Monique Avakian

This highly visceral movie was shocking in its honesty about the various horrific social forces unleashed by technology and what it is doing to us socially and psychologically. The writing is really excellent in this film. This kind of trippy, socio-cultural story line could easily become cartoonish or one-dimensional, but that does NOT happen here. The narrative is simply unspun while you squirm in your seat. The dose of reality is hard to take, even when offered through such a highly imaginative lens. The storyline is subliminally anchored with questions such as: why would evolution have a creature stand out in color/pattern when other animals have camouflage for safety? The lack of safety is a huge theme for all the characters and for the viewer. I will be thinking about this very serious and philosophical movie for a long time. The violent parts were horrible, but I just looked away like I always do. I had to lie down after I got home for a good two hours due to the intellectual and emotional intensity of this involving film. But this is a very important movie, and I hope that thoughtful folk will ignore the bad reviews and go see it. A lot of people mention feeling misled by the trailer. I feel that way, too. The marketing departments of these movie corporations seem to have no idea what to do with a deep film that defies marketing categories. But if you are concerned about the future, you need to see this movie. There are some funny moments when I cracked up, but the film is not a comedy. There are some violent moments, but this is not a horror film. This is well-written speculative fiction based on exactly what is happening right now. Also, no one else could have played the Everyman/NoMan character -- only Nicholas Cage. He is absolutely stunning in this very complex role.