mbmtheband
Joined May 2017
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Ratings91
mbmtheband's rating
Reviews3
mbmtheband's rating
After being thoroughly disappointed with "Bacurau", I decided to try "Awakener" and definitely don't regret my decision.
The 10/10 rating is mostly because I feel a 6.5 is undeserved. It is an overachiever when it comes to Brazilian action films, which are a rarity. "Elite Squad" is the one that comes closest, but can't really be considered an action movie, since it lacks... well... action. This one, on the other hand, has plenty of it. If you grew up watching action flicks, you'll probably like it.
Yes, the story isn't the most original, we've all seen it before. Man loses child/loved one and gets vengeance over the people he deems responsible for it. Yes, it's "The Punisher", which could even be another translation for "Doutrinador". However, it does keep you on your toes, since it doesn't always go to the most obvious places. Not to mention that it doesn't make you feel good or comfortable, since in the back of your mind you know what he's doing isn't the right thing, but that doesn't stop you from rooting for him throughout.
I couldn't disagree more from a fellow reviewer who said the acting is bad. Yes, some dialogue could have been more natural, and yes the villains are over the top (just like in almost any action movie, villains are going to be two-dimensional), but the main actors give superb acting. When they're angry, you feel their anger; when they're sad, you feel their sadness; when they're in doubt, you feel their insecurity. At least to me that's good acting. Not always are you given the best lines, but you're still able to make lemonade out of it.
Cinematography is pretty good for Brazilian standards. It's the most Hollywoodian, for good and bad, out of every Brazilian film I've ever seen. It could do with some better coloring and occasional lighting, but it's a big step in the right direction of making Brazilian cinema more appealing to the average foreign viewer.
All in all, it's a good movie, with a good enough plot and mostly good acting. It'll definitely strike a chord with Brazilians more than foreigners, and maybe that's a fault, but it's still worth watching if you're not from Brazil but are a fan of action cinema. My real rating would be more like an 8, all things considered, but since I feel 6.5 is too low, I'm trying to help out with a 10/10. I sure hope to see more films of this caliber come out of Brazil. There's definitely room for more action movies in Brazilian filmmaking.
The 10/10 rating is mostly because I feel a 6.5 is undeserved. It is an overachiever when it comes to Brazilian action films, which are a rarity. "Elite Squad" is the one that comes closest, but can't really be considered an action movie, since it lacks... well... action. This one, on the other hand, has plenty of it. If you grew up watching action flicks, you'll probably like it.
Yes, the story isn't the most original, we've all seen it before. Man loses child/loved one and gets vengeance over the people he deems responsible for it. Yes, it's "The Punisher", which could even be another translation for "Doutrinador". However, it does keep you on your toes, since it doesn't always go to the most obvious places. Not to mention that it doesn't make you feel good or comfortable, since in the back of your mind you know what he's doing isn't the right thing, but that doesn't stop you from rooting for him throughout.
I couldn't disagree more from a fellow reviewer who said the acting is bad. Yes, some dialogue could have been more natural, and yes the villains are over the top (just like in almost any action movie, villains are going to be two-dimensional), but the main actors give superb acting. When they're angry, you feel their anger; when they're sad, you feel their sadness; when they're in doubt, you feel their insecurity. At least to me that's good acting. Not always are you given the best lines, but you're still able to make lemonade out of it.
Cinematography is pretty good for Brazilian standards. It's the most Hollywoodian, for good and bad, out of every Brazilian film I've ever seen. It could do with some better coloring and occasional lighting, but it's a big step in the right direction of making Brazilian cinema more appealing to the average foreign viewer.
All in all, it's a good movie, with a good enough plot and mostly good acting. It'll definitely strike a chord with Brazilians more than foreigners, and maybe that's a fault, but it's still worth watching if you're not from Brazil but are a fan of action cinema. My real rating would be more like an 8, all things considered, but since I feel 6.5 is too low, I'm trying to help out with a 10/10. I sure hope to see more films of this caliber come out of Brazil. There's definitely room for more action movies in Brazilian filmmaking.
This show really grabbed me. I almost never binge-watch and this was one of the few shows I did. Everyone has a motive and the characters aren't flat.
Don't listen to the Ministry of Truth. This show is not a political piece. It's actually as unbiased as it can be. Too bad the facts don't leave much room for tweaking.
