21 December 2014

Leviathan, 2014 - ★★½


Once again I find myself at odds with the majority of critics as I completely failed to see why this was so great. Each frame of the film may be beautifully composed but that is no excuse to linger on every shot for so long. When I checked the time to confirm it must be nearly over I was dismayed to find there was still more than 30 minutes left. Admittedly those 30 minutes are probably the best part of the film where something actually happens but by that time it was too late.


The film also isn't helped by an absolutely awful trailer which gives away at least three of the better moments (2 dramatic and 1 comedic). Those scenes have no impact and part of the ending is clear from the moment it is set up.


The following statement feels unfair because there is obviously some artistic merit to the film even if it was lost on me but I'm going to say it anyway. Leviathan is the arthouse equivalent of Michael Bay's Transformer films with beautiful imagery instead of robots, explosions and lingerie models but overlong, empty and incredibly dull.


December 21, 2014 at 09:59AM

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