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9/10

Though about it for days and don't know what to make of it.

ohenderson-0431923 January 2024

Funny, but disturbing. Shocking, but light hearted. Somewhere between Frakenstein's monster and a teenage coming of age film.

Having spent days thinking about it, I still don't know what to make of this film, other than that it was thoroughly engaging and as unique as anything I've seen.

As a fairly casual cinema viewer when the film started in black and white with completely abstract scenes, I groaned inwardly. If this was to be the entire film, I honestly believed I would have left before the hour mark.

But slowly, the film took hold. There are some interesting ethical and moral questions included, which the film passes no judgement on, merely leaving it to the viewer. I don't know what to think and this made me love every minute of it.

This film is not for everyone and is clearly aimed more at the arts crowd and awards than the average viewer, but as someone who is not an arty type, but enjoys something different, this film fits the bill.

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9/10

The paradox of belonging

giuliajeanofficial2 February 2024

Warning: Spoilers

This film is a journey through the absurdities of life that are conventionally accepted by society.

Bella is brought back to life by a scientist who swapped her brain with the one of a newborn, so she sees and experience the world without any social lens and she is indeed free from all the little things that cage us - she doesn't marry the guy her "father" wants her to marry, she's curious, seeks adventure and she looks at sex as a way to make herself feel happy.

I don't know if i read it correctly, but one of the themes that I see in this movie is the "belonging", as in "if I belong to someone I have to make sacrifices in order to be with that person, or I need to behave in a certain way to be worthy of this person", which has been a leitmotif of women's lives though out the centuries.

With Bella we don't see this kind of dynamic, because she acts only to make herself feel joy and happiness, so her happiness doesn't belong outside of anyone else and she has power over it.

Bella teaches us the importance of freedom at all costs, even when we are making the worst decision but it's OUR decision and we will face the consequences of it.

Love is often mistaken with possess, God loves Bella = he wants her to never leave her house.

The Lawyer loves her = he kidnaps her and brings her on a boat.

I personally love that she never feels sorry or desperate or in need to be saved, she is her own hero!

I really loved the fact that there are no good or bad characters, everyone has flaws and perks, even the protagonist herself.

Emma Stone is INCREDIBLE in this, she made me forgot she was acting, Defoe gives us a genius portrait of a mad genius, without being a caricature.

This has to be my favorite out of all the Lanthimos movies.

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10/10

The Weirdest Masterpiece I've Seen in Many Years

kjproulx6 January 2024

Warning: Spoilers

For the reason that I'm completely unsure who this film is aimed at (aside from film lovers like myself), I will not be recommending this one, but I'll also state that this is one of my favourite films in years. If that intrigues you, then maybe Poor Things is your cup of tea. Yorgos Lanthimos is a director with a clear vision that I deeply admire. I don't love all of his work, but the worst I can say about any of his films is that I appreciate them. Well, Poor Things just jumped to the top of my list of favourite Lanthimos pictures. This is a pure work of art, in the weirdest, most bizarre way possible. I'm still trying to wrap my head around the brilliance of Poor Things. Let's dive right in.

The film begins as Dr. Godwin Baxter (Willem Dafoe) finds the dead body of a pregnant woman. After taking her corpse to his lab, he makes an incision and removes the baby from her body. He then takes out the woman's brain and replaces it with her baby's brain. Then, much like in the style of Frankenstein, he reanimates the body and she comes to life. He refers to her as Bella (Emma Stone) and refuses to let her leave home. Much like an infant, Bella learns to walk, speak, and also learns every detail of her body. Upon meeting Duncan Wedderburn (Mark Ruffalo), the two of them form a connection and flock away to roam the world together and get very intimate. That's the jist of what sets this film in motion, so if that already turns you off, I would recommend not watching it.

If you're still intrigued, well then this film is a masterpiece. This story is told in a very unique style. As they visit real places in the world, it's done in an incredibly artistic and surreal way. This film is aware that the premise is impossible, so it makes the visuals and details match the absurdity and I couldn't get enough of it. The production designers, art directors, set decorator, costume designer, and the makeup department all deserve endless praise for their work here. They brought Lanthimos' vision to life in stunning fashion. The look of this film blew me away, on top of me already loving the wackiness of the story.

