Polaris

Overall summary: This movie takes on more the role of a fantasy folk tale than post apocalyptic sci fi. Be warned ahead of time the plot will make no sense whatsoever.

This film consists of excellent cinematography in what was likely one of the most uncomfortably cold film "sets" ever devised: solid snow, all the time. One has to wonder how the actors survived, much less the fictional characters.

The actors do a good job, considering what little "plot" they had to work with. The cinematography was good... but that does not of itself make a good movie.

What this movie completely lacks is any semblance of comprehensible story whatsoever, and throws in a considerable amount of blood and gore as topping. Agreed it is a movie about survival: kill or be killed. But the cause and need for such is completely invalidated by a ton of questions unanswered, and an ending that makes absolutely. No. Sense. Whatsoever. Why trudge through that excessive gore for no purpose or any semblance of resolution?

Non-spoiler questions: How was the girl raised by a polar bear? Where did she get her tailor-made fur clothing? (Is the polar bear a master seamstress?) Why was an old woman supplying diesel fuel out of a barrel in the middle of nowhere... and where did she get it to start with? Why in the world did the old woman... never mind. The list goes on and on.

The main question, which goes completely unanswered, is "What / why / where / whattheblazes is Polaris and how does it figure into all this nonsense?" If you believe you will be able to watch this film and figure out the answer to that question, you will be sorely disappointed.

If you decide to give this one a skip, you may be confident you won't miss anything special. I have a feeling the majority of positive reviews are plants from staff and family. While the main actress and her two friends do an admirable job of portraying their parts, those parts go nowhere.

I have to consider the few 9 and 10 star ratings a sham. This is another one of those, "Let the audience make of it what they will" films. If I wanted to do that, I'd write my own story... and it would be a lot better than the non-existent plot of this film. Whatever the director had in mind, it definitely doesn't come across to the audience.

9/10

I went into this movie knowing nothing about what it was about. In the beginning I was confused but weirdly intrigued, like I couldn't take my eyes off of the screen. A big lesson I learned from this movie is the power it has to change my perspective with no words. Words are the main source of understanding, so when that's taken away you're forced to use your imagination. What are the characters trying to say but instead with their words showing it with their actions?

If I could talk to myself before watching this movie I wouldn't say anything. I'm glad I experienced exactly how I did with no background information.

À predominantly nonverbal arrangement of Arctic scenes is the only redeeming quality of the film. This film has been weighed, it has been measured, and it most certainly has been found extremely wanting. It lends itself to a mad Max themes slowed down to a crawl, while disincorporating a viable dialogue. No insult to Mad Max, which is somewhat of a cult classic, but does have somewhat of a low budget. Minute, by minute you wait for a pivotal moment. That satisfaction will never be realized. Even the ending, which culminates in a seeming crescendo, leaves one rolling their eyes, leaves one wanting, leaves one most definitely nonplussed.

First scene, we meet Sumi and Mama Polar Bear. The narrator fills in the details of Sumi's young life thus far. She was raised by the bear on the frozen lands of the arctic/Canadian? Area. I was most impressed that evidently either Mama is magical or Sumi was able to kill some furred animal and make not only pants, shirt, coat, and mittens, but also mukluks! She also has magic hair. If we assume she is 14 or 15ish and was raised from babyhood by the bear, and unless she also forged a knife or scissors and cut her own hair, it should be dragging on the ground. I grew my hair from pixie to mid back in less than 3 years and I have the hair of a 65 year old! I saw this movie won awards and wondered how. The girl did, she is quite talented. I'm 29 minutes into an 89 minute movie. I need a stiff drink.

The movie itself deserves a big ole raspberry. Very little dialogue, which is not a bad thing. But those few lines uttered all sounded like they were just the same words, over and over, no matter the situation. I guess in 2144 (how they came up with that particular year is a mystery) one word has a lot of different meanings; kind of like how the Inuits have a bunch of different words for snow.

Sound track: whale recordings for trees, Star Wars scooter things sounds for modified snow mobiles.

Made it to the end. It made no sense. Gory, stark and arty. No backstory on Sumi and how she ended up alone in Canada with a Polar Bear for a mom, no clue where ice girl in her futuristic outfit came from. Are there no more men? Nary a one in this movie.

Skip this flick unless it's absolutely the only thing aired. My biggest regret is not the waste of time, but not getting hammered first. If I did ganja that might have helped, too.

I am not writting reviews very often (ok maybe it's my first one), but because the movie has such a bad one, I had to jump on my keyboard and give it the respect it deserves.

I am part of these people saying "nowadays all movies are the same, just a copy of a copy of a copy" yet I can still enjoy blockbusters, but not having my mind blew, if you follow me.

But that movie is the most original I have seen in long long time, one that is not affraid to go out of the paved roads and that's what give it that refreshing taste.

Taking place in a futuristic polar wastelands, Sumi (the main character) is babling some unknown languages and interract only occasionally with other characters and except for a very short narrative at the beginning, at the middle and finally at the end of the movie, there is no understandable speech, sounds like a strange realisator's choice right?

Yet you manage to understand what's up and feel it all, thanks to a good casting, it makes the whole atmosphere almost tangible.

Even if the plot itself is quite thin (Sumi is following a purple star in the sky, like the 3 wise kings going after Jesus), it's mystical enough to pick your curiosity just right and keep you entertained without being able to guess the end (even if you torture me I won't reveal it).

Finally I want to talk about the last unusual element that I really enjoyed, at the very beginning the narrative sounds very childish, almost candide like a soft fairy tale, but no longer after you realise that it's a violent world we are evolving in, these two aspects will continue to oppose each other until the end and somehow create a consistent balance like a yin/yang.

Up to this point you probably understood how much I enjoyed that experience and that I highly recommend it, if I picked your curiosity with the above lines, please make yourself a favor, switch your phone off and watch that movie.