View Full Version : The Adjustment Bureau
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Synopsis
Do we control our destiny, or do unseen forces manipulate us? Matt Damon stars in the thriller The Adjustment Bureau as a man who glimpses the future Fate has planned for him and realizes he wants something else. To get it, he must pursue the only woman he's ever loved across, under and through the streets of modern-day New York.
The Good
The films biggest sell is that it's charming and creative. Matt Damon and Emily Blunts share a great chemistry throughout. The initial mystery is translated well with sophisticated humor, snappy repartee, wonderful score, and superb scenery helping to make the film a very enjoyable ride.
The Bad
Whilst the film is as creative as say, Inception. It's nowhere near as intellectual and instead of the 'unexplained' adding density and mystery, it makes the story (based on a Philip K. Dick short) feel contrived and a little thin in places. Inconsistencies with the Bureau's level of control and power will leave you scratching your head and two large jumps in time disrupt the flow of the story and feel unnatural.
Verdict
I recommend going to see, the positives very much outweigh the negatives to create a good solid film, just don't expect the same sensation as an Inception or Matrix flick.
3.5
TheUsualSuspect
03-30-11, 09:30 PM
I disagree, I found the negatives outweigh the positives. It was a great concept executed poorly, which is the case with most adaptations from Philip K. Dick. I'll go into more detail when I get home cause I'm at work right now, but people going in expecting a great sci/fi film, you'll be disappointed because its a romance film.
Sexy Celebrity
03-30-11, 09:36 PM
I agree with TheUsualSuspect. I thought it was poorly executed, just like he said.
My review is here. (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=719200)
More comments by me are here. (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=719216)
Paris18
03-30-11, 10:36 PM
I thought the film was average. I wouldn't rush to see it again, but it does have some high points. I totally agree that Damon and Blunt had great chemistry. However, the ending falls flat for me- just kind of left unsatisfied.
Fair enough guys, I look forward to hearing your thoughts.
I agree with TheUsualSuspect. I thought it was poorly executed, just like he said.
My review is here. (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=719200)
More comments by me are here. (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=719216)
I enjoyed reading your review, but found myself disagreeing with nearly every negative you suggest.
It's trying to be some kind of mind humping movie, like The Matrix or Inception, but it's terribly flat, corny, lukewarm"
I mentioned this in my review, for me the scenery does seems to trick a lot of people into believing they're in for some kind of Matrix/Inception job, but the truth is the film never 'tries to be' anything even close to those films. The Adjustment bureau is a Romantic/Sci-Fi, 'Romantic' taking precedence the whole time. The whacky concept is far to brief, vague and unexplored for the film makers to think the film was a "mind humping movie" whatever the F**k that means :). I think they saw a crazy scenario to play through a relationship construction and I respect that.
obnoxious chase scenes, Depressing, mediocre, tiresome, feels like a rough draft, Horrible execution. Illogical[
:D I see there's no point in me trying to convert you, to each their own.
Sexy Celebrity
03-30-11, 11:10 PM
I mentioned this in my review, for me the scenery does seems to trick a lot of people into believing they're in for some kind of Matrix/Inception job, but the truth is the film never 'tries to be' anything even close to those films. The Adjustment bureau is a Romantic/Sci-Fi, 'Romantic' taking precedence the whole time. The whacky concept is far to brief, vague and unexplored for the film makers to think the film was a "mind humping movie" whatever the F**k that means :).
It means I can't write "mind-f**king" on here without it being censored, so I came up with my own way of putting it.
Didn't the ending feel like a cop out, though?
They should have been killed.
Other people I've talked to hated the ending. It is such a cop out.
It just didn't feel very romantic to me. Matt Damon and Emily Blunt were strangely cast. This is a Will Smith movie. This was like one of those goofy Seven Pounds/Pursuit of Happyness/Hancock kind of movies that Will Smith does. With the love and the bizarre science fiction stuff going on. Will Smith should have starred in this, not Matt Damon. Will Smith is probably seething with rage at Matt Damon for getting this role.
planet news
03-30-11, 11:29 PM
Science fiction? This is clearly a muddled religious parable of some kind and all the worse for it. I don't see how it even begins to compare with The Matrix type films.
