L'Empire

Its really bad, I dont how they were casted, but the only 2 to deliver lines convincingly were the 2 young girls, who also were in other good movies (monte cristo, novembre...) the rest was insanely bad... the script is just as bad, with minutes wasted on takes that drags the movie on making it boring and a pain to watch. I usually dont waste my time on this type of crap, it was one actress that caught my attention, also its a french movie so I make an extra bit effort to watch it even if it is not rated too high. But this is bad... bad enough to make me write a review 😂 I will also review a movie if it is really good, at the extremes.

Arbsurd comedy which is not funny, but a great example of cringe movies. It could be compared with Monty Python, but not funny, with Jodorowsky surrealism, but with much worse psychodelics.

Banal dichotomy of good and evil, 0 and 1, classic and jazz, black and white, men vs women is deconstructed in a form of lengthy and dull parody of a cosmic opera with light sabers set in rural scenery. It lacks development of characters, story progression and accessible humor. Any potential message is obscured by its nearly incomprehensible cinematic language and weak satire.

This philosophical battle between good and evil within human nature, which nowdays is more important than ever, could be imagined by viewers with the screen turned off, without any loss of emotions and meanings.

And no pun intended either - but on a serious note: this should be watched with an open mind - and with the knowledge of ... nothing! As in not questioning things that happen here. There are not many things that make sense here. Yes it is good vs. Evil - but shortcuts could have been made. Both sides are ... lacking certain qualities ... things are too on the nose (binary system with 0 and 1 that is being used) ... others are way too ... let's say it is not political correct.

Why Aliens would use buildings and furniture is beside me ... but back to my point of not trying to think anything ... it is tough as you can see. But why use entertainment in a form that is quite ... let's say discriminatory ... and I am being nice in calling it that. If you see how the evil "lord" amuses himself ... what or rather who is being summoned ... I would not blame you if you have issues with that.

But comedy is supposed to be mean ... has to have an edge ... these may be arguments you have ... fair enough! I am not telling you how to feel about things depicted here ... just trying to prepare you. Now bow down and accept this as your true Emperor ... I am just kidding ... or am I? Well don't trust the police to be of any help ...

TLDR: Don't waste your time unless you often find trite tasteless sexist jokes (for both sexes) extremely funny and original.

I don't know what I am more shocked and appalled at: how the director got such a budget for this piece of crap or that it was actually shown on a film festival (Berlinale) AND it is in the Main competition category. Blows my mind.

The movie's plot is a pretty clear allegory for the supposed ^battle of the sexes^. Also supposed to be a comedy. A parody. I have one memory of the crowd actually laughing out loud at something in this movie. So well, a very successful comedy it wasn't.

For a brief moment I thought it might be more than that - like for example satire of French teenage villagers and their forming worldviews. The Goths against the Mainstreams. Or something of this kind - slightly more fun. No. It is as banal and onedimensional as it looks - from start to finish.

Men's team is the monarchy represented by machos who grope women but also all women love them. Women's team are democratic warriors fighting for equality and solidarity but who also get emotionally attached to machos instantly.

Other than establishing such novelty cliches, the movie does literally nothing else. Oh, there is a joke about French police being useless. That was funny for a moment. But then it also quickly got boring and repetitive.

I am giving it more than one point because it is possible to sit through the movie without wanting to hurt yourself. Although on a side note, I watched it in the cinema and the extremely loud screechy music and sounds (which are so on purpose, I think) made me often have to tone it all down by covering my ears.

When a film seeks to tackle such distinctive comedic forms as parody, satire or slapstick, the creators first need to make sure that what they're hatching truly works. But, in the case of this latest offering from storied auteur Bruno Dumont, the mark is missed by a wide margin. This alleged take-off on classic space operas like the original "Star Wars" trilogy or "Spaceballs" (1987) simply doesn't cut it, primarily because it just isn't funny. Perhaps that's due to the fact that the filmmaker doesn't seem to be clear on the direction he wants the story to take or the tone with which it's presented. In a nutshell, two alien species - the Ones (champions of good) and Zeroes (disciples of evil) - have been exiled to Earth (why and by whom is never made clear), where they're battling one another to win over the control of humanity through their ground zero strongholds in a small French coastal fishing village. But, in telling this tale, Dumont's paper-thin narrative meanders aimlessly, blending a bland mixture of lame humor (most of which falls positively flat), bombastic but innately shallow soliloquies on the nature of good and evil, unexplained Monty Python-esque absurdist imagery, and gratuitous sexual encounters that appear to be thrown in for little more than titillating filler. To its credit, the picture effectively employs some truly impressive special effects, an eclectic background score based largely on reworked neo-classical arrangements of the compositions of J. S. Bach and Henry Purcell, and a production design that incorporates set designs drawn from Gothic and Renaissance European architecture. It also features a wealth of stunningly gorgeous cinematography, although a number of overlong shots (particularly many inexplicably filmed from too great a distance) could benefit from judicious pruning. So what exactly is the director going for here? Damned if I know. If it's satire, its symbology is seriously undercooked. If it's a campy romp, it's too understated. If it's screwball comedy, the pacing is too sluggish. And if it's insightful social commentary, it's too superficial and doesn't take itself seriously enough. In essence, "The Empire" may offer some segments that are nice to look at, but that's about all, considering that the bulk of this release, in the end, really has nothing interesting, meaningful or piquant to say.