MovieMeditation's Cinema Reviews

Be sure to write about all the bickering and fighting in the film. Hopefully you catched it.

The film opens on conversant grounds, with two people walking and talking, conversing in ways that shows the audience that this is two people who care for each other – or rather one person trying to pierce the busy mind of a teenager, who doesn’t seem to be all that interested. That one person is Jesse and the other is his son, Hank, who we also heard about during the course of the conversations with Celine, back in Paris nine years ago. He is walking through the airport getting ready to send off his son to be with his mom again, who it appears he is no longer living with. At first glance, this is a calm and quiet moment and the passage feels a little like an opening prologue, though we certainly learn a greater deal of its clear importance later in the film. Director, Richard Linklater, has shown his audience several times by now, that he can step into the ordinary and come out the other side with some extraordinary. In relation to these films in particular, he really aims for the honest authenticity of anything around him, while never wanting to dramaturgically structure his films after paths already in existence – he creates his own and does so wonderfully. Not only that, but he also makes sure to do nothing but breathe live into his works, never holding on to them too long or too tight, so that he may squeeze the life out of it and have it fall flat to the ground like the lifeless creations of an impatient artist. He may be the one creating the path, but he isn’t the one who is walking it – he trustfully lets his actors walk it and his camera glide across it, capturing everything as it happens and when it feels the most natural.

‘Before Midnight’ stays true to its predecessor by opening in the middle of something already happening, instead of setting up the film like you would usually do in cinema. The reason I didn’t make the word ‘predecessor’ plural, is because the first film might be the one feeling the most like a classic set-up when it starts out, which Linklater has then departed from more and more since then… ‘Before Sunrise’ was about these two people catching each others eyes and slowly falling in love, and although it was done a little different, the set-up felt very familiar. ‘Before Sunset’ had the audience putting up questions about what they were witnessing, after being thrown straight into “question time” in Jesse’s book release tour, while soon having the one girl he hadn’t seen in nine years show up out of nowhere like it was just another Tuesday. ‘Before Midnight’ is not much different than the last, casting the audience directly into a conversation between a familiar face and a new one, only to have Jesse walk out of the airport and into the car with his current wife, Celine, and their two children. Yes, that Celine. There is no set-up or extended explanation of how and why they are now finally together after eighteen years, but that is exactly what makes Linklater so bold and brave about his filmmaking. He continues to stand by authentic unconventional storytelling, presenting his two beloved characters at a new passage in life, naturally portraying their pseudo-progression after nine years has gone by. Despite the titles, the ‘Before’ films were never about what happened before but what happens right then and now – a series of milestones each displaying the human life at different periods within its natural evolution. I could tell you precisely what I mean here, but instead I will use the words of Jesse, also known as Ethan Hawke. He described ‘Before Sunrise’ as a film about what might be, ‘Before Sunset’ as a film about what could or should be, and ‘Before Midnight’ as a film about what is. And I don’t think it could be said much better.

The following car ride is done almost in one take, which helps further the realism and allow the audience to breathe and slowly connect with the characters again after all these years. In this scene we also get a small sense of what has been happening and has yet to happen entirely, which gives you a general idea of how this couple is doing. Jesse and Celine certainly still love each other, but there are small fragments to be found in their conversation, giving you a rough glimpse of the pain and suffering they hold hidden within their heart – it might be very hard to see but it is definitely there, especially noticeable on a second viewing. Their children are sleeping on the backseat, so they are still not entirely free from their responsibility as a parent, though it does give them a chance to discuss something more important to them. When we arrive at the house where the family will stay for a while, the film slowly but surely breaks through the old and firmly framed compositions, while opening up for the possibility of a wider world with greater freedom for the franchise to grow in. We are no longer bound like a shadow to the footsteps of Jesse and Celine, but instead we get the chance to supervise them from a distance, where we are no longer running against the wind to catch up and the characters are no longer running out of time to spend together. The transition is beautiful and this new comfort zone seems refreshing and respectful at the same time. We are also introduced to new characters, who all bring diverse perspectives to those discussions, which used to be single-minded sharing between two people. Now we have the pleasure of multiple opinions and approaches all at once, accompanying the metaphysical minds of Jesse and Celine, who seem to settle straight into the latest substantial selection of characters.

We are first introduced to these people when Jesse pens out ideas for future writing projects, which by the way creates a colorful contrast to the past, both in a meta-realistic and movie-referential way. The discussion kind of plays around with the concepts of twisting and blending the works of Jesse into the film itself as this meta-metaphor for their cinematic life story. It is both lightly and heavily handed, in the way that we dive extremely deep into the layers of it all, by having Jesse talk about his own books and the story within them, essentially being the first and partly second film, which Linklater made a movie series about with a character who later made a book based upon that same story of that same movie. If you are lost by now it doesn’t matter, I just wanted to illustrate how much content this scene actually holds. Richard Linklater basically incorporates his own film series into his own character’s book series, which creates a very witty discussion about how one was better than the other, how the third took longer than the other two, how Linklater explains to the audience indirectly what happened when the second movie ended and so on. This scene is just brilliant all the way around, while having interesting cross-cuts to Celine’s character as well. Believe it or not, this scene isn’t even close to being the high point of the film, though it is definitely a solid piece of subconscious scripting done to near perfection. But actually, the barebones brilliance of the third film doesn’t arrive until Celine, Jesse and every other resident at the house are later reunited, seated together at what can only be dubbed the most detailed relationship roundtable of all time – an experienced panel of personal periodic experts, residing three entire generations of existence… and it is completely mesmerizing to witness.