For me, the concept is not great, but I think the film made the most of a pretty stupid idea---i.e. by focusing on the romance. Just about every dialogue involving an explanation of the Bureau was majorfacepalm.gif for me. During the whole film there was maybe one moment when I rubbed my chin and went "this is sort of interesting": when Damon had to make a choice about his girlfriend's future or his love for her, which... is something that is never really made apparent in a lot of relationship scenarios because, well, you're not supposed to know what's going to happen.
I did like Damon's character for whatever reason. He's just a very likable guy.
All and all I was pretty bored by it and hated the concept explanations but it's not everyday you have a film with the God as a literal character, so... that boldness kicks it up to a 4.5/10.
It means I can't write "mind-f**king" on here without it being censored, so I came up with my own way of putting it.
Didn't the ending feel like a cop out, though?
They should have been killed.
Other people I've talked to hated the ending. It is such a cop out.
It just didn't feel very romantic to me. Matt Damon and Emily Blunt were strangely cast. This is a Will Smith movie. This was like one of those goofy Seven Pounds/Pursuit of Happyness/Hancock kind of movies that Will Smith does. With the love and the bizarre science fiction stuff going on. Will Smith should have starred in this, not Matt Damon. Will Smith is probably seething with rage at Matt Damon for getting this role.
Agreed, the ending for me was the least satisfying part of the film. I also agree that they should have been 'reset' in the end. Having them march off into the distance knowing what they now know, I just didn't feel it.
As I mentioned, the flow of the film was also ruined by a 3 year gap followed by an 11 month gap in the story. There's also the fact that there seem to be inconsistencies with the bureaus powers. It's funny they can, make someone pick up the phone and call their ex 4 times in the morning to offset a potential relationship between Damon and Blunt, but they can't just abolish Damons interest in her.
To be fair to my review though, I listed many negatives including things later mentioned to me + I gave the film a solid 3.5 on the basis of the films strengths (and there were some). I'm not oblivious to the fact that the film is far from perfect, but Planet News giving it 4.5/10 is perplexing to say the least.
Maybe my estimations have been rocked by a series of bad watch's, but I remain that I enjoyed the film.
planet news
03-31-11, 12:23 AM
Also, why was the only good angel black? Magic Negro much?
DexterRiley
03-31-11, 02:16 AM
Also, why was the only good angel black? Magic Negro much?
http://images1.memegenerator.net/ImageMacro/6749616/Dont-go-there-girlfriend.jpg?imageSize=Medium&generatorName=Pissed-off-Obama
TheUsualSuspect
03-31-11, 03:02 AM
There was one point in the movie, where I simply lost it. I was laughing too much to really care as to what the rest of the movie had to say because the concept was just really ridiculous.
So we find out that the power of these guys to go through doors is due to their hats, given to them by the chairman. They must wear the hats if they want to use the power, a way to limit their powers, as well as having them not be able to see where people are when they are around water. Okay...so then Anthony Mackie, who is now helping Damon, asks him how is he going to make sure that the Terrence Stamp character doesn't get in his way.
His response? Umm, why don't I just knock off his hat?
Anthony Mackie's response? Wow, that's brilliant. We have trouble with improv, I would have never thought of that.
From then on, the film completely lost me. It didn't help that I couldn't get behind the relationship in the first place because...
They love each other only because of the previous plan. So, they love each other because someone told them they were suppose to. It kind of loses that spark, knowing that their love was previously written for them and not something that came out of nowhere breaking the design. If their love was 'new' and deviated from the plan, then it would have been interesting, but since they only think they are in love (due to someone else designing it) I kind of lost interest in that aspect of the film.
The rest of it was pretty blah. I give it points for at least trying, as I said earlier. I like the concept, except I think Dark City handled similar themes and issues years earlier and far better. I would gladly recommend that film over this one any day of the week. As I mentioned earlier, it's a love story, disguised as a sci/fi. Much like how The Village was...whatever it was, disguised as a horror.