Honestly, all I want to do is gush about this film. The camerawork, the score, every performance, and even the incredibly worded dialogue all just made this a remarkable achievement. Emma Stone deserves an Oscar for her performance here too. I haven't seen such an odd performance done this well and this committed in quite some time. She's a true revelation here and her chemistry with Mark Ruffalo was hilarious. He also deserves all of the recognition he's receiving for this.

Poor Things is a very rare kind of filmmaking that doesn't come around very often. Yes, it's weird beyond what words could ever describe and I even watched a couple of people walk out of my screening, but I just can't feel that way. The craft onscreen is undeniable and I could only dream of ever being able to make a film this masterful. In every conceivable way, I believe this is my favourite film of 2023. If you're someone who is up for watching anything and willing to give anything a shot, I seriously can't recommend this film enough. I'm currently adding it to my list of favourites, ever.

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8/10

Odd, very interesting, uncomfortable to some, misunderstood by many

nickevangelopoulos29 January 2024

This is a very unusual movie. I enjoyed watching it, even though it felt awkward at times (as promised by the creators and many reviewers). In my opinion, many users who gave it a 1/10, missed the point. For sure, it is a movie for very mature and sophisticated audiences. It contains a lot of ugly truths about the world, so don't watch it if those bother you. (Don't watch it with teenagers, either, wait until they are 20 or 21.) I appreciated the creative direction, cinematography, and Emma Stone's acting talent. The plot covers multiple aspects of privilege and abuse in thought-provoking ways. On a very high level, you could say that it has some similarities to Barbie, but a very different approach. It is almost the anti-Barbie. The contrast between these two 2023 movies is definitely worth a class discussion in some graduate course of film criticism.

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10/10

A movie beyond movies

evatozos3 March 2024

This film is an unconventional masterpiece.

A tale of fantasy perfectly executed in every aspect.

I would also call it an avant guard movie. As such,I suspect that half or more of the viewers will hate it.

It is fresh,a black and white and colour feast of the eyes and at the same time a bit shocking. It is worth every minute of its 2h21 minutes running time.

Words are poor things to describe this film. It would be better to start watching and form your own opinion.

If I could,I would give it more than 10 for directing masterful, acting sublime, style,sets and colour fantastic, script not one word wasted.

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8/10

Very interesting and unique film.

heartofdorkness081826 January 2024

Beautifully Shot, exceptionally acted, weird, funny, and very unique.

Reminiscent of the films of Terry Gilliam, "Poor Things" has a visual style that is equally familiar and fantastic. From its steampunk like vehicles to its man-made amalgamated animals, I have not seen anything quite like it.

Emma Stone gives a performance that, at first is quite sociopathic, but evolves into a woman who is intellectual, both of the world around her and of her own body and physical desires. She deserves her Best Actress Academy Award nomination this year.

It is a very exposing performance as she has many intimate scenes with Mark Ruffalo (who is also nominated for Supporting Actor) as well as many others as she develops her understanding of the world and her place in it. So, I would prepare yourself for quite a lot of skin and sexual exploration. I watched the film alone (literally the only person in the theater) but it may not be a comfortable viewing experience with a family member or friend.

I do recommend this if you like the unusual art film. But I can see it as not being everyone's idea of a fun time at the movies.

I might almost pair it up with "Barbie" as a thematic double feature as both films explore feminism in 2 very different ways.

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6/10

A child in a women's body has tons of sex

mcdonaldparis-8380915 March 2024

I usually like quirky original movies, and there are a lot of individual elements that are great in this film such as the character's, acting, and world, but at its core this film has little to say and is deeply disturbing.

The core premises of this film without giving too much away is that a child's mind resides in a woman's body. The child is maybe 1-2 years old but no older than 5 and the plot is how much this kid has sex with other adult men.

I felt deeply uncomfortable thinking about a toddler discovering sexual organs and having wild sex and masturbating constantly and publicly because they don't know any better. Some people may say "that's not the point of the film" but it's a purposeful and prominent aspect that gets heavy emphasis throughout the entire run-time.

It feel like the writer wanted to tell the cliched story of the naïvety of a child but also wanted to tell a story about how promiscuous women upset insecure men and I think it's wildly inappropriate or just a bad idea in general to mix those two stories together. Wouldn't you think so?

