MIMDB score: 9.0
Current IMDB score: 7.3
Director: Darren Aronofsky
Main Actors you care about: Hugh Jackman, Rachel Weisz, Ellen Burstyn
Why I liked it:
If there ever was a movie that could be considered art, this movie would be it. This movie is very artistically done. It's a wonderful story. You can interpret it many different ways I feel like. There's three stories going on in the movie. All of which are ultimately centered around love and the same characters. It's a very confusing movie at first. It will take multiple viewings to fully appreciate. This movie is not for the lazy thinker. If you don't like elaborate art then don't even worry about trying to appreciate it. It's really not worth your time. The movie has been compared to "a rubbix cube that can be solved in multiple ways but has only one solution".
What stands out:
As with most great movies classical music is played throughout which adds to the feel of the movie. The visuals and camera shots are fantastic. Darren Aronofsky is really good at making artistic shots that add to the movie instead of distract (talking to you Kill Bill and your terrible animated scenes).
What I Would Change (if anything): Unfortunately it only gets a 7.3 on IMDB. I think that's because it demands to be watched multiple times. Some people don't watch movies to figure them out. Those people are not going to like this movie so I believe that's why this movie is under-rated on IMDB. If they could somehow make it more appealing to the light observer that doesn't want to give it time but yet stay a movie that is better after multiple viewings then that's what I would change. Kind of like how WALL-E (or most Pixar movies) could be viewed as a kids movie as well as a movie with adult-level themes.
Favorite Line(s)/Scene: This scene is up there with my favorite scene in any movie ever. There is a scene in the middle of the movie where Hugh Jackman is just walking through a noisy street. Although it is noisy the viewer doesn't hear the street sounds. All the viewer hears is Jackman's footsteps on the sidewalk. As he turns to go across the street and almost gets hit by a car. In that moment you hear all the sounds from the street at once. This is a marvelous scene. Jackman's character is too busy thinking about his "work" that he doesn't hear the street noise. Only when his life becomes in danger does he snap out of his thinking and realizes all the sounds around him. It is a fantastic view at what people are going through while walking down a street. I do this way too often in life. There's just too much to think about in life to focus on walking down a street you've been down before.
Similar Movies/TV Shows: Love Actually? because of the connectivity and love theme? Requiem for a Dream or Black Swan because both are by the same director and have similar style. Although I don't recommend Requiem for a Dream. That's one of those movies where people shouldn't watch it because it will ruin their lives.
"Side" note: Surprisingly there was only one CGI scene in the movie. Most of the outer space scenes were filmed using a microscope. Kind of a really sweet touch.
I'm going to get a black ring tattoo like the one Jackman gives himself if I ever get married. For me, rings are just a waste of money. Real rings can be taken off. A tattoo in my mind is more permanent and therefore a better symbol of marriage and love than an overpriced ring. It's the only tattoo I would get as well. It's the only thing that would be permanent in my life. Even if she died the next day I would be glad to have gotten it.
Edit:
This video essay of the movie was made in 2018 (after writing this). The narrator's voice is a little mellow but the insights are great. "But I think more importantly it's an invitation to live our lives more consciously and in that sense it's a journey that relates to all of us. A journey about how we can become so obsessed with our mental abstractions that we forget to experience what is actually happening."
