Finding negative reviews of EWS from major outlets is not difficult.
Though famous for cohesive, absorbing and sometimes thoroughly unsettling drama with inexplicable endings, here Kubrick spends a fortune and (inexplicably) fifteen months shooting a film that is, at heart, a type of bad TV drama or inoffensive mystery drama about a Doctor (Tom Cruise, apparently) drifting around at night consumed by the idea his wife had thoughts for another man a year before.
The story, rather than evolving out of it's character naturally, seems rather mannered and stilted in it's story. The main problem is the character's motivation feels unlikely, and the "mysterious, sinister sex cult" he encounters via some details from an old friend at a jazz club aren't truly sinister, or explained. They just don't feel motivated properly - more in keeping with the polite scares and episodic nature of fairly bad TV drama, uninintentionally funny in places plus Eyes Wide Shut contains endless shots of naked women and references to sex - the film feels oddly distant and slight of plot however.
Other zingers that are very anti-Kubrick include a very obvious one-note "spooky piano" score and, really, no outstanding set design or visual compositions. I mean, yes, the film's professionally made but for the hundreds of takes involved you basically get Tom Cruise playing Tom Cruise - a bad casting choice for the part although he "looks good on camera" and recurring themes about infidelity, rich vs poor, secrecy and threats.
The film is a BIT like Scorsese's After Hours film but with a lot of boobs. Boobs boobs boobs. Everywhere. Plus, a rather goofy "sex cult" who are apparently mask-wearing elites that desperately want their identity kept secret.
The film lacks real depth, subtext, plotting or emotional impact - some exchanges between Cruise and Kidman are very well done but the production's oddly self-indulgent, slow pace make it apparent that Kubrick had lost whatever compelling and original style he had; I suspect without his name on the credits this flick would be very much an emperors new clothes sort of thing, ie "why are these rich famous people making such a silly, low budget sort of film?".
Though famous for cohesive, absorbing and sometimes thoroughly unsettling drama with inexplicable endings, here Kubrick spends a fortune and (inexplicably) fifteen months shooting a film that is, at heart, a type of bad TV drama or inoffensive mystery drama about a Doctor (Tom Cruise, apparently) drifting around at night consumed by the idea his wife had thoughts for another man a year before.
The story, rather than evolving out of it's character naturally, seems rather mannered and stilted in it's story. The main problem is the character's motivation feels unlikely, and the "mysterious, sinister sex cult" he encounters via some details from an old friend at a jazz club aren't truly sinister, or explained. They just don't feel motivated properly - more in keeping with the polite scares and episodic nature of fairly bad TV drama, uninintentionally funny in places plus Eyes Wide Shut contains endless shots of naked women and references to sex - the film feels oddly distant and slight of plot however.
Other zingers that are very anti-Kubrick include a very obvious one-note "spooky piano" score and, really, no outstanding set design or visual compositions. I mean, yes, the film's professionally made but for the hundreds of takes involved you basically get Tom Cruise playing Tom Cruise - a bad casting choice for the part although he "looks good on camera" and recurring themes about infidelity, rich vs poor, secrecy and threats.
The film is a BIT like Scorsese's After Hours film but with a lot of boobs. Boobs boobs boobs. Everywhere. Plus, a rather goofy "sex cult" who are apparently mask-wearing elites that desperately want their identity kept secret.
The film lacks real depth, subtext, plotting or emotional impact - some exchanges between Cruise and Kidman are very well done but the production's oddly self-indulgent, slow pace make it apparent that Kubrick had lost whatever compelling and original style he had; I suspect without his name on the credits this flick would be very much an emperors new clothes sort of thing, ie "why are these rich famous people making such a silly, low budget sort of film?".