You guys seem bored spending so much time on this flick right now with all those older films still just waiting to be seen. Now, in Sexy's case, I understand; he was hoping to see Matt's ass from a new perspective or some kinda kinky "thing" dangling from it. :cool:
planet news
03-31-11, 05:28 AM
>implying that because older films exist we are not warranted to express distaste for current films
>implying that ragging on a film is not an enjoyable act in itself
>implying that SC is a 1-dimensional human being
>implying that ":cool:" has any meaning anymore
Sexy Celebrity
03-31-11, 06:11 AM
The rest of it was pretty blah. I give it points for at least trying, as I said earlier. I like the concept, except I think Dark City handled similar themes and issues years earlier and far better. I would gladly recommend that film over this one any day of the week.
Ooohh.. really? I just picked up Dark City on Blu-ray for $10 the other day. I've never seen it before. I bought it 'cause Kiefer Sutherland's in it. I had no idea it's similar to The Adjustment Bureau. I haven't watched it yet, but I will make sure to do that soon and review it in my thread.
You guys seem bored spending so much time on this flick right now with all those older films still just waiting to be seen. Now, in Sexy's case, I understand; he was hoping to see Matt's ass from a new perspective or some kinda kinky "thing" dangling from it.
I don't know if I've seen Matt's ass yet, but I did pick up School Ties the other day, and I know there's a shower scene in it with Matt Damon naked. That's also on my list of movies to check out soon.
>implying that SC is a 1-dimensional human being
Considering I just said I bought Dark City for Kiefer Sutherland and School Ties for Matt Damon naked in a shower, I think Mark F doesn't need to imply anything - it's known.
I wasn't implying anything either. I said exactly what I meant. :cool: sometimes means I'm keeping it as clean as possible while saying what I mean.
Sexy Celebrity
03-31-11, 12:03 PM
he was hoping to see Matt's ass from a new perspective or some kinda kinky "thing" dangling from it. :cool:
I didn't know what you meant exactly by kinky "thing" dangling from it at first, but now I think I have an idea but I'm wondering how that would have played in the movie.
Science fiction? This is clearly a muddled religious parable of some kind and all the worse for it. I don't see how it even begins to compare with The Matrix type films.
Except that The Matrix is EXACTLY that - a sci-fi with some romance thrown in based on religious concepts, in this case The Black Prison from Gnosticism. The Matrix is one of the most heavily religious films in the science fiction genre ever made - it's about a messiah for crissakes.
Meanwhile, why compare films to The Matrix, a film that just isn't that good in the first place.
Blunt vs Moss - One of the most vibrant, interesting and talented young actresses working today, or a butter-faced slacker that fit into the Matrix leathers and was able to learn how to do a scorpion kick faster than the other actresses trying out for the part.
Damon vs Reeves - Buahahahahahahahahaha!!!
Well, both source stories were written by drug-addled, flipped out Gnostics. One is a seminal giant of science fiction writing, the others (the brothers) are a pair of pop culture saturated rip-off artists.
So, why is a sophomoric, philosophy 101 hack job of a film somehow the litmus test for great sci-fi?
Sexy Celebrity
03-31-11, 03:11 PM
I was gonna say - I thought The Matrix was a religious, Gnostic story.
It is, but I think it works perfectly well on a purely sci-fi level, and is still interesting and accessible to people either uninterested in (or unaware of) its Gnostic message.
Can't the same be said about The Adjustment Bureau? I mean, if one misses the religious allegory (many will), does the thing fall flat on its face?
Keep in mind I have yet to see this, so planet might be dead on with the ham-fisted allegory. I'll see this later this weekend.
Dunno, haven't seen it. My old man did and suggested I probably wouldn't love its message, which usually, for me, just means renting it instead of seeing it in the theater.
Shall we chat about some other topics the two of us are clearly experts on, like Bio-mechanics? ;)
Sexy Celebrity
03-31-11, 03:56 PM
Sedai, you're better off waiting for its airline release, where you can fly high and fall asleep during the duration of the film if you need to.
