I was really pleasantly surprised by this one after the first one was such a schlockbuster. Much more thoughtful, much more character-driven. Could have been a bit shorter, the pacing bogs down around the lunar crisis in particular, that whole act would really have benefited from tighter editing. And it's sometimes hard to follow due to a combination of the subs translation not being perfect and some scenes moving too quickly to allow you time to figure out what said opaque subs actually mean. But once you get your head past the scientific absurdity of the premise, which is a dumb basis on which to criticise a film anyway, it's very enjoyable.
This movie shows in a very good way how the next virus outbreak that will be just as big or maybe even bigger as the Spanish Flu is gonna happen in the 21th century. And believe me, sooner or later IT WILL HAPPEN.
I liked the electronic music that was playing at the beginning of the movie. It had sort of an panicked tone to it that together with the people who where getting sick and dying set a thrilling tone to the first part of the movie.
I found the movie to be very realistic. Jude Law character was spot-on. When there is gonna be an outbreak we will see people on the internet (who have no medical training whatsoever) who think they have found the cure and millions of people will listen to them. There will be millions of people who stop going to work, who stay at home and avoid contact with anyone. Others will do whatever they can to get their hands on a vaccination, even if that means killing someone else.
I liked the fact that we got to see the story from so many different angles. It really gave an overview of the entire situation and what the virus had for an impact on all the people involved.
The end of the movie was a bit disappointing. In my opinion that could have been a lot better. But overall i find this movie to be really good.
The movie might be showing its age, or maybe I'm showing mine. The structure just felt off. The pacing was much too slow until the last quarter. There's something grating about Maverick's character—there's supposed to be, but I couldn't really find anything to like about him. And of course the romance is entirely unnecessary, but that's been a Hollywood problem since long before this movie (and still is).
Mia Isaac (Rowan) absolutely nailed it she was the best thing in this movie! Her speeches were so moving and inspiring. Zoey and Dylan were great also. The story was good overall and I liked the conclusion. The comedy doesn't work at all though I think this would of been better off as a drama. Didn't really feel like I wanted to laugh anyway sinse this has some serious topics and the main character is unlikable.
Like gravedigging, you have to dig deep if you want to get the payoff.
Alex Garland's film about the abuse of women succeeds thanks to its rich tapestry of jarring images. While fans of traditional horror may feel disappointed by its lack of jump scares, those who appreciate the more cerebral psychology of neo-horror (à la Hereditary) will find what they are looking for here.
The film is largely a success thanks to its strong cast and rampant symbolism, though Garland's choice to focus more on the women as victims rather than the titular men as aggressors means the movie misses its mark when it comes to demanding receipts.
My interpretation of the symbolism:
:rotating_light::construction::octagonal_sign::warning:MAJOR SPOILERS FROM HERE ON OUT:warning::octagonal_sign::construction::rotating_light:
The film, obviously, is on a mission to portray women (or at least one woman) as a victim to the male gender. That the director wants to paint all men with this broad stroke is evident in the choice to have the same actor (Rory Kinnear) play all of the aggressors, saying, in essence, that deep down all men are the same man: a being that's driven to hurt women.
Of course, her abusive husband, James, isn’t played by Rory Kinnear. Does this mean he’s somehow different than the other men who appear later in the film? Absolutely not, and proof of that is Jame’s injuries. After he falls / jumps from the building, we see that a gate post splits his right arm from his elbow to his hand, and that his left ankle is broken. Later on in the film, all of the men in the town who besiege Harper are shown to share these exact same injuries, illustrating that they are the same man as the abusive estranged husband.
This point is also reinforced by the presence of 'the naked man'. 'The naked man' is the personification of "The Green Man" (who is also symbolized in the stone carving on the church altar). According to Wikipedia, “The Green Man is a legendary being primarily interpreted as a symbol of rebirth, representing the cycle of new growth that occurs every spring,” which indicates that, as violence breeds violence, the cycle of violent men will continue with no end in sight. This is also what’s meant by the endless cycle of men birthing men that we witness in the film’s climax.
A quick glance at the film’s characters shows us several types of abusers that exist in society.
First, her husband, who starts off emotionally abusing his wife -- “If you leave me, I’ll kill myself” -- before graduating to physical abuse.
Then there’s Geoffrey, the man who rents her the mansion. He represents the “nice guy” who imposes his generosity on women and, when he’s later rebuffed, hurls insults at the women who aren’t interested in him.
The priest represents the patriarchy of religion and the structure put in place to perpetuate male domination and abuse.
Samuel is the young man 'frat bro' who feels he’s entitled to his ‘bit of fun’ and rebukes women who dare refuse him what he considers to be his due.
The police officer represents authority because, when he arrives at Harper’s rental property the night of the home invasion, he stands in her front yard yet neither says nor does anything. He’s as useless and impotent as the police and other authorities women might turn to when they seek assistance.