Which is too bad because I liked everything else surrounding the premise. The cast was perfectly cast and Mark Ruffalo's terrible English accent, although distracting, was very fitting for his phoney shallow character and Gondi loved every second of him on screen. The world was rich and realized, every shot was interesting and the music was fantastic, I just wish it didn't all hinge on such a creepy "what if a kid had a lot of sex".

Not to mention there was a scene where two literal children watched a man and woman have sex. It was played for laughs and it was funny on its own as a concept because it's so absurd, but it made me wonder why twice now we're focusing on underaged people witnessing or engaging in sex acts.

I can see people being upset and getting defensive because if they liked the film maybe I'm saying they're a bad person or something, I'm not saying that. If you think all these aspects are fine then by all means enjoy the film, but I think it's fair to be critical on something like this and think about why some decisions were made when making this film. Like I said, there is a lot to love and if the premise doesn't bother you then you will love this movie.

I'm not a prude, have as much sex with whoever you want or however you want it, just maybe keep the theme of kids away from it.

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10/10

A triumph and a miracle.

stefanocanavese14 February 2024

I've never written a review here, but inside me, I feel the deep necessity of seeing this movie succeed and become a classic. I hope this, among other reviews, will push more people to experience this outstanding product at the theater because it deserves all the attention in this world.

This is not a movie from 2023, this is a timeless piece of art, a slap in the face to some directors who are too much inside their egocentric bubble and take for granted that their name is enough to make a good movie.

Lanthimos, on the other hand, has the ambition and humility to not take anything for granted. His movie considers and elevates every tool cinema offers to tell this story uniquely.

Take cinematography, for example: the extreme wide fisheye accentuates the absurdity of the situation, the zoom amplifies emotions and engulfs you, the playful bokeh ridicules formality, Ektachrome film saturates reality just like the eyes of a child seeing the world the first time would.

The set design, the prop design, the costume design, the music. They all are spectacularly crafted, bizarre and over the top, yet nothing of it is gratuitous: everything is to tell Bella's story from her very unique point of view.

The character's arch is unlike anything we have ever seen. All the nuances between each stage of her development suggest a crazy amount of dedication from Emma Stone and the director. It is a miracle how smoothly she transitions from being an illiterate and an infant to an adult and a philosopher.

Let's not even mention how the rest of the characters surround, and often suffocate, Bella in a way that not only is perfectly functional to her development, but also metaphorical.

And lastly, this movie is brilliantly audacious! The world and cinema DESPERATELY need more movies like this where sex is something that defines a character and makes it human - we are sexual beings and it shouldn't scare us!! Bella's character is the definition of honesty because, while of course naive, she doesn't hide from her desires as she has no notion of our society's constructs. This movie should open our minds and let us think how irrationally scared we are about our bodies. And I say this especially to American society!

Executives, people are starting to get sick of remakes. Please give more money to this man and let him always express himself to the fullest extent. You'll be rewarded with an original product that is also financially successful.

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Sick Things for sick people.

nexussixreplicant30 January 2024

Warning: Spoilers

Poor things

Despite the great cast, production values and cinematography this film is another example of the truly depraved state of hollywood.

The whole film is a deliberate yet covert attempt to normalise grooming, child abuse, infant rape, prostitution of minors, sex trafficking, mind control and ritual abuse.

The whole premise of the movie is that the mind of a baby is transplanted into the recently deceased mother who had yet to deliver the baby.

Outwardly the baby (Bella Baxter) has appearance of her mother, but for all intentional purposes the mental age of a baby. This is enhanced by her being in a state of arrested development be her environment which is a gilded cage, owing to her "adopted" father figure who is really her handler or pimp. He be-troth's her to a suitor (medical doctor/assistant) via an elaborate contract, yet allows her to go on an extended "vacation" with a sleazy lawyer who is a complete stranger who just happens to sexually assault her on their first meeting at her home then whilst on said "vacation" routinely rapes her as she is not of the age of consent as Bella Baxter has the mental age of child.

Furthermore, her suitor wanted to wait for her to be of age before marriage.

Just because someone looks older (or is perceived to be) doesn't mean they are in actual fact older.