Here follows what might be my favorite scene of the entire series, consisting of a close-to-perfect prolonged discussion, which sincerely allows the audience to step inside the movie and directly down into the wooden chairs of authentic Greece. Smiling with joy, as you are spiritually seated side by side at this dinner table filled with flavorsome subjects that can feed the mind for hours on end without ever feeling stuffed. I don’t think I can even count the amount of subjects that Linklater covered in this discussion, but I can assure you that it was a lot to take in and a lot to figure out. In an attempt to adequately explain all this in a simple manner, the discussion generally goes from how they met, how they learned, how they loved and all the way to how they ultimately departed from this world. Basically, the discussion draws a vivid picture of love going from cradle to grave, persistently portraying the multi-sided understanding of love in its purest form. Obviously, it was the elderly individuals at the table who had been on the longest journey, through heaven and hell on earth, with love attached at the hip. The old man talked about how the love for his wife happened last as long as an honest marriage is supposed to last – until death do you part. He had some interesting points about allowing freedom and individual thoughts and feelings, basically living bound apart or parted together, which crushes the saying of ‘as lovers you are one’. According to him, there is only one love and that is with the heart together and the mind apart, basically meaning that as lovers you are connected but you have room to be yourself. I wholeheartedly agree with that saying...

But of course, the old man isn’t the only experienced person at the table. There is also an elderly woman present, who definitely shares a few remarkable recollections from her own love life. One of them is a touching and emotionally strong story about how her present life is haunted by her past love. Her husband died many years ago and she finds herself forgetting him and thereby “loosing him all over again”. She then talks about how she continues to keep his spirit alive, by constantly reminding herself of all the little things that characterized him. Every single day she will picture his face in vivid detail, while remembering the typical things that he would say on a typical day. She won’t try to overcome her loss by falsely forcing memory loss onto herself, but instead do the exact opposite and stay spiritually connected to her one true love. This was a very beautiful monologue. Richard Linklater and his faithful co-writers, Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy, add more love to the screen than their mind and heart have had the time to experience in real-time. That is extremely impressive, especially when they continue to add more weight to the film, by complimenting the discussion with side-subjects to spice things up. We all know that Linklater is very fond of discussing the influence of technology on today’s society and the anti-social submissive world that it creates. ‘Before Midnight’ is no different, since he uses the younger couple at the table as a fundament for fumbling around with the idea of ‘artificial love life’. Linklater lets these people discuss whether or not love is as powerful and significant when the technical tools of things like skyping is incorporated into the influence of one’s feelings. And of course, Linklater isn’t able to restrain himself either, when it comes to mocking the helping hand of science by literally have science offer a helping hand during sensual pleasures. This is all extremely amusing and awards the conversation with some proper balance, helping the audience to a complete experience of both lethal laughter and dead silence.

As I stated earlier in the review, I honestly think that Linklater handled the transition into a newly transformed style quite beautifully, by leaving the dialogue-heavy core of the film completely intact, but changing the surroundings and partly the directorial approach as well. With this method in the back of his mind, Linklater could make the movie feel fresh and alive again, instead of following the old and tired formulas any closer than needed. That said, he doesn’t forget where things started, since we are still not cheated for a walk around yet another beautiful city, since the lovely people they just visited at the house were kind enough to surprise them with a wonderful romantic night at an expensive hotel. This brings us back to the familiar frame compositions and fancy conversations, in the comfortable company of Jesse and Celine, where we can focus completely on their relationship and how it has grown since we last saw them. Finally, they are alone together, and the things they discuss are as free as with the table discussions, but as personal as their previous two encounters; if not more. Just like the previous entries, their discussions rely heavily on their current situation in life and what is important to them right now, which currently consists of an actual foreseeable future for them as a couple. Before they were mostly imagining how things could be, thinking about how things could have been, but now that they are together they have a better idea of what is to come – and what they hope will come when they grow older. Their discussions are heavily based on the idea of growing old, both in terms of physical and mental appearance. Like when Celine asks Jesse, if he would have sat down on that train back then, next to the present day version of herself. They talk about how their lives will look when they are 90, also loosely mentioning death and what comes with it, basically imagining their lives from present day to their last day. But even though they talk a lot about what may happen, it is still so much about right here and now and how their current personas and present day decisions will influence their oncoming future.

As the film progresses we get the rough picture of a couple who are torn between openly wanting to love each other, while having inner problems that contradicts with that. All these years have been a struggle and a fight for doing what is best for everybody, whether that means finding new ambitions or leaving old ones behind. All of this is done for the sole purpose of love, whether that means the love they have for each other or the love they have for their children. Because the older you get, the more you realize you are building up a responsibility for your surroundings; that there are people around you, who are counting on you and the decisions you make. All this sacrifice will often leave your mind and body in the hands of someone else – someone who you love of course – yet you will slowly loose track of your own self and what is important to you personally. You are also going to find out sooner or later, that even for all the love and caring you have to give to this world, there is going to be something left that you wish you had given more time to. All of these things have been boiling right under the surface of Jesse and Celine, but there are several of reasons why it has yet to burst out – mainly many of the reasons above. So when they are finally alone together these things begin to show signs of wanting to be heard, discussed, solved. They end up in between four walls in a small spaced hotel room, which calls for a perfect romantic evening for the two of them, but there is just this one little problem – they have forgotten about themselves as a couple along they way; forgotten how to make time to care and love each other; forgotten the importance of listening and understanding each other. All these things are not going to look for reason but rather for room to finally burst out. And that little thing that happens to trigger it all and make the bomb tick, occurs when Celine talks to Jesse’s son on the phone, but for the second time in the film doesn’t let Jesse talk to him, though he clearly wants to. It makes him feel closed off, like there is a wall between him and his son and he begins to really think about how he constantly misses out on being with his own son. How he missed out on so much in connection to that as well.