As for calling it "fake news"... It's not a news piece. It's a TV show. Right at the beginning of each episode it says it was loosely based on a true story. I guess some people just can't read (which is why they believe in fairy tales).
I just hope Netflix doesn't budge to the naysayers and gives us a second season. This is truly one of the best TV shows to come out of Brazil.
Don't listen to the Ministry of Truth. This show is not a political piece. It's actually as unbiased as it can be. Too bad the facts don't leave much room for tweaking.
As for calling it "fake news"... It's not a news piece. It's a TV show. Right at the beginning of each episode it says it was loosely based on a true story. I guess some people just can't read (which is why they believe in fairy tales).
I just hope Netflix doesn't budge to the naysayers and gives us a second season. This is truly one of the best TV shows to come out of Brazil.
I'm only giving this movie a 4 out of 10 because of the decent acting by Ms. Lawrence and Mr. Bardem. The script was really weak (it's no wonder, really, it was written in just 5 days!) and they tried their best to bring it to life, but it just... didn't work.
When you want to make something metaphorical, no matter if it's a movie, a novel, or even song lyrics or a poem, it has to make sense both from a narrative standpoint as well as a metaphorical standpoint. That is, even if the viewer, listener or reader doesn't understand the hidden meaning behind it, they'll still enjoy the content as it is.
This movie fails both in narrative and metaphor.
On one hand, it doesn't tell any story. After you watch the movie, try asking yourself, what did you just watch? Try to describe the story as a beginning, middle and end. Does it make any sense to you? Please, don't think about the metaphorical meaning behind it, just think of it as a story. What is the plot about? If you can answer that question, please tell me, because I can't. We have no idea who the characters are as characters themselves. We are only left to trying to guess what the author wanted them to mean and that's it.
On the other hand, it is obviously a metaphor for environmentalism... or at least I'm guessing it is because some things just don't add up. Is Jennifer Lawrence's character Mother Earth? Or is the baby Earth? Is Javier Bardem's character God? Yes? What about the house? Is the house Mother Earth? Then, who's the mother supposed to mean? Is Jennifer Lawrence's character the Holy Spirit, with Javier Bardem (literally) playing God and the baby being Jesus? It's just confusing. It's all bits and pieces and it doesn't match any religious backstory that I know of. Of course it's easy to pretend you understand the movie, but do you really? I feel like not even Mr. Aronofsky does. I'm not going to lie, it's a good idea for a story, but it just feels like a concept that never really came to fruition.
At least, for one thing, it goes to show that no one's a true genius. Just like George Lucas gave us Star Wars and Indiana Jones but also gave us Jar Jar Binks, Darren Aronofsky gave us Black Swan but also gave us Mother!. You just can't always win.
When you want to make something metaphorical, no matter if it's a movie, a novel, or even song lyrics or a poem, it has to make sense both from a narrative standpoint as well as a metaphorical standpoint. That is, even if the viewer, listener or reader doesn't understand the hidden meaning behind it, they'll still enjoy the content as it is.
This movie fails both in narrative and metaphor.
On one hand, it doesn't tell any story. After you watch the movie, try asking yourself, what did you just watch? Try to describe the story as a beginning, middle and end. Does it make any sense to you? Please, don't think about the metaphorical meaning behind it, just think of it as a story. What is the plot about? If you can answer that question, please tell me, because I can't. We have no idea who the characters are as characters themselves. We are only left to trying to guess what the author wanted them to mean and that's it.
On the other hand, it is obviously a metaphor for environmentalism... or at least I'm guessing it is because some things just don't add up. Is Jennifer Lawrence's character Mother Earth? Or is the baby Earth? Is Javier Bardem's character God? Yes? What about the house? Is the house Mother Earth? Then, who's the mother supposed to mean? Is Jennifer Lawrence's character the Holy Spirit, with Javier Bardem (literally) playing God and the baby being Jesus? It's just confusing. It's all bits and pieces and it doesn't match any religious backstory that I know of. Of course it's easy to pretend you understand the movie, but do you really? I feel like not even Mr. Aronofsky does. I'm not going to lie, it's a good idea for a story, but it just feels like a concept that never really came to fruition.
At least, for one thing, it goes to show that no one's a true genius. Just like George Lucas gave us Star Wars and Indiana Jones but also gave us Jar Jar Binks, Darren Aronofsky gave us Black Swan but also gave us Mother!. You just can't always win.