How people can't see this film is the blatant promotion of child molestation and child rape is mind blowing.

Hollywood is truly vile and repugnant.

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6/10

Poor Thing

jalapenochili27 January 2024

I'm a fan of Lanthimos but this film was ironically the "poorest" of his among those i've watched. I thought of the idea and the style to be very interesting from the trailers and inevitably i was very excited to see this film in the theater after a long wait (thanks to the great marketing efforts). Yet, i was very disappointed to find myself disliking it throughout the viewing.

I don't have much to say about the production design and cinematography other than I found those parts of the film mesmerizing and unique, as expected. What I didn't expect was the writing and storytelling to be so cheap and at some points annoying. I understand that there is an intent to create wittiness and absurdness to give a light tone to the movie but it really felt forced and predictable to me most of the time. Honestly, i didn't laugh more than 2 or 3 scenes in the movie and they weren't even that memorable.

I also found Bella's character development rushed and out of nowhere at the ending bits of the film. I really don't want to get into the other characters because non of them i found to be interesting nor well written sadly. Also, the topics this film takes on and the themes it tries to delve into were stayed on the surface in my opinion. About what it is like to become an adult from a child's perspective, about choices of women and how they are treated in the society, about the poor and the rich, about being a human in the modern world, and many more.

Moreover, I would've loved delving deeper into the sensitive sides of Bella and her connection with her mother. Maybe we could've seen some parts of what ignited and caused her mother's suicide rather than seeing a maniac ex-husband holding a gun all the time and then we say "Aha! It makes sense now about her mother jumping from the bridge". Maybe it could've been a cliche but i think i would've rather seeing Bella to realize who she was at the end of the movie rather than in the beginning, just for the sake of witnessing her realization and reaction when she grew up as her surgery would be kept as a secret from her would be more emotional in my opinion.

Sorry for this long review but there were many thoughts i wanted to let it out. Maybe among the points i made, some were a glimpse of positive things, but sadly and mostly it was more about the poor things...

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10/10

The first movie I've ever called a must-watch

alexoicedtea21 January 2024

So me and my friend just picked a random movie with good reviews without knowing anything about it before we went to the cinema, and it was the best thing we've done so far in 2024.

In the beginning of the movie i was ...uncomfortable, and saw many people leaving the cinema and wanted to do so too, but because I knew about the reviews i decided to stay and watch. Amazing choice really. To see the way the characters developed, and the interesting use of camera angles and lenses, the use of colour, and the world being portrayed in a dreamlike way that reminds you of how you saw the world as a child, it was an experience.

My friend and I compared certain parts of the movie to other strange yet comforting forms of media such as "little nightmares", "everything everywhere all at once", and a few others.

But overall I recommend doing what we did, watch this movie knowing as little as possibe about it.

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6/10

6.5/10. Overrated

athanasiosze12 March 2024

1) The misandry is strong in this one. Not surprising though, seems that this is the Holywood way from now on : Every man is dumb or pathetic or disgusting or criminal or childish. Condemning toxic masculinity is one thing. Condemning masculinity in its entirety, is another.

2) Seems also that in order to achieve Enlightment, you have to be a sex worker. It's so obvious i wonder why noone thought about this in the entire Human History. I guess Lanthimos is a pioneer. A Marco Polo of Wisdom. It made me so uncomfortable watching Stone's character dealing with this disgusting debauchery (I mean the "Paris" segment). But i guess it's a sign of toxic masculinity if you don't like watching a woman get humiliated. Lanthimos is beloved in Holywood because obviously he preaches Women empowerment. I didn't know that Humiliation/Depression = Empowerment. Happy to find out.

3) Sarcasm aside, this could ve a very good movie. I am a man but i would gladly watch a movie showing a woman's path to Self Actualization. Until the PARIS segment, i thought that this movie is something like that. And i was enjoying it. A very good dark fairy tale/comedy drama fantasy. Not just funny but even hilarious at times. German Expressionism meets Terry Gilliam or something like that. A visually stunning movie with GREAT acting. Stone was magnificent but the other actors were amazing too (Dafoe, Ruffalo, Carmichael etc). Not a brilliant movie but a clever one. I wish that Jerrod Carmichael had more screen time, his character was very interesting. But i don't wanna nitpick it, it was a good movie overall. Even with the misandry element.