It may very well be a small and plainly insignificant little thing that ends up setting it all in motion, but it does make Jesse think about the past, wonder why he made all the decisions he did, and why things are the way they are today. If he really wanted to be a father to his kid, it wouldn’t be something he would try and redo right there and then in that hotel room, suddenly looking like a person who just woke up and realized he overslept on life. I’m sure there have already been a time where the inner alarm clock would go off, but either he didn’t listen close enough or it wasn’t possible to change what already was. There is no reason to put pain upon oneself because of it, but Jesse does exactly that and begins to look for something or someone to blame. Celine slowly begins to feel threatened by what he is saying, given she is the only person in the room, which then creates a tone between them that is both confused and so very crystal clear. Their argument may have been set in motion because of a smaller thing, but that smaller thing was connected to a bigger picture and that bigger picture will only expand further as they dive deeper into the past; trying to undo those decisions they had already made and trying to solve what was already dubbed over and done with. But this also makes them realize that the cuts in their relationship may be even deeper than what they had previously imagined. They never had a silent moment together, at least not for a long time, and now everything comes bursting out at once.

Where the past discussion at the table may have said all there was to say about love and relationships, this argument flips it on its back and throws out everything about love that you cannot see with the naked eye. This was a brave move by Linklater, since this scene basically takes the darkest and most uncomfortable route in a relationship, and goes through it from A to Z with hesitation. Everything is put on display here and it isn’t about any silly or stupid things either, it is actually about genuine things we often forget to acknowledge or appreciate about each other – the so-called “invisible support” that is often so obvious and natural, that we only appreciate it when it is no longer there. Whether it is leaving your dirty clothes behind for your partner to pick up or leaving your home town for the sake of your loved one – both have their place in this discussion and both serves its own purpose in this film. It is hard to believe, that the audience has waited up to eighteen years to finally see Celine and Jesse together, and now it looks like they are about to leave each other for good. And when Celine finally does leave out the door for good, after actually returning a couple of times because there was either more to the discussion or because she hoped there would be more to this relationship – but now it looks to be fading away for real. Jesse realizes that almost immediately, when Celine doesn’t return through that door. When he is standing alone in the room looking at what could have been a perfect evening but instead turned into the worst nightmare. They had everything in that hotel room, the night was young and screaming with perfection, but the problem was that they weren’t. If you think about it, a relationship is like a flower, it needs love and care and a good environment to grow in. As soon as it starts to fall apart, appear damaged or worn out, it won’t take long before it is going to be too late for you to safe it.

By then you are going to look back at the time where your mind and soul was blossoming, and realize how much you miss it and want to keep that colorful and warm feeling intact for eternity. It doesn’t take long before Jesse opens his eyes to the empty space around him, which Celine used to fill out. All the little inanimate objects, which used to feel so full of life when she was there with him. How all things in the world are suddenly nothing special – without someone special – no matter how perfect the world appears to be… When Jesse finally realizes that he follows the path of his wife, out through that door, whether that means towards a divorce or hopefully something better. Whatever it might be, he is determined to fix what is broken instead of throwing it away, because he knows he isn’t going to find anything out there anyways, which can match what he already have – and is about to lose right this moment. He finds Celine sitting at a table near the water and decides to approach her – not with anger but with love. All relationships have problems and you cannot just look past them, but you have to start somewhere, and as it stands right now their love for each other are fading and needs care. I definitely thought their argument was well done and extremely accurate, but I was longing for something that could help me recover from it afterwards, in the same way that they needed to. And suddenly, something weird happened out of nowhere… That special kind of magic, which I hadn’t really seen since the first film, returned to the scene in grand style! This series turned more serious as they went along, but the spark between them could always be sensed, though it was never as fresh or alive as their first encounter of true love. Jesse sits down beside Celine and puts on a persona about a man who came from the future in a time machine, and wants to tell her about who she was and who she is going to be in the future. He uses all the tricks he learned from writing books and gives it his all. He says he finds her interesting and wants to bring her with him on the trip through time and into the future. Celine appears to be both offended and annoyed by this stupidity, which almost makes Jesse give up. Maybe he cannot safe this relationship after all?

Jesse ends the admirable attempt with the following sentence, “If you want true love, then this is it. This is real life. It's not perfect, but it's real. And if you can't see it, then you're blind, alright? I give up.” He then continues to sit in silence and stare out into the open night. Celine slowly start to open her eyes to the importance of what Jesse is trying to do here, and finally decides to play along as well, “So what about this time machine”, she asks, “how does it work?” Jesse is taken off guard by this, but soon continues to explain and develop further on his little story of imagination, while Celine listens carefully and continues to build upon Jesse’s outline. Finally, the spark within their relationship is starting to light up again, as the day turns to midnight, and we leave them as just another couple sitting and talking at a table on a beautiful night on the coast of Greece. It is at this point in time you begin to wonder, where will these people be nine years from now? Will we ever see them again? I certainly hope so, but if this will be the last we ever see of Jesse and Celine, I won’t even complain… I will gladly accept this film as the beautiful swan song to a fantastic franchise… and I will like to thank Richard Linklater, Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy for eighteen years of perfectly portraying the human life and transporting it into the world of cinema. I will forever hold these films close to heart and never forget the unique experiences they awarded me with. Thank you.

Good grief it's like your thread is Prada and mine is the 99p store

Excellent review and a terrific introduction but I haven't seen this film, but I think I'm going to have to now how many words was this one though?

You have my full respect if you read all that! Did you read my Rogue Nation review yet? haha

Anyways, this review was almost as long as my M:I review, about 5000 words. But in this review I made a long introduction, so I don't know if that should be counted, though it does fit with the subject.

Thank you for checking in and I'm sorry to everybody for such a long review (again), this time I promise I didn't aim for anything, I just had a lot on my mind wanted to cover it all.

Huge props for everyone who reads it and be sure to check out my reviews of Sunrise and Sunset before you read this one.

I did read this one! And not yet, I'm preparing myself for it by reading some of your longer reviews so I can build up my endurance and stamina

cripes! Mine must be in the charity shop league then!

Seriously MM I don't recall ever writing anything as long as that in my whole life, it's like a thesis! Well done tho, I enjoyed reading it

I already repped you but will be reading your review on my lunch break, chech that, my next five lunch breaks. I will get back to you in a week or so.

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Letterboxd

Very funny, sean. I'm sorry for the length, I really am! This time I didn't mean too, I promise!

