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Captain Fantastic (2016)
Director: Matt Ross
Writer: Matt Ross
Cast: Viggo Mortensen, George MacKay, Samantha Isler
Genre: Comedy, Drama
This didn't feel like a movie that would be called Captain Fantastic....From that poster and title it looked like it was going to be a Wes Anderson type film, it wasn't...I have a hunch that the poster and title was designed to hook Wes Anderson fans.
Right at the start of the movie my senses were enriched by seeing a beautiful deer, leisurely walking through the deep evergreen woods. I was thrilled that much of the movie was filmed in my home state of western Washington and the lush woods in the movie is indeed what the rural areas look like....Then my emotions were assaulted by seeing a close up killing of the deer, as it's throat is slit and blood pours forth. Yes, it's a CG deer, but the emotional impact is the same.
Heartwarming??? Yes I always find watching someone eating the heart of a deer 'heartwarming'...or was that the liver?
The whole opening scene put me in a dismal mood that took 20 minutes to recover from. Yes, folks I timed how long it took for the film to win me back into it's good graces. Eventually it did win me back, but that opening scene can never make me feel this was, 'Heartwarming, Funny'.
Beautifully Performed? Oh sure everyone did their jobs fine, but I wasn't blown away by any of the actors, nor did I connect to any of the characters. If you like kids some of them were cute. And if you like naked kids you get to see that too (sarcasm). Sure nudity is naturally, but should the parents of a child actor encourage a small child to be naked on the set? Not that it bothered me personally, but I feel bad for the small child who wasn't old enough to make that decision for herself.
I'd like to have seen more originality in the script and in the themes being explored, not by showing 'shock scenes'. Shock scenes are a sign of a director who doesn't have much to say.
I could forgive it for some serious plot holes if the movie had been done more as a comedy, as oppose to a drama with some lighter moments.
The fake heart attack to steal groceries made no sense, especially as the father had just went to the bank and gotten lots of money...and earlier on the bus he had warned his kids 'how going up against 'the man' could defeat them and it wasn't fair, but that's how the real world works, so it was best to avoid confrontations'.....then he decides to have his family shoplift? I thought they were a super intelligent and socially-politically wise family?
And what's with the idea that if they drove to New Mexico and showed up at the funeral, the grandfather would have them arrested. How? The movie never explained how they would be arrested for attending a funeral.
Too many glaring plot holes and that's poor script writing as it assumes the audience won't care. Well I do care.
Captain Fantastic (2016)
Director: Matt Ross
Writer: Matt Ross
Cast: Viggo Mortensen, George MacKay, Samantha Isler
Genre: Comedy, Drama
"In the forests of the Pacific Northwest, a father devoted to raising his six kids with a rigorous physical and intellectual education is forced to leave his paradise and enter the world, challenging his idea of what it means to be a parent. "
This didn't feel like a movie that would be called Captain Fantastic....From that poster and title it looked like it was going to be a Wes Anderson type film, it wasn't...I have a hunch that the poster and title was designed to hook Wes Anderson fans.
Right at the start of the movie my senses were enriched by seeing a beautiful deer, leisurely walking through the deep evergreen woods. I was thrilled that much of the movie was filmed in my home state of western Washington and the lush woods in the movie is indeed what the rural areas look like....Then my emotions were assaulted by seeing a close up killing of the deer, as it's throat is slit and blood pours forth. Yes, it's a CG deer, but the emotional impact is the same.
Heartwarming??? Yes I always find watching someone eating the heart of a deer 'heartwarming'...or was that the liver?
The whole opening scene put me in a dismal mood that took 20 minutes to recover from. Yes, folks I timed how long it took for the film to win me back into it's good graces. Eventually it did win me back, but that opening scene can never make me feel this was, 'Heartwarming, Funny'.
Beautifully Performed? Oh sure everyone did their jobs fine, but I wasn't blown away by any of the actors, nor did I connect to any of the characters. If you like kids some of them were cute. And if you like naked kids you get to see that too (sarcasm). Sure nudity is naturally, but should the parents of a child actor encourage a small child to be naked on the set? Not that it bothered me personally, but I feel bad for the small child who wasn't old enough to make that decision for herself.
I'd like to have seen more originality in the script and in the themes being explored, not by showing 'shock scenes'. Shock scenes are a sign of a director who doesn't have much to say.
I could forgive it for some serious plot holes if the movie had been done more as a comedy, as oppose to a drama with some lighter moments.
The fake heart attack to steal groceries made no sense, especially as the father had just went to the bank and gotten lots of money...and earlier on the bus he had warned his kids 'how going up against 'the man' could defeat them and it wasn't fair, but that's how the real world works, so it was best to avoid confrontations'.....then he decides to have his family shoplift? I thought they were a super intelligent and socially-politically wise family?
And what's with the idea that if they drove to New Mexico and showed up at the funeral, the grandfather would have them arrested. How? The movie never explained how they would be arrested for attending a funeral.
Too many glaring plot holes and that's poor script writing as it assumes the audience won't care. Well I do care.