However, the PARIS segment ruined this movie. Literally, one of the most unnecessary parts of all time. Meaningless, empty, vulgar. Even misogynistic i'd say.

And, of course, the ending. A ridiculously simplistic and naive ending for all brain dead people to enjoy.

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3/10

Ridiculous and so disappointing

ccd-172-3663088 March 2024

I am a huge fan of The Favourite, The Lobster, and The Killing of a Sacred Deer. Those movies were thoughtful, clever, and just truly stunning and original. This movie was pointless and boring. It wasn't empowering in the least. It tried. Really, really hard. It wasn't deep, every moment of it was clearly for shock value. Does having a ton of sex with different men make you a liberated woman? Ridiculous and heavy handed. I guess those of us who don't like it don't *get it*...it's art after all! It shouldn't make sense!

The cinematography was gorgeous, I'll give it that. And I was happy to see Ramy Youssef in a big movie because he's fantastic. Mark Ruffalo should never attempt any accents, ever, and I think he's wonderful otherwise. Oof. So bad. Emma is better than this. So so disappointing!

My favorite characters were the animals roaming the property. They should've given more lines to the chicken dog.

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Garbage

mariagscalia-734821 March 2024

Warning: Spoilers

As a sexual and open minded person, this movie was just garbage. Visuals were the only thing that can be praised.

Baby brain placed in dead mother's body...sounds like a fun start as a horror fan. However, old men having sex with baby brain woman and calling it feminism cause she's to mentally immature to understand what they are doing is wrong. Bulls*it. Honestly, people were gasping at a sexy Irishmen slurping up bath water and calling it offensive, while this piece if garbage was nominated for Oscars... What were these actors even thinking? I love everyone in this cast! I don't understand what world we are living in.

Don't believe the Oscar hype. Skip this. Watch Saltburn. Or Oppenheimer. Or Barbie. Anything is better than this.

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9/10

Magnificent gothic tale

marinakoraki13 January 2024

"Poor things" and "The Favourite" are by far the best movies I have seen by Lanthimos. The performances are all extraordinary. Emma Stone was amazing, but for me the surprise was Mark Ruffalo, he delivers his best performance. The script is brilliant, couldn't help but laugh all the time. Above all, it was very interesting to see the evolution of Bella's character, from childhood to adolescence and adulthood. Also from the complete disregard for other people to.empathy. Such a beautiful gothic tale, such an amazing world created by Lanthimos full of beautiful vivid colours and sceneries. A must see.

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9/10

Work of art

myangels-2938015 January 2024

Warning: Spoilers

I went to watch this without knowing much about it. I just saw it was rated high and high level description but that's it. I was intrigued right away and I enjoyed every bit of it. I loved the entire journey of Bella through her eyes. The innocence of a child was played brilliantly, she deserves Oscar for this role. The director does a great job with the camera where things appear slightly bigger as the world is from a child's perspective. You watch her grow in her speech and her motor skills and her language and thoughts mature as she learns the way of the world. Yet she refuses to be a cynic. It was empowering and funny at times and sweet. I wish there was some reference of time though. Because she is born as an adult it is hard to determine how much time has passed and the age of her brain. But I now want to watch it again to see if I missed it. It's one my favorite movie of 2023 and I hope it gets nominated.

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10/10

Incredible

millsdavis4 March 2024

Everything from the script to cinematography to music. The beautiful story told about how we are stolen from our innocence by the world of perversion. So confusing to me that anyone dislike the film or misconstrue it for being crass or over the top. The story it tells is absolutely beautiful. The fact that people don't like it on the account of it being "creepy" and "groomy" is exactly what the movie is calling out- ironic!

The unsettling music that plays throughout and the way the film coloration moves as she matures and develops her vocabulary and motor skills is subtle but very apparent in other ways.

Incredible film- what a fantastic director.

Check out another great from him Calle DogTooth.