I thought it was funny to see your thoughts from all the way back in 2013. I just checked to see who else reviewed it and you were the only one apart from me.

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MovieMeditation's Cinema Reviews // Film Diary 2015 // Letterboxd Profile // MovieMeditation's Top 50 Horror

Haven't seen it and didn't read it, but you get rep.

As a long and loyal fan of the franchise and its wide arrange of likeable characters, who you have come to love and care about over a timespan of almost 15 years, I was most certainly excited to have my heart ignited with fiery fuel, hit the kill switch on the upper floor engine and brace myself for being blown away by totally unbridled bad-assery! Already by the opening sequence, I had my wish come true, which had Jason Statham’s character introduced as the kind of villain who shoots first and asks questions later, while putting on an appealing appearance from start to finish. Those first few minutes mostly formed the fundament for what was to be a fearless delivery of far-fetched dialogue and alpha attitudes, all the way through. Not counting the occasionally cringe-worthy dialogue and characteristic stiff delivery, this seemed to bring a cool and confident atmosphere to the action, which made you embrace the movie instead of being embarrassed by it. The ‘Fast & Furious’ franchise has slowly become more self-aware by every sequel it spawns, which makes the seventh entry appear to be driving directly into a full-blown soap opera at times. It seemed like the film was delivering a varied selection of scenes straight at our doorstep, all equipped with cocky and punctual dialogue and remarkably humorous one-liners.

Reading this wrong, it could perhaps sound like I’m bashing the film for it, but I can tell you that I intend to do the complete opposite. First off it comes down to the fact, that this franchise is largely merged together by a strong set of characters, which makes it the perfect opportunity to modify their personas and transform them into something more interesting. With the ever-lasting evolution of these films, they obviously needed something more than a few modifications. Therefore, they embraced their own overstated and idiotic appearance, basically creating caricatures out of their characters and bringing back the ‘act’ in action. And you know what, it just works. Having them all interact in ways, which enforces their persona and further their personal features, really makes for a fun time at the movies! Their appearance is often so superficially stereotypical and downright unusual, that you almost mechanically lean back and allow your mind to run entirely on automatic. It isn’t that hard to do either, since the director and writer knows how to shift the gears just right, making the seventh film seem like a complete make-over at times. Honestly, I don’t understand the hate for this film, since I feel like people should embrace this restoration of retro action films with all their heart – especially if they used to love 90s cheese, stereotypical arrogance and one-liners ad libitum.

‘Furious 7’ is basically a 90s action movie, which have been giving a new paint job and flashy new exterior, but the engine that drive this beast is all the same. Back when I rolled out my original review, I didn’t notice that aspect too well; I had to revisit the film before it paid off, but now I can clearly see why it fits the bill; this franchise has always been driving towards this approach and finally they went all the way with it. With this rewatch I couldn’t keep myself from saying all those memorable one-lines, as they appeared in the film – “I don’t have friends, I got family”, “Woman! I am the cavalry”, “The thing about street fights… The street always wins” – I just knew when they were coming, even if I only watched the movie once before it. At this point in time, the ‘Fast & Furious’ franchise has become so ridiculously amplified in all aspects of the action genre, that you just can’t help but have a great time with it. If you don’t surrender to it, you will be stomped to the ground by it, because clearly this is entertainment with a pedal through the medal attitude and it won’t let you leave without a scratch or two, that’s for sure. Unfortunately, the film runs more or less on after-burner once the sky-high action sequence has passed, with skydiving cars and mountainside chases, though the Abu Dhabi sequence is a lot of fun in its own right. Where it all falls through though, is during the last colossal climax, which looks like every other action movie out there. I have learned to love it to some degree, but I’m still saddened they didn’t flip things around like they used to, and created an exciting action sequence exclusive to the franchise.

‘Furious 7’ raced off to a good start, where it actually looked to become the greatest and most entertaining entry in the entire franchise thus far; even topping the acclaimed and fan-favored entry, ‘Fast Five’. Sadly, and almost ironically, not long after we saw cars skydiving down from a plane, the film as a whole began to skyrocket towards the ground – maybe not fast and furiously, but perhaps descending in parachute pace is a proper point of reference. Obviously I’m talking after the action has hit the breaks, because that doesn’t happen before twenty minutes after it started. This insane nitro-infused madness of an action scene, lasting almost half an hour, might be the most impressive the franchise has pulled off since the vault heist from ‘Fast Five’. And for once we haven’t got cars flying, but falling out from the sky and landing on a mountain side, where things continue to go down – as in down in the history of action cinema. From start to finish, this supersized sequence of lunacy is by far my favorite thing in this film, and a close second to being my favorite set piece in the entire franchise – only overhauled by the perfectly performed vault heist in ‘Fast Five’… Because of already experiencing what could very well have been the climax of this film, it does become harder for the movie to top itself in quality, which causes it to overdrive and wear out its gears, reaching for utterly unrealistic highs. I wish it had stayed more controlled instead of crashing straight through gravity and dignity, but I do still enjoy it when it goes too far, since the self-awareness keeps everything afloat.

While trying not to laugh I will now talk about the story or whatever you may call it. Basically, it is all about this small chip that can see everyone and everything in the world, which our team set out to fetch so they can find the villain, Deckard Shaw. The story already crashes here, because Shaw always shows up by himself anyways, which makes the whole mission useless. And I hated the “side plot” with Kurt Russell and that villainous black guy. They have an action actor like Jason Statham at their hands, and then chooses to sidetrack him like a nobody, which is kind of ironic since Kurt Russell’s character is credited as Mr. Nobody. But anyways, Shaw is the kind of character who only shows up when needed and it feels so forced and stupid. But then again, these movies are less and less about any kind of plot, so I will just put that to the side now. But I do miss when these films were more grounded and all about the characters and their personal choices and mutual interaction with each other. As of the fifth film, they have basically traveled from being robbing banks in a heist-inspired film and all the way to getting hired to perform various assignments from different people, acting as the next ‘Mission Impossible’ team. It is rather fun to see these films take on different action subgenres and sidetrack other things, but it does begin to tire up and lose grip of reality and reason.

