And I mean literally. This thing goes out of its way and uses every cheesy trick there is to make you physically ill. Jumpy cameras, god-awful black and trash lighting, loud noises, obnoxious sound effects, flashing lights etc etc etc.
I gave it a four....on second thought, a three. No, a 3.14159265.
I know right?
I had seen this in the theater when it came out and I thought I remembered liking this because of all the interesting math information but watching it last night I realized that there was like ten minutes of interesting science and a ton of crap as you describe. I finally had to just turn it off.
Good concept with extremely poor execution. It really isn't a smart movie about interesting things, it's more of a 'thriller/mystery with a side of assault on your senses.
3.14159265.... from me as well. And that's being generous.
I have to disagree here. Did you not get the sense that all of the loud sounds and shaky camera work were to better illustrate the protagonist's paranoia? I just watched this film for the first time tonight and I must say I thought it was fantastic for a directorial debut.
shareI guarantee you that the constant barrage of visual and audio effects were completely intentional, and vital to the story. The camera motions, quick cuts, stark lighting, the frantic soundtrack etc. are designed to make the viewer feel like Max as he slowly loses his mind to paranoia and delusions. I think it works exceptionally well, actually.
You mentioned that it made you feel physically ill... I had a pretty similar reaction. A few scenes made me so uncomfortable I was twisting and turning in my seat. Again, I'm sure that's what the director was going for. It puts you into Max's mindset and forces you to understand the torture that his own brain is putting him through.