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10/10

An absolute crazy cocktail for the mind !!! 10/10

laurabento-9349329 January 2024

An explosive masterpiece, a bizarre cocktail for the mind, 5 stars ! Amazing, haven't stopped thinking about it, I was completely consumed by it ! Totally recommend it, yes it's not for everyone, yes it has a lot of sex, but if you really alow yourself to enter this world you will come out more rich in so many ways! I consider this movie perfect, don't know if any other movie will be able to surpass this one this year! Mark really surprised me in such a wonderful way, he plays being immature and childlike so naturally and comically even tho Bella it's the one with a baby's brain, and like all characters I also fell in love with her !

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6/10

A reminder that ratings are subjective. Warning: DON't watch it with your parents!

yj-c-7035613 February 2024

This film is a reminder that ratings are actually almost entirely subjective, and that no matter how acclaimed or highly rated it is, you can be disappointed. In fact, the more you pin your expectation based on amazing ratings, the more likely you are to be disappointed. So my mistake on that part.

WAY too many unnecessarily explicit and long sex scenes.

Slow moving.

All the more interesting things happen in the plot at the very end.

Bella's 'discoveries' of aspects of the world are deep and meaningful, especially her discovery of inequality and indifference of humanity to others' suffering.

Funny and quirky with an interesting plot, but I just really don't agree with the +8/10 rating.

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9/10

Deeply creative master stroke

mrrydge91-18 January 2024

I loved every bit of Poor Things. The cinematography was absolutely astounding. The crazy wide angle, even fish eye, lens add a claustrophobic feeling all while exhibiting the amazing art department. The use of color was thematic and was used 100% for the story. Making the whole world fantastic and supernatural. Absolutely beautiful movie.

The acting was top notch. Emma Stone gets the chance to create Bella Baxter and runs wild with it. Ruffalo gives one of his most entertaining turns. Willem Dafoe is always amazing. Lanthimos gets to the most direct vein of a character with a dark wit that his films are always interesting to watch.

The most impactful aspect of this movie is the direction of the whole thing. Tony McNamara and Alasdair Gray have created a monster of a story and Yorgos Lanthimos gets to teach it how to speak. His vision of each film he makes is so uniquely Lanthimos-ian (sp?) and a real treasure to watch.

It did feel a bit long though.

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6/10

What am I watching?

josborn513612 March 2024

So I'm sure that people might be judging people who are giving this movie low scores for being prudes, or those who are predisposed to under appreciate artistic movies. This is absolutely not true. I adore strange and artistic films, but this one just seem gratuitously repulsive. I really like something with more of a plot or profound plots and a movie that does not rely solely on nudity or sex, or the abuse of the female body. It was very difficult to watch the scenes. The only reason I graciously gave this movie or four was because Mark Ruffalo. He was absolutely fantastic in this movie, but beyond that, I really didn't see any stand out actors. Emma always does a good job. It won awards for being original, because what other movie would actually be like this? None. What other movies would have constant nonstop sex and nudity? None. I guess people are hungry for this vacuous type of plot, but I just personally did not like it as a woman. Yes, the cinematography was great, yes, the acting by the main characters was amazing. But that's where it ends. I am still, however, trying to trudge to the end of it. We need more movies like this move these like pans labyrinth that are aesthetically, beautiful and where the plot is very different or even oriented around science, fiction or fantasy, but this one fell short. The movie did get better near the end, so I upped the score to 6.

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9/10

Still not certain where this movie took me, but it was a great ride.

scotch710 January 2024

Warning: Spoilers

"The Alien Has Landed" + "Frankenstein" in a steampunk universe.

Still not certain where this movie took me. Guess I'll have to watch it again, or perhaps a couple more times.

However I am certain that it was a great ride. I am also absolutely certain that I'll enjoy the re-watch, and not just for the pornographic elements, which are many, varied and all quite tasty.

What is less certain is if I got the whole message. Actually I' m certain that I did not. Some dialog is spoken softly and some is in French. For that I will require a DVD with pause, rewind and subtitles. Again, I won't mind for the above reasons and more.

"Poor Things" drops you into a steampunk alternate reality, with physical and biological rules that are significantly bent from our own.

Once reality was severely bent, I had zero problems maintaining my suspension of disbelief (a sad FAIL in so many many other films). From me, that is high praise to the writers, editors, and director.

Elaborate glass plates depicting unreal landscapes were not jarring - we are in an alternate reality and we are quite busy with storytelling/storywatching.