When talking about wasted villains, unnecessary characters and changes for the worse, it would be appropriate to clarify why the huge climatic set piece is a failure, in my opinion. The ‘Fast & Furious’ movies have never been just about the cars, though they have always played an important part in the story – especially within the action sequences. I suggest we take a trip down through the franchise while talking about the different climaxes throughout, starting with the point where the franchise took a turn and drove back towards its roots. In the 4th film there were cars driving through tunnels chased by other cars; in the 5th film there were cars driving with bank vaults being chased by other cars; in the 6th film there were cars being used to take down a huge cargo plane – and this is where the franchise began to wobble from side to side. So what happens in the 7th film then? Well, there are a bunch of battle helicopters, automatic drones, flying missiles and street fights... Oh yeah, and somewhere in between all those things we do have cars driving around a bit, but it feels more like a hectic escape instead of being actual center pieces to the action and story, like it was the case with the previous entries.

Stripping this beast down to a bare minimum, the seventh entry in the ‘Fast & Furious’ franchise comes racing through with a lot of potential and plenty of qualities, though it is kind of sad it couldn’t keep it going for the entire runtime. The first half is almost what you would call amazing for the kind of movie it is, but the second half slowly drives towards mediocracy. Of course, you do notice the struggle they have had to complete this movie after the tragic death of Paul Walker. Not only do they have to put together a functioning film, but they also need the actors and friends of Walker to walk on set and act like nothing even happened. They did a fine job in my opinion, and the fragmented feeling of the film was probably because they had to modify the story and make it work around the character of Brian O’Conner; seen on screen for the last time by the late Paul Walker. Overall it comes off as a mixed experience, with this seventh entry creating both highs and lows for the series, though maintaining the bond between the characters and their self-aware appearance. I don’t know if I really want more from this franchise, but with an eighth film getting the green light, I look forward to the future of these films.

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FINAL RATING //

+
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I feel like I could've watched Lawrence of Arabia in the time it took me to read your reviews for Rogue Nation and Before Midnight. They were both very enjoyable reads, though. I can't imagine how long you must have spent on each one. You have to remember, though: it's not about the length, but the content. Posting 5000-word reviews will get you noticed, but the length is also very intimidating. I'm sure several people gave you +rep for effort without actually taking the six hours to read every word. Or they just skimmed through the review and read the summary. Early in your review for Rogue Nation I felt like you were writing a lot but saying little. Once you got into the story and the acting and the stunt work, though, the review developed a flow and I was surprised when I scrolled down and saw that I had already reached the end of it.

For me, the Mission: Impossible series is a lot like the Fast and the Furious franchise. I'm indifferent to both and I've forgotten which films in the series I've seen or not. I remember watching the first Mission: Impossible way back when and not enjoying it, but I was like 10 or something at the time, so who knows what I'd think of it now. I've seen the motorcycle fight in the second one and I've rocked out many times to the soundtrack, but I don't think I've ever seen the entire film. I've seen the third one because I vaguely remember PSH, but I don't remember anything else about it. And I think I skipped the last one. I had no plans of seeing Rogue Nation, but I'm a bit curious to see all this excellent stunt work you raved about in your review. Does it make a good stand-alone film? If so, I might check it out, but I'm not interested enough to go back and watch the entire series.

All those words for Before Midnight and you fail to mention Julie Delpy's boobies? Come on, man! That was the highlight of the film, even if she is older and flabbier now. When I watched the film in the theater, I thought the sequence with the other couples dragged a bit. I wanted more focus on Jessie and Celine, not their friends, so I was relieved when they finally left everyone and started another talkative stroll -- which is basically what these films come down to: two people walking and talking. On a re-watch, I liked that sequence a lot more and some fascinating points were made about love, but it's certainly not my favorite scene in the film, let alone my favorite of the entire series. Clearly that scene made a very strong impact on you, though, so that's good to hear. For me, the emotional power of Before Midnight occurs in the hotel room. After coming to care about these characters so much, that was like watching my parents argue or something. Just devastating. The ending is perfect with just the right amount of ambiguity. When the credits rolled, I still felt hopeful about their future. Yet I wouldn't be surprised if the fourth film found them divorced and sharing custody of their daughters.

I thought you had already posted a review for Fast & Furious 7? I've skipped over it for now, but I'll come back and read it some other time.

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Oh damn, how did I miss your reply in here? I'm sorry, Spaulding.

Once again your kind words and detailed thoughts and feelings on the movies I watched and the way I reviewed them is spot on. Always a pleasant read. This time I will agree with you, that my M:I-5 review did drag a little before it got rolling, sometimes I have a lot on my chest, not neccesarily connected to the film, which I want to speak about first and this sometimes throws me far off, but I rarely change it. I have done this in prior reviews too and I guess I should go back and cook it all down a bit, but this time it got a little longer than it should.

Glad you think the length was mostly justified though, since you really got engaged in the review once it began to go more in dept and all... I agree that reviews are all about content and not the length, but I just wanted to go for it with the M:I-5 review. The 'Before Midnight' one ended up almost being the same length, but this one I didn't aim for doing anything but review the film. I just had so much to say and I hope it paid off... I agree about the argument scene it could also be a fav of mine, but in a different way. I agree that it felt like my parents arguing or something and I think it also was the aspect I talked the most about; meaning, it was really an aspect I LOVED, though slightly upleasant to watch. I hope my review lived up to the two first, which you loved so much.

Yes, I already did a review for F&F7, but it was never officially tagged, neither was it as long and detailed as this. I basically redid and rearranged the review, while adding a whole lot more to it. You don't have to read it if you don't want to, it's not a 100% new review.

Thanks as always, Spaulding, you don't know what your replies mean to me and the fact that you actually read it all. You are maybe one of the 2 or 3 people who actually read the Rogue Nation review.

