Snootz

No spoilers here. This is a well-done anime in all aspects. The animation itself seems simplistic, until one starts noticing the tiny mannerisms of the characters. Those characters are fleshed out (mostly), so while not quite fully developed, one gets the idea of who they are.

That is one weakness. Other reviewers have remarked this needed to be 90 minutes and more time taken developing the characters. I would agree.

The primary reason I give this 7 stars rather than more is because of the rather odd ending, which I won't discuss here. Suffice to say some will love it, some will hate it, some it will leave bland. I was personally somewhat disappointed in the ending. I think more could have been said there.

All in all well worth watching.

At this time with 9.5k ratings at only 3.6... I find it sad that viewers have such biased opinions about this film-- and seem clueless as to the subjects being handled here.

I was a psychology major in college and have an autistic nephew. I can only imagine that the majority of these reviews are either from people who have no idea what this film was presenting... or perhaps from people who dislike Sia and the controversies surrounding her, and went in from the beginning intending to bash this film no matter what. This movie won a Golden Globe Award; there's good reason for that.

MUSIC presents an excellent story with incredibly good acting on the part of both Kate Hudson and Maddie Ziegler (the young female dancer from the video "Chandelier").

Some people badmouth it for "placing Music as a secondary character", but this film was never intended to be solely about Music; it is also about her severely dysfunctional sister and their complex relationship. How much did people expect a non-functional autistic character to be "featured" more than she was throughout the entire film?

Kate was totally convincing as her alcoholic, messed-up sister. Maddie's portrayal of Music as a barely-functional autistic was nothing less than brilliant in every mannerism and presentation.

A few things might upset some people with this movie:

1- The severity of the autism in Music. Some people simply can't handle the reality of the hard end of that spectrum, and are very uncomfortable in the portrayal of such. That doesn't make this "the worst movie ever" as so many ridiculously hateful reviews portray.

2- Contrary to some reviewers, there was nothing in this movie that was intended as "humorous" (save for the portrayal of the TV character "Tig" that Music loved so much). Nothing "made fun of autism" nor "made a joke of the disease" (fyi, it's not a disease; it's a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects how a person communicates and interacts with others). MUSIC presents the severity of the spectrum as it truly is. Some who suffer from milder forms of this spectrum may be uncomfortable in seeing the severity of its portrayal. That is understandable, but it doesn't make this a bad movie.

3- Some may dislike the musical interludes regularly throughout the film. First, this is a Sia film; what did anyone expect? But most importantly, those interludes represent Music's inner world, what she sees in her mind that reflects her emotions. While likely not realistic, again it's a Sia film; music should be expected going in. It seems many reviews here missed the purpose and intent of that part of the storyline... or are simply just Sia haters. I believe we see a lot of such agenda in these reviews.

We see this reflected in several reviews speaking of a "tone-deaf" presentation. Either those people are tone deaf themselves or out to slam a presentation by Sia, no matter what. I currently work in the music business, have a very good ear for music and tone, and this film was spot on throughout. Tone-deaf? I don't think so, Tim.

The storyline was brilliant in presenting a messed-up, recovering alcoholic unable to balance even her own life, suddenly put in a position where she becomes responsible for a barely-functional autistic sister who cannot care for herself. As would be expected their life is highly chaotic with nothing going right for them save for a few kind neighbors who care about their plight.

There were some real gems in this movie. I was amazed at the graceful movement of actor Blair Williamson. Who would expect such a large-bodied man could move so smoothly and dance with such skill? The highly unusual choreography was indication that Music's inner thinking was not normal; it was not intended to be humorous.

I will admit that for me, the musical numbers distracted somewhat from the main story; I would have preferred this to be a straight drama without "looking inside Music's head" throughout the film. But in a film by Sia, music is to be expected. To go in thinking otherwise would be somewhat naive. My personal opinion was they would have done better ending the movie 2 minutes earlier, during the fade to black. Perfect ending. But it is what it is, and the ending is at least reasonable and showed how much some people cared for Music.

Overall this movie touches emotions like few other films I've seen. Those who take offense at its presentation perhaps need to examine their inner motives and find out why a movie that presents severe autism accurately and doesn't sugar-coat a dire situation bothers them so much. Again, I have first-hand experience in dealing with an autistic person. I was most impressed by this film and its presentation of of that problem.

If someone hates Sia, simply don't watch this. If a person can't stand musical numbers as part of a film, don't watch a movie by Sia. But if you want great directing, great acting and a very good story from a Golden Globe Award-winning film... this is one of the very few films I give ten stars.

Other reviews here have said it, and I'll repeat it: this is standard sci fi violence-filled kung-fu space opera with a Star Trek veneer. This is not Star Trek. If this were Japanese it would be Shonen, nothing more.

Now, if this were just action adventure science fiction, I'd give them creds on sets and character development and an exciting ride, and might give them a few more stars for at least keeping me on the edge of my seat. But that's not what this is touted as. It is presented as Star Trek... and it's about as far from Gene's vision as it can get.

This is the opposite of Star Trek. This is not the Federation boldly going where no one has gone before. This isn't even the Federation. It bears zero resemblance to Star Trek. I'm sure it got a BUNCH of viewer thinking "Oh wow! A new Star Trek!" But with the near 3-star rating it has as of this review (634 reviews thus far), I think people have made their opinions properly heard.

Don't tell us it's Star Trek when it isn't.