mesmerizing. There is very little dialogue. This is a movie that defies description. If you go into this expecting an actual story, you'll most likely be disappointed, however if you want to be mystified and confounded and are willing to be swept away into an intriguing world with more questions than answers, then this is a movie you need to watch.
How I rate:
1-3 :heart: = seriously! don't waste your time
4-6 :heart: = you may or may not enjoy this
7-8 :heart: = I expect you will like this too
9-10 :heart: = movies and TV shows I really love!