No really, thank you. I appreciate it and it's always such a good feeling to see a reply from you in my threads. Once again you caught up with my diary thread, HOLY CRAP! you don't have to read all the reviews, I almost feel like I'm stuffing you to death with all this writing.

Another storming review MM. Particularly liked the Mini MM's contributions

What's going on with Tom Cruise tho? HAs he turned into some kind of superman. That guy can do any stunt and hold his breath for over 6 minutes . If only he could turn his hand to some kind of world domination...oh hang on

Thank you so much, christine! You don't know what that means to me.

Yeah, Cruise is one hell of a guy, in all the right and wrong ways I guess.

Watching it September 14th, review up shortly after...

Two word about this: JOY RIDE.

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I appreciate your review Format and style, its amazing thanks to tell me how to write a movie review.

The Story
The film follows a group of adventurous and experienced mountaineers, who all have aspirations to overcome both mind and mountain when they head for the summit of the world's highest peak. Because of the increasing popularity of mountain climbing among more ordinary people, numerous of extreme climbing enthusiasts view that as an opportunity to earn some money, while helping others to pave the way for their own personal beliefs about success and guide them step by step to conquer the mountain beyond the hills, Mount Everest. Rob Hall is one of many who leads his own event company, called Adventure Consultants, in which he takes people to the top for a payment of dizzying high amounts. I guess you could say, the money fits the measurements with this one...

When Rob finally arrives at Base Camp with his audacious bunch of allies, he discovers that the number of adventurous individuals are higher than ever before. This causes him to get rather anxious about it all, especially because they all plan to make their way up the mountain on the same exact day, which can cause a lack of space on the tightly spaced danger points on the mountainside. They all seem to have their optimism in order and lots of high hopes in their luggage, so with uneven grounds under their feet they begin to head for the top. But Mount Everest is more than just a mountain mixed into the crowd. Before long their high hopes of success will be crushed by crashing glaciers and coldhearted weather conditions; their tailwind will be headwinds and their mental strength will be defeated by the strongest storm seen on the mountain for a long time; their assertive attitudes of reaching the top will plummet to the ground at exactly the same time their body and mentality breaks in half and give up all hope; the kind of hope which seems to be left in the bottom of the mountain by now, out of sight and out of reach – one begins to wonder whether or not they will reach the top alive – but actually, there lies a much larger issue ahead of them… will they ever get back down again before taking their last breath of thin air?

'Everest' is not just the name of the peak where the film takes place, but it also reflects on the straightforwardness and pure simplicity from which the film creates its momentum – whether that means something good or bad. There is nothing new under the sun when it comes to the story-related structure of 'Everest', but in return the film stands in a whole new light once the darkness has settled on the sloping lands. Unfortunately, it takes a while before we get to see the visual response to the title of this film. It is a pity that the story doesn’t peak until very late into the film, which means we have to settle with slow-building and snow-wielding mediocracy for most of the movie. I really wish the story would have spent its time better, especially since a survival story about true events on a deadly mountain provides plenty of opportunities for excitement and empathy – mainly because of the inspiration and localization of the film. But as it is often the case with movies based on true events, the people behind frequently struggle to get a foothold in the story and deliver their story in the most appropriate way. In most cases, these so-called "event films" simply takes too long before we arrive at the actual event and never have enough stuff to say leading up to it. Obviously, all this depends on whether they wish to assign a lot of respect and honor to the real people who inspired the film or whether they want to make a film of pure fiction filled to the brim with action and excitement. Some stories are better off being a bit more of one than the other, while there are some movies that function the best when there is some sort of balance between the two.

Personally, I think 'Everest' is one of the few films that would work better as a more specific portrayal of the dangers that lies within mountaineering, which would also show exactly which kind of extreme conditions true mountaineers need to go through to reach the top. In this way, the film can function as a consistent collaboration between the two narrative techniques, wherein the story of real people will arise as daring and determined individuals – all of whom are struggling with themselves as well as each other when the danger occurs – all the while the intense experiences on the mountainside will appear as a perfect opportunity to give the film tension and action, without having it come across as insulting or unnaturally executed, since it simply puts the story and the dangers of this adrenaline rush in a better and stronger light. Unfortunately, this film chooses to take the bumpy road through the narrative terrain of moviemaking, where the people behind attempt to create a balance that just never succeeds, because neither one of the elements in the film is given enough time to develop on screen. The characters in the film don’t get much time to grow outside all the climbing and disastrous happenings, which kind of removes part of the interpersonal perception and personal empathy that audiences would otherwise have had the pleasure of. As if that wasn’t enough, the film actually spends an extremely long time with the characters before they go to battle with rocky walls and crazy climatic conditions, but the time we spent with these characters is totally unrewarding, since the director rarely dives deep enough in their personality and motivation for climbing the mountain.

There are many different characters throughout the film and only about two of them are being awarded with an adequate amount of dramatic strength. We are talking about the characters of Rob Hall (Jason Clarke) and Beck Weathers (Josh Brolin), both of which have a nervous wife at home waiting, but none of these relationships really moves themselves out of a poorly drawn outline. Both remain more or less in the presentation phase, so to speak, where we know who is who and where they are, in their lives, at the moment, but that’s about it. Kiera Knightley is probably the most interesting of the two wives, presumably because she is the wife of the most prominent character in the movie, while Robin Wright and her phenomenal acting capacity is completely wasted in this film, as the wife of Beck Weathers. Ultimately, we simply can’t help but be disappointed when spending so much time with the main characters without ever really getting close to them. These people are neither astrophysicists or highly acclaimed personalities, therefore I see no reason to spend over an hour introducing them – especially not when the time is used so incredibly unwell, that we never really get to know anything about them anyway. It is more or less ordinary people who are portrayed in this film, which means that all you really need is twenty minutes of properly paced character development before one would have a clear understanding of who they are and why they are that way. It really is a shame that the director only picks a little in the outer layer of his characters, since the talent among the actors shows that there is plenty of possibility for a more prominent progression of their characters in the film.

