davejensen-97995

I enjoyed the movie but felt a bit hollow after I left the theater. Yes, it was scary and there were a few moments where we got a good laugh as well. But in general, it was a letdown, and a victim to hype. As another reviewer said, let's save the 9's and 10's for really fine films, and a fun but wacky film like this one should top out at a 6 or 7. The story line is thin . . . There could have been far more twists and depth provided to make it more interesting.

There were some great, very shocking scenes involving gore or sudden violence that made the theater react. There's a dining room scene that is super unique and which scared the daylights out of me. Throughout the film there's an incredible soundtrack -- not so much a lyrical or melodic music, but just damn loud and scary. The sound editing is superb, as is the cinematography. Production Design, not so unique, just stock sets. The acting is good, particularly Josh Brolin who I think makes the film better by his inclusion.

I absolutely hated the narration at the beginning and end of the film, done by a young child providing some exposition. The voice is almost buried behind other sounds and music, and you have to strain to hear what she is saying. Totally unnecessary to have that voice in there. It also took quite some time for the film to "heat up" and I kinda wish the director had put something unique into the first 10 minutes which would set the stage for the story line that follows.

As many others have noted, the ending is a bit of a let down. It's a bit comedic throughout, but the comedy plays hard on you in the last few minutes of the film. Not a place to insert laughs, in my opinion. Regardless, I'll want to watch this one again when it streams as it was a popcorn-muncher. It's certainly not a 9 or 10 as others have said, but it's one to be watched over multiple viewings for sure.

I thought it would be a somewhat low-rent but interesting way to spend a few hours, but no . . . It's a cringefest (as another reviewer said). Horrible characters, just terrible writing and poor performances. The sex scenes, the treatment of "nice people just getting a bit involved in the drug business" and so forth -- all of it reminds me of a sleaze version of show like Dallas. Except there are zero redeeming values to this one. I have no idea how the reviews climbed past a 5 or 6 rating, as even the good reviews mention some of these same points. Someone thinks they've found another Taylor Sheridan, but that isn't the case.

The director has prepared us for a movie about how the differences in our political spectrum have led to a civil war. Unfortunately, there is zero background information. This is a movie about war correspondents . . . That's it. It's not "an American tale" or anything special in terms of impact. It's just a very well done war movie, with bad guys and good guys, and they can be from either side of the political spectrum. I found it pretty, well-shot and production design is great as well. But I found it hollow, without the detail that I would have liked to have seen about the two sides. I think that Garland didn't focus on any of that because he didn't want to be accused of picking a side. But without it. It's simply a movie about people shooting guns. Lots of loud noises and explosions, and the (interesting) character development of a set of photo journalists.