Why is Parasite such a big deal? Because it’s different. It’s not a Hollywood movie, it's completely new and original.
I don’t think Hollywood is running out of ideas, but I think they’re more focused on making a profit and safe choices. That’s why they keep remaking the same tired scripts with different actors. Basically, the studios are too afraid to take a chance on something new because they are scared the movie won’t be “woke” enough. That’s why studios are busy with actors' skin color, sexuality or gender, not the actual story or characters. Creators want to be seen as “woke” without actually developing good, complex personalities and storylines for the characters because flaws make for interesting characters, but showing a female/minority character with any flaws will be condemned as sexism/racism by SJWs. That’s how you end up with shallow Mary Sue heroes with no character development.
Parasite is wildly innovative, suspenseful, unpredictable, with many subtle metaphors and satirical notes with pure silence. This is not a "bad guys" vs "good guys" movie, the world isn't black and white. The creator went out of his way to make sure the line of good vs bad was non existent. There are no teams, we are not supposed to pick sides. Both families are fucked up, and all of them are parasites, in some way. I really liked the use of stench as a symbol for poverty. And how the movie pitted a poor family against another poor family, and ultimately the poor people are the ones that still lose. Also, the movie shows how greed can be your downfall.
Just like any other movie, it requires some suspense of disbelief at various points. For example, somehow surviving two rock hits; the detectives didn’t search the entire house, even though they were looking for a man wanted for murder; the scene where the Kims are hiding under the table dragged out but the slow zoom on Mr. Kim’s face as he felt entirely ashamed in front of his children was so utterly heartbreaking.
It is definitely a well-made movie that holds your attention throughout. However, I do still think its a little overhyped by some people. Calling it the movie of the decade is beyond hasty.
I had heard good things going in, and I was still thoroughly impressed. This is definitely my favorite movie I've seen this year, and quite possibly in the past few. While he is at some of his best in the movie, very little of that has to do with Nicolas Cage.
There is way more substance than the trailer gives you clues to. Outside of the rich narrative, the film is a masterclass in "less is more" to illustrate complex subjects through well executed inference. Michael Sarnoski's writing and directorial debut demonstrates some of the best storytelling skills I've seen in a long time. This will be a piece I point to for a while on effective filmmaking.
Underneath the novel premise of the movie is deep subject matter and one of the more mature explorations of grief and purpose in life. I wouldn't call this a feel good movie, but rather one that lays out a difficult but healthy and necessary path to dealing with tragedy and loss. I called Manchester by the Sea on of the best movies on grief ever made, because it showed how broken it can make people. Pig is an answer to it that shows the health of acceptance and recognizing the value in what we chose to spend our time doing.