You could say, that ‘Everest’ more or less has its priorities in place, because even if the wait is a little too long, the director definitely gets to show where he put in all of his efforts. The one character, who we actually should spend the most time with, doesn’t have a worrying wife at home or possesses any form of human consideration or compassionate kindliness – I’m talking about non other than the mountain itself, Mount Everest. Here is a character with plenty of pitch-black depth and great personality, which can control the film and its direction, providing for unexpected twists and exciting changes in the story. The mountain kind of works like this three-dimensional element, which can support the two-dimensional characters, while lifting the one-dimensional script out of extreme mediocrity and into a story that holds a lot more edge and appeal. Because as it is the case with this film, the human characters simply aren’t alive enough and the dialogue lacks gravity. It may very well be the case, that these characters are all played by competent actors and actresses, but that doesn’t make their personality any less flat-faced or their dialogue any livelier – even though you often forget both of these aspects when all hell breaks lose on the mountain. But unfortunately, the emotions of the film are often caught in their own snowstorm, while it sometimes comes across as a bit tiring and forced in its delivery. When you are dealing with true-to-life events, it is often very easy to have the audience shed a tear or two and 'Everest' also makes every little effort to achieve this – but it often comes off as too easy or too lazy. The audience just get blasted with this great tragedy and its tragic consequences, with the hope that we bow under during the avalanche of low-supplied emotional manipulation – and we definitely do break at times, but it is certainly not with the help of great cinema, that’s for sure. 'Everest' is perhaps nothing dramatically wonderful, but as a sheer technological tour de force the film has hit a high mark in the subarctic subgenre.

Fortunately, the film begins to blast forward when we are finally on the mountainside and at this point we almost don’t care about what lies behind the mind of these characters; it is only what lies ahead of them that we want to focus on. It is the simple struggle between mountain and mountaineer that is the most interesting, creating this climatic conflict within the dramatic climate, which then creates the entire fundament for the film and its narrative. You can’t really calculate it, but merely throw yourself straight into it and hope for the best, which the film depicts very well. At this point, 'Everest' is actually not just a typical "mountain climber film" that looks like any other out there, since it is neither about the human conflicts or the way towards the top, believe it or not. It is a pure adrenaline rush, but the rush doesn’t actually come when you are highest up on the mountain. As you know by now, 'Everest' is based on actual events, and I promise you that I neither spoiler the film nor the actual story by saying that most men and woman actually do reach the top of Mount Everest. But then you will probably wonder, how a movie about climbing the world's highest mountain can still keep things exciting and surprising when it isn’t a spoiler to say whether or not they reach the top. But if you ask a professional mountaineer, he or she will tell you that it is actually not about the way up ... but rather the way back. Most deaths and diverse accidents actually happens on the way down, which the film presents surprisingly well. You sit for a while and wonder why it was so "easy" for them to reach the top, but soon after you will know why ... it actually wasn’t easy at all.

On the way up the mountainside all oxygen is about to run out; all forces have been deployed to reach the top and all small chances of returning, either due to weather or other problems on the mountain, has been ignored one by one. You are now alone and helpless on the top and the only thing that can get you back down again, is none other than yourself and your skill to press the human physique to the max – both your mind and your body. But at this point, there is no one else than the mountain itself, which is currently operating at its highest point; both the psyche and physical strength have been broken down, bit by bit, over the time it took you to reach the top. You fight furiously against the biting cold, blinding snowstorm and tough terrain. Up on the mountainside, there is no loving Mother to hold your hand, only the merciless Mother Nature with the upper hand, handing out slap after slap to the face, holding you tight in this hopeless situation you now face and are unable to flee from. This suddenly creates a completely new image of actual mountain climbing – It is not about how close you are to the top, but how far you are from the bottom. As soon as these characters begin to realize this it is too late, since a few climbers let their conceit shine a little too long when they were at the top, while others dropped from the pack on the way there and therefore arrives at the top outside of the recommended timeframe. This leaves the company of climbers spread out over the entire mountain exactly at the point where the worst storm hits them – some made it to the more secure points, while others see themselves "frozen in place” at the most dangerous parts of the mountain – both in figurative and literal sense.

At this point, the tension on the titular mountain is sky-high and one begins to wonder about the survival chances of these characters. ‘Everest’ slowly climbs towards a climatic and emotional climax, but despite the otherwise calm and quiet ascension, suddenly the film finds a need to speed forward and rush away to bind together all loose ends, while downscaling the whole scenario way too quickly. It is sad that the end appears so cold and pale when it arrives, opposite the otherwise blistering battle for survival in the mountain blizzard, which we had just witnessed. The people behind this movie simply don’t bother much with their characters, which is clear as daylight towards the very end, where they don’t seem to follow through with them. It ends up feeling like a cheap fix instead, which tries to cover up all the holes in both plot and characters, which they obviously don’t bother to fill out themselves. Instead they drown their characters in emotional muddle, desperately trying to tie the story together with the reality of it, in just a few short minutes. In all honesty, it just seems so lazy, rushed and haphazardly hard-hearted – especially because I had hoped that the film wasn’t one of those plain white tales, inspired by a true story, which all too often takes the easy way out. ‘Everest’ certainly has a great mass to it once we are on the mountainside, with a proper sense of pace and drama too, but I can easily see the film work just as well, if not better, if it wasn’t based on real events. This film is definitely at its strongest and most penetrating, when the wind and weather is as well, which can only mean that the mountain is the true winner of this film – not the characters of which the film is actually based on.