Example: A supporting character notes that the protagonist's long luxurious hair grows very very quickly. Then it indeed gets longer and longer as the movie progresses. Nice touch!

Can't wait for the DVD. I suspect that some very strong story beats ended up on the cutting room floor. Hope they're included in either a directors cut, or a "deleted scenes" special feature.

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7/10

Objectification of women?

lhvoliveira14 April 2024

The film has some entertaining moments, but my biggest problem with this movie is what has also been mentioned here in some reviews. In fact, I think that the message that the movie wanted to send out ended up being the opposite. Most of all, it gives the idea that the person who wrote this has some perverse fantasies about little girls.

I can't find much meaning in this movie. I can deal with the idea of the woman who committed suicide and put her daughter's brain in her mother's body, but it's really in the sense of a black comedy, not very deep. It was the premise they came up with to try to explain Bella's story, but deep down, the woman ends up being completely objectified throughout the movie, and it ends up being too long in terms of the number of times the film repeats itself in its message.

Overall, the movie was entertaining for me (more at the beginning), the filming and scenery are interesting, and the dialogues too, but it's impossible not to criticize the wrong aspects of it. As I said, the movie is very long, and I made a huge effort to stay awake, because little by little I started to lose interest.

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4/10

Not for me

parksiet31 December 2023

Poor Things simply just wasn't for me. I really don't like to say I hate a movie... so we'll just go with "it wasn't for me". I did appreciate the production design and performances, but a lot of the cinematography and writing/directing choices just didn't work for me. Just a little too weird for my tastes. And felt way too long. I wanted to like it so bad, and was so disappointed to find myself disliking it so much.

I know it's been getting good reviews from most people - I'm in the minority here! So if you're interested, definitely check it out! I'm a huge supporter of going to see a film if you are interested in it and deciding for yourself how you feel!

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8/10

A Review of Whimsy, Weirdness, and Wonder

byordanov-4817423 January 2024

Yorgos Lanthimos's latest offering, "Poor Things," is a cinematic rollercoaster that throws absurdity, social commentary, and dark humor into a blender and hits puree. It's a film that will leave you bewildered, amused, and maybe a little bit grossed out, but undeniably entertained.

The story centers around Bella Baxter (played with delightful naiveté by Emma Stone), a Frankensteinian creation brought to life by the eccentric Dr. Godwin (Mark Rylance). Reborn with the brain of a drowned child and the body of a young woman, Bella is thrust into a world that both fascinates and confuses her. Her childlike innocence clashes hilariously with the societal mores of the 19th century, leading to a series of outrageous situations that push the boundaries of good taste and propriety.

Lanthimos, known for his penchant for the bizarre, doesn't shy away from the grotesque in "Poor Things." Bodily fluids flow freely, sexual encounters are depicted with a bluntness that borders on the pornographic, and violence erupts with unexpected ferocity. Yet, amidst the chaos, there's a darkly comedic undercurrent that keeps the film from becoming merely shocking. Lanthimos uses humor to highlight the absurdity of social norms and the hypocrisy of those who uphold them.

The film's visuals are equally striking. Robbie Ryan's cinematography blends dreamlike beauty with unsettling distortions, creating a world that feels both familiar and alien. The production design is sumptuous, with meticulously crafted sets and costumes that transport us to a fantastical version of Victorian England.

"Poor Things" is not a film for everyone. Its offbeat humor, graphic content, and unconventional narrative will likely alienate some viewers. However, for those willing to embrace its strangeness, the film offers a unique and thought-provoking experience. It's a wild ride, but one that ultimately leaves you pondering the nature of humanity, the meaning of life, and the absurdity of the world we live in.

**Here are some additional points to consider:**

* The film has been praised for its performances, with particular acclaim for Emma Stone's portrayal of Bella.

* Some critics have found the film's humor to be too crass or mean-spirited.

* The film's pacing can be uneven, with some scenes dragging and others feeling rushed.

* Despite its flaws, "Poor Things" is a visually stunning and intellectually stimulating film that is sure to spark conversation.

**Overall, I recommend "Poor Things" to fans of Yorgos Lanthimos's work and those who enjoy offbeat comedies with a dark edge. Just be prepared for a wild ride.**

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Poor Things (2023)

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