Strong, but not without its share of flaws
Strong, strong movie but probably my least favorite Eggers offering thus far. Well, it's most comparable to The Witch in a multitude of ways, and on par with that, but I feel I would choose that simply because it was one of a kind. All of his other films are wildly original. This one kind of felt like "Why did you actually decide to make this when you could have made another unique film?"
Gorgeous looking movie. Paced very tastefully, but it feels as if Eggers chose coming off as tasteful over striving for entertainment. Though the movie was great overall, it dragged in the middle, and certainly could have used a solid 20-30 minutes cut from it. The middle portion is also the only portion that begins to feel rather cliche and formulaic, a bit too "this feels too much like too many other movies".
The last half hour was definitely the strongest portion in my opinion, and served as quite redeeming. I especially loved the finale - it is exquisite from all angles, but especially visually, and in its direction. I admit I could watch the ending over and over. It's quite incredible.
Another of the films only flaws would be in the casting/acting, in my opinion. While Nicolas Hoult held it all down very, very well. And I still can't believe that was Bill Skaarsgard - he is completely unidentifiable as Orlok, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and especially Lily Rose-Depp were unfortunately inconsistent. While they both had some very strong moments, for every impressive moment, there were just as many that were impossible to take seriously. And while they're both very talented, with a gothic tale meant to be this dramatic, romantic, and tragic - these moments of acting imperfection take away from the potential trance that this movie should otherwise have you in. Herzog's Nosferatu was great because it was one of the most dreamlike films I've ever seen - the whole thing plays like a fever dream and it's never broken - this is the way I feel a Nosferatu film should play. While Eggers' version certainly has its effective sequences, it, much like the aforementioned performances, does not remain consistent in this regard.
Those criticisms aside, Eggers' Nosferatu is still a very strong film. The environments, music, sound design, imagery, and most of the dialogue are excellent. There is much to love about this movie, as is the case with all of Eggers' work. Though it felt slow, I do admittedly already have the desire to see some of the sequences again. Of course, Willem Dafoe was also perfection, and the real show-stealer was the rat-king henchman under the spell of his dark lord. I can't access his name right now cuz I'm on an airplane as I write this, but he was the best part of the entire cast. Let me also say, this is better than 90% of contemporary American horror films, so that too is something to celebrate.
Gorgeous looking movie. Paced very tastefully, but it feels as if Eggers chose coming off as tasteful over striving for entertainment. Though the movie was great overall, it dragged in the middle, and certainly could have used a solid 20-30 minutes cut from it. The middle portion is also the only portion that begins to feel rather cliche and formulaic, a bit too "this feels too much like too many other movies".
The last half hour was definitely the strongest portion in my opinion, and served as quite redeeming. I especially loved the finale - it is exquisite from all angles, but especially visually, and in its direction. I admit I could watch the ending over and over. It's quite incredible.
Another of the films only flaws would be in the casting/acting, in my opinion. While Nicolas Hoult held it all down very, very well. And I still can't believe that was Bill Skaarsgard - he is completely unidentifiable as Orlok, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and especially Lily Rose-Depp were unfortunately inconsistent. While they both had some very strong moments, for every impressive moment, there were just as many that were impossible to take seriously. And while they're both very talented, with a gothic tale meant to be this dramatic, romantic, and tragic - these moments of acting imperfection take away from the potential trance that this movie should otherwise have you in. Herzog's Nosferatu was great because it was one of the most dreamlike films I've ever seen - the whole thing plays like a fever dream and it's never broken - this is the way I feel a Nosferatu film should play. While Eggers' version certainly has its effective sequences, it, much like the aforementioned performances, does not remain consistent in this regard.
Those criticisms aside, Eggers' Nosferatu is still a very strong film. The environments, music, sound design, imagery, and most of the dialogue are excellent. There is much to love about this movie, as is the case with all of Eggers' work. Though it felt slow, I do admittedly already have the desire to see some of the sequences again. Of course, Willem Dafoe was also perfection, and the real show-stealer was the rat-king henchman under the spell of his dark lord. I can't access his name right now cuz I'm on an airplane as I write this, but he was the best part of the entire cast. Let me also say, this is better than 90% of contemporary American horror films, so that too is something to celebrate.
Helpful•59
- Stay_away_from_the_Metropol
- Dec 30, 2024
