Under the Skin

This is one of the most visceral, haunting movie experiences I have had in awhile. I was so entranced at everything on the screen and couldn't take my eyes off of it. Right off the bat, I have to say this film isn't for everyone. If you see a lot of mainstream movies, see only five movies a year or don't really care for artsy films, this film is definitely not for you. However if you are a film buff you will love this movie. Director Jonathan Glazer constructs a horror, sci-fi and a deep, interesting look on humanity kind of film and I really dug it. To the core of the movie, it is about humanity and how intense, realistic and disturbing it is. Scarlett Johannson kills it in this role and I think it's the best role she has done. Even though she was an actual alien, she progressed as a character through all of the human emotions. It was incredible to watch her especially at the very end. The cinematography is beautiful and absolutely breathtaking in some shots. The colors are rich and the camera movements are smooth to enhance this triply experience. One of the my favorite directors is Stanley Kubrick and this film had Kubrick cinematography all over it. Kubrick must be a role model for Glazer because it reminded me of a very well done Kubrick movie. Glazer interprets things through gorgeous cinematography and symbolism, all in all, its a visual treat. Now here is where it gets tricky for my score. The movie is only an hour and forty minutes long but it does feel a lot longer in some places. This is a slow movie and I love slow movies but there were a couple scenes that could have been cut a little shorter. That's seriously my only complaint. The music is also very fitting as it sounds like bad, out of tune and very good music all at once. It just adds to this triply experience. This is a disturbing realistic look on humanity, Scarlett is breathtaking in this, cinematography to wet any film buffs appetite and music sets the mood for what will be a unique movie experience. It's tied for my favorite movie of the year. 9/10
(Review by Chase Lee)