All of this is not to say that Jessie doesn’t have her allies. There is her best friend Riley (Gayle Rankin) who provides moral support throughout the film, and the kind policewoman who speaks with Harper when the police initially arrest the naked man. Garland’s point here is that the best place for a woman to get the support and assistance she needs is with other women.
This concept is driven home by the second figure etched into the altar (on the opposite face of The Green Man), that of the sheela na gig. The sheela na gig is a carving of a woman with an exaggerated vulva and is used to symbolize fertility and protection against evil.
That’s a brief rundown of the symbolism in Men, and also serves to illustrate what I appreciate about the film: it’s not because it’s horror that I have to turn off my brain. [/spoiler]
This film won't be for everyone, even those that are Garland fans. For those that do enjoy it, I believe a re-watch will be beneficial.
As always, Jessie Buckley completely knocks it out of the park. Sound design, lighting, and cinematography are all top of its class, ESPECIALLY sound design which serves as its own character.
Unreal. A piece of pure creativity. This movie is a masterpiece that doenst fear of trying something new and weird, 2 hours of a masterful crafted story that engages you not only to understand whats going on with the characters, but yourself too.
Pretty bland and uninteresting, didn’t live up to the hype
Concept and visuals were the only intriguing elements and for me this movie was a letdown.
It has a lot of sex but I’m not sure it sees love in any other way. I’m not convinced it is a good movie. I give this film a 6 (fair) out of 10 [First love?]
These kinds of movies definitely weren't made for me. I simply cannot keep up with how fast and "old" they talk. Poetry is not for me.
I think I got the gist of it, but that's not enough to come up with a reasonable score, so it stays scoreless. I'll probably not watch it again.
Visually tho, it looked incredible.
I don't get it, why are people being so damn critical about the movie ? Ya gotta understand that it was just a catalyst so that the MCU franchise could grow on it; the movie was purely made to introduce Captain America, the cosmic cube and Agent Carter, nothing more nothing less, and it did a good job at that.
A generic action movie. Good fights coreography and a beautiful photography in the midst of a poor script and no innovations.
A unnecessary, but yet funny and well-made adventure
My problem with this documentary is the limitation to only show Netflix Originals animes, that's obvious, I mean, it's a Netflix movie but yet still bothers me, the idea is cool, the execution is quite good too, but there was so much more to talk about this universe and I'm not even complaining about the runtime (58 minutes) I am talking about the content shown. Yet, it's a experience, you will not exactly wast your time watching and it's worth taking a look if you are like any animes that Netflix has produced
It starts of pretty well, but then it gets better and better. There are a few places where the logic is a bit thin (not saying it doesn’t make sense, but you have to give it some leeway), and there are a few too many comedic touches for my taste, but other than that, this is a terrific film, powered by an Oscar worthy Elizabeth Moss (who won’t get nominated of course, because it’s not that type of film) and a talented director who will have Hollywood producers begging at his door after making this for a mere 7 million.
8/10
More of a thriller than horror but it's great. Elisabeth Moss is really good at playing an unstable woman. The action is awesome and shot well. The plot has a few shocking moments.
It's terribly sad to see comments that are taking the "story" for what it is worth at face value and outright dismissing the movie entirely
As loathe as I am to watch "arthouse" movies, this one certainly struck quite a few chords. The journey of the young, unsure, foolhardy knight and his misplaced sense of honor and the turn he takes into fully accepting his destiny was one I enjoyed very much. The visuals and the sounds did play a large part in it, completely selling the atmosphere of a magical kingdom with swathes of unknown and unexplored mystery. The performances, too, were excellent and Dev Patel was very convincing as Sir Gawain
I'm sorry to say but the story is very, very obvious. As with these "artsy fartsy" movies, the way it is told is what elevates it and here, I feel it was justified and used to great effect. Instead of giving us the straightforward story of Sir Gawain in the ballad, something that has been told for centuries (and something I looked up afterwards because I'm not British or European at all), this movie instead attempts to recontextualise and shroud the entire thing in an air of magic and I found myself enraptured by it
It's the classic tale of a straightforward story told in a convoluted way. As King Arthur says at the very beginning, it was always just a game. What mattered was the journey Gawain took that changed him into someone who would accept what was coming because of his honor. The fox and the mansion were distractions and tried to keep him from achieving his destiny. The sash, given by his mother and returned by the witch in the mansion, was to prevent him harm but it prevented it by making him a coward. What happens after the Knight swings his axe is just the future that awaits for him for his broken oath. He removes the sash, thus letting go of all fears and the Green Knight, satisfied with the man he sees before him, lets him go. The Green Knight was never truly harmed and there was never a reason to harm Gawain either
I loved this movie. It blended the mystical and made for an enthralling journey through beautiful lands and forests and was something truly unique that I appreciate and left me wanting more