The Acting
As I mentioned earlier, the characters are mostly flat and presented poorly, while wearing the outermost layer of a thin personality, but in return, the acting has a lot of depth to compensate for the characters’ lack of abilities. Jason Clarke delivers one of his best performances in the role of Rob Hall – but only when the movie allows him to unfold properly – where he really manages to make his character this warm and calm person, who builds his superior knowledge and pitch-perfect perception upon caution, but he does so with a great big heart, which sometimes produces an internal conflict with himself, in which he is unsure if he should listen to his brain or his heart? Clarke is incredibly convincing when he is up close and personal with those fateful decisions, especially when he forsakes the chance to make a difference. His character is certainly the most human and honest person on this expedition.

Jake Gyllenhaal as Scott Fischer is the direct opposite of Jason Clarke's character, where his attitude is more cool, calm and collected, where his whole mindset is about running forward and putting all problems behind – the thing is though, that his problems are placed ahead of him as far as the eye can see, which should make it a little harder just skipping over it all. This mentality also allows him some resistance on the mountain and maybe he isn’t as overly confident once he faces off against the highest mountain in the world. Gyllenhaal has some phenomenal acting capabilities, which also contains an incredible diversity and ability to disappear behind the facades of his confidently-created characters. Unfortunately, though, he is completely wasted in the film, where he seems more like a last-minute decision rather than the driving force to this film, which he could have been. His character is hardly in the film, which disappointed me greatly. Scott Fischer seems like a strong reckless force, filled with both style and substance – well, at least that is how Gyllenhaal chose to portray this man and it works really well. There is certainly lots of personality to play around with, but his character never really catches on or takes off in the film.

Yet another wasted actor is the lovely Robin Wright in the role of Peach Weathers, who only seems important to the story when her husband, Beck Weathers, demands a little counteraction. Josh Brolin plays her husband, but despite of the fact that his character has a lot more screen time than many others, he still falls flat to the ground – not as an actor, but his character is simply so cliché it hurts. Despite the fact that he shows a few shadows of depth, he never really gets to act beyond the edge. Kiera Knightley plays the wife of Rob Hall, who unfortunately also emerges as a thinly drawn character, but with a little more screen time and therefore with a little more emotional empathy in the story. If there is an actor or actress who should be given a lot of attention for a stunning performance, it is without a doubt Emily Watson in the role of Helen Wilton – a base camp supervisor, who always has to make sure that everything is in order around her, while she finds it extremely difficult to handle when certain problems lies beyond her control. She is a fragile and forceful woman, who actually reminds me of something real that I can reach out for, which makes me all the more invested for it.


The Technical Aspect
There is no doubt about the fact that 'Everest' is visually wonderful in so many ways, especially from a technical and technological perspective, where all action and excitement is delivered in an almost exclusive kind of way, which makes it all appear like being done with total ease. It is admirable to look at, when the director traps his audience inside a massive snowstorm, after which he keeps us until we feel the cold coming through the canvas. You can really feel a shock inside the seats when the wind crashes over the mountainside, which once again demonstrates the dominant and ultra-authentic approach that the director has for this film.

It is just too bad that the film appears way too neutral once the excitement has cooled down. There is really a lack of personality behind the camera and especially the many close-ups during the dramatic scenes were slightly forgotten during the more intense ones. The best way to describe it would be that the film is best when the weather is worst. On the other hand, I have great respect for Baltasar Kormákur's decision to film on real mountainsides and in actual snowstorms, which only reinforces the audiences’ beliefs. And as far as I could see, it was virtually impossible to visually spot the computer-generated imagery in 'Everest', which in itself is a huge accomplishment. Well, if you look hard enough it is definitely possible to spot the weak spots, but the eventful elements in the film have an unmatched amount of pure authenticity, which makes you believe the movie when everything else fails.


The Soundscape
The sound mixing in 'Everest' is just as impressive as the visual aspect – if not even better. The film has lots of shaking and breaking coming through the speakers, which can challenge and push any sound system past its peak. But also the cleaner and clearer pitches on the peak, like when ice and snow comes flying directly at the camera, is incredibly compelling and adds several thousand microscopic layers to the film. In my opinion, without such an impressive sound mix, I doubt I had been blown backwards in the same way as it was the case in the final result. The musical soundtrack is a little bland and boring, but fortunately there is not much use for it throughout the film, since the story works the best when the sound of biting cold and thundering avalanches comes crashing down right beside the ears of the audience.


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SHORT SUMMARY // 'Everest' is a slow climber captured in headwind and doesn’t quite capture our attention from the start. But when we finally begin to climb the actual mountain, up above the peaks, the air begins to feel seriously thin and even the audience has difficulty breathing when the movie hits its highest point. The film contains a ground-breaking visualization of the mountaineering concept, which is realized through dynamic effects and solid acting performances. It is especially the ultra-realistic soundscape, which can be felt all the way into the bone with lots of hard-hitting noises, while the bitter cold and substantial snow storm can be felt through the sound as well. ‘Everest’ is a film that is all about the experience and the empathy – both for the characters and the audience. By the way, if you choose to go hiking and climb this cinematic beast, I recommend you check it out in the IMAX format – it was practically made for it.

So, we got a Roland Emmerich movie? If I were to watch it without reading anything, I would be extremely disappointed, but so many reviews have done that work for me that I can temper my expectations when I catch it. It is a shame that these actors, and this story, were wasted on an effects disaster movie. How does the film treat Boukreev? Is he portrayed as a hero like most real accounts or as selfish like Into Thin Air?

Well, an Emmerich movie would have way more action and more obvious CG. This isn't exactly a disaster movie, since the execution of the action and the intensity of the storm scenes are way more up close and personal. It is all very authentic and it isn't a full blown scenario.

As I said, the first hour nothing really happens and when things does happen it isn't constant action but more a constant struggle for these characters caught on the mountain. So I guess it is more drama than action, but unfortunately the drama is kind of weak. So yes, the actors and story were both wasted, but not on a disaster movie per say. More just because the writers and director couldn't tell the story properly.

And I honestly can't tell you about how they portrayed Boukreev. I hardly even remember his place in this movie. As I said, the characters are so weak and we hardly ever follow any of them but just glide above them all, not knowing who is who except for like 4-5 people.