I could see this movie being the kind of movie a philosophy or social studies teacher would have their students watch and outline all the symbolism and various aspects of social groups and system of government. The movie isn't a realistic movie by any means nor does it even obey the laws of physics, though it takes itself very serious at the same time. In that aspect I didn't find it an enjoyable watch...
Going into this movie I saw it had a high score and simply involved a vertical prison, so I'm thinking Shawshank of a more abstract sense, and went in hopeful. I didn't read anything about it being a 100% symbolic movie relating to capitalism or social classes and had I known that I wouldn't have watched it. Me personally, I tend to prefer movies purely for their entertainment value, that's not to say I don't like a good thinkers movie such as Interstellar or Inception, but on average I don't like movies driven by a political message, and that's really all this movie is, and the purpose for me writing this review is to let others know.
So... Knowing that you may find this movie really appealing and the acting itself is pretty good. I found the first few minutes very intriguing as you are immersed into this world / prison with no information and basically put in the shoes of the main character, and I do like movies where you're just thrown into something not knowing what the heck is going on. However after a few minutes I started to realize pretty quickly that the prison, the people, and everything in the movie is a symbol for a capitalistic society that is striving to be a communistic one given the limited resources, at least that was my take on it. I'm sure others would relish the opportunity to debate every single aspect of this movie from the platform itself down to the escargot, and point out the 101 symbolistic meanings, but for me I find this very uninteresting. If anything I watch movies to escape reality and be entertained, not to dive into the heart of the socialistic onion, meanwhile I'm being bounced out of the movie as I start to wonder "So how is that platform actually moving up and down again?"
So yeah, in the end I can see the appeal this movie may have on political revolutionists, those heavy into symbolism or as a philosophical class project. But for those who enjoy movies purely for entertainment value this may not be your gig. In the end I gave it a 3/10 not because I didn't like it (well that may have some contribution), but because while it's somewhat original I didn't find it that deep or thought provoking other than the obvious "this is representative of that, wash, rinse & repeat..." Not to mention I just found a lot of things ridiculous, stupid, and in some cases devoid of any fundamental laws of physics
Going into this movie I saw it had a high score and simply involved a vertical prison, so I'm thinking Shawshank of a more abstract sense, and went in hopeful. I didn't read anything about it being a 100% symbolic movie relating to capitalism or social classes and had I known that I wouldn't have watched it. Me personally, I tend to prefer movies purely for their entertainment value, that's not to say I don't like a good thinkers movie such as Interstellar or Inception, but on average I don't like movies driven by a political message, and that's really all this movie is, and the purpose for me writing this review is to let others know.
So... Knowing that you may find this movie really appealing and the acting itself is pretty good. I found the first few minutes very intriguing as you are immersed into this world / prison with no information and basically put in the shoes of the main character, and I do like movies where you're just thrown into something not knowing what the heck is going on. However after a few minutes I started to realize pretty quickly that the prison, the people, and everything in the movie is a symbol for a capitalistic society that is striving to be a communistic one given the limited resources, at least that was my take on it. I'm sure others would relish the opportunity to debate every single aspect of this movie from the platform itself down to the escargot, and point out the 101 symbolistic meanings, but for me I find this very uninteresting. If anything I watch movies to escape reality and be entertained, not to dive into the heart of the socialistic onion, meanwhile I'm being bounced out of the movie as I start to wonder "So how is that platform actually moving up and down again?"
So yeah, in the end I can see the appeal this movie may have on political revolutionists, those heavy into symbolism or as a philosophical class project. But for those who enjoy movies purely for entertainment value this may not be your gig. In the end I gave it a 3/10 not because I didn't like it (well that may have some contribution), but because while it's somewhat original I didn't find it that deep or thought provoking other than the obvious "this is representative of that, wash, rinse & repeat..." Not to mention I just found a lot of things ridiculous, stupid, and in some cases devoid of any fundamental laws of physics