I walked into this dark, with my only knowledge of the movie being that Jane Fonda was the main character. And I have to say, I wish I had a better understanding of what the movie was before I went into it. It is, quite obviously, a product of its time. Arguably the best parts of the movie (or the only actual parts of the movie, as my roommate would argue) are the very trippy visuals and well done technical aspects, as well as every time we get to see Jane Fonda in various levels of nudity, or in post-coital bliss.
I ended up finding the movie not all that entertaining, the plot boring, the bits of comedy forced a little to hard, and whatever amount of feminism was intended going in I'm 90% sure turned into objectification at some point.
Forlorn Drifter wrote:I ended up finding the movie not all that entertaining, the plot boring, the bits of comedy forced a little to hard, and whatever amount of feminism was intended going in I'm 90% sure turned into objectification at some point.
You are correct on all points, but the introduction is amazing!
Forlorn Drifter wrote:I ended up finding the movie not all that entertaining, the plot boring, the bits of comedy forced a little to hard, and whatever amount of feminism was intended going in I'm 90% sure turned into objectification at some point.
You are correct on all points, but the introduction is amazing!
As I said, the best parts of the movie were when she was in various levels of undress. As much as I've heard about the movie, I expected more, and higher quality. For some reason I was expecting weird fiction style sci-fi action, rather than hippies in space fixing their problems through sex. Plus, various parts of the movie felt like one of those strange art installations with people in them...
Though, I will never get enough of the sixties style. Shag carpet space ships and that look that the women had then, hubba hubba.
Pretty awesome and insane movie. Sort of a slow burner that then turns into an explosion of "wtf am I watching?" -- I don't want to ruin anything. But I recommend this one big time.
It definitely stuck with me for a while after watching it. A very smart and effective horror film.
Not sure why so many people like this movie. Please allow me to explain why:
Perhaps if I had a family or was afraid of worm eating shadows I might get a sense of creepiness, but this movie did nothing for me.
Even to this day when the vampires in THE LOST BOYS chase Nanook, I basically yell at my tv "RUN NANOOK! RUN!". I have to turn my head away from the screen when Hooch is shot in TURNER AND HOOCH. When people die in movies..."whatevs". But when an animal dies I promise you I get emotional.
When the Mother goes Superman neck snapping on a dog in BABADOOK, I felt nothing. And this is a horror movie. I should have been near tears or at least shocked but instead I was thinking "Who didn't see this coming a mile away?".
Love the idea of focusing on the psychological state of the Mother instead of the monster, but could we at least know if the monster exists? Sometimes it seems like a figment of imagination, sometimes it's a "shadow ghost who wears a top hat, makes you vomit black goo, and also has a taste for worms". What?
None of it connects for me. It's not scary, not clever, nor is it cohesive.
I do believe the idea of losing a husband and the fear of being a single Mother tortured by an anthropomorphic "ghost" of her fears is an incredible idea. But pop-up books and kids being weird doesn't do it for me.
Last edited by Luke on Sun Aug 23, 2015 11:06 pm, edited 3 times in total.
I'm in Luke's camp with my reaction to The Babadook.
I felt like The Babadook has a good idea behind it and that it resonated with a lot of people means that the horror must work on a certain level. But it didn't work for me.
While I was watching it, I realized pretty early on that this is a "horror of motherhood" sort of thing but was never really able to identify with the protagonist enough for her fears to feel real to me. Once I realized that basic premise, established pretty early in the film, I just kind of watched things play out without any further investment in the characters or their situation. I just couldn't connect with what the movie was trying to do.
I am a parent to two young children, and the movie terrified me. Even the very best children can be trying, and the movie definitely tapped into some of of my deepest fears as a parent. (Also, as a fan of silent horror films, I think that the the monster is great.) If you do not have children, however, I can see how it might not affect you as much. (Moreover, the "Home Alone" segment was pretty corny in hindsight.)
I know a lot of people love it, but Rosemary's Baby did absolutely nothing for me. My mother, however, watched it when she was pregnant - with me! - and to this day, she still considers it the scariest film ever made.
As much as I've heard about the movie, I expected more, and higher quality. For some reason I was expecting weird fiction style sci-fi action, rather than hippies in space fixing their problems through sex. Plus, various parts of the movie felt like one of those strange art installations with people in them...