I don't know if it needs to be called a religious allegory -- I suppose. It almost seems more like a new agey spiritual film. People's lives are planned out in advance. God is certainly in this movie, but he's not seen -- his agents are seen. People who are assigned to make sure certain events happen in the world. The movie, as I remember, goes from talking about how there is no such thing as free will (because of the life charts people have) and then it goes into, "Oh, no, there actually is free will." I see it as confusion over spiritual beliefs mixed in with psychology about men who have tyrant fathers that are out to control their lives -- this is more the allegory right here. These agents of The Adjustment Bureau are, in my opinion, father figures and moral citizens who are trying to get Matt Damon to live correctly. The movie begins with him on a political path that's ruined because he acted foolishly in college -- he mooned everybody and got photographed. Matt Damon's character really doesn't want this job - he doesn't want to be a politician - he just wants to be free and act crazy and have a fun filled wife. But these people around him are trying to get him to do something else. Ultimately, Matt Damon makes the decision to just be himself and basically the agents let him be.
It is very dark and very sinister for awhile, mixed in with some corny magical bits -- the good, black Magic Negro agent that Planet News talked about can wave his hands and make coffee spill on someone just to mess with time and change courses. Yet, he can't stop a bus when he's chasing Matt Damon. The agents of the Adjustment Bureau threaten to erase Matt Damon's mind (basically kill him) if he ever reveals anything about The Adjustment Bureau. His whole life and his whole relationship with Emily Blunt isn't just doomed by The Adjustment Bureau trying to stop their love affair -- he also has to deal with feeling like a crazy man, basically, since only he can see The Adjustment Bureau, and if he talks about them, he dies.
But it has a happy ending.
The problem is it's way too intense for a romantic movie. It does feel more like a romantic movie than a science fiction movie, but the parts that are science fiction-like really bring the whole other side down. It is a terrible balance. There is something troubling and upsetting about these agents of the Adjustment Bureau always hanging around Matt Damon -- and it's ludicrous that he's so major and important, really. At least, it feels silly. Imagine if a bunch of Agent Smiths were stalking you and your girlfriend and one minute, they threaten to kill you, but yet they're also goofy and almost seem to enjoy the chase they're getting by trying to stop you from living your life. You would be scared and pissed off and annoyed. The Adjustment Bureau itself is silly.
Also, why are there no female agents of the Adjustment Bureau, too? I think it's because I'm right about them representing male authority. A female agent of The Adjustment Bureau could have really helped balance things, I believe. There was too much cringing male drama and nothing for women to really enjoy. A woman should enjoy a nice romantic movie and frankly, I don't think When Harry Matrixed Sally is a good idea. Matt Damon's cuteness is the only thing saving this movie. And even then they refused to show the picture of him mooning everybody, which I think would have at least allowed women to have something to think about while they waited for their geek boyfriend to get over his feelings of, "Oh, yeah. I'm out with my girlfriend and she's gonna love that I took her to a romantic movie that I can enjoy too because it's Philip K. Dick. Oh, yeah, uh huh, I'm gonna get some tonight." No you won't because she's gonna go find herself a Matt Damon who doesn't wanna be so serious to go make sweet monkey love to.
I really think this movie is a mistake. Guys, if you see this, I hope you go alone.
I'll go with my GF, but she likes video games, sci-fi, and she thinks she is Wonder Woman. She'll probably like it, and I'll get some regardless. ;)
Great post, btw. I sort of skimmed spoilery stuff though.
TheUsualSuspect
04-01-11, 01:18 AM
Let me know your thoughts on Dark City, but if you got it because you think Sutherland is hot...he is pretty ugly in this one.
The movie had a very interesting concept and it had the potential to be a lot better than it was. While it could've been better it was definitely worth watching.
lundy1026
09-08-11, 09:49 PM
I agree with klacc. It is worth the watch and the concept was really cool. Had me thinking afterwards about the whole ordeal of there being a group of people who keep destany in line... And I love movies that keep you thinking about it well after watching and THE ADJUSTMEN BUREAU did that for me. Also, I thought the doors part was REALLY neat. I had fun watching it, it was mesmorizing, and I will watch it again someday. I should read the book if there is one. Anyways, to me the GOOD outweighs the BAD.
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