Expectations:
Oscar season is here, folks! No more mediocrity... No more superheroes... Not quite as much mindless movie-watching... The world is a better place! And, to start it all off, we get an exciting film from the great David Fincher... Gone Girl. Add the excitement for Gone Girl to the amazing MLB Playoff games and the insane College Football weekend, and the last few days have really been quite impressive (from an entertainment perspective). Not that entertainment is the answer to every world problem, but nobody needs to be thinking about ISIS all of the time. Although I knew very little about what would unfold in Gone Girl's thrilling plot, my expectations were relatively high, due to the praise that the film is receiving and the fact that David Fincher is an amazing filmmaker. If you've never seen The Social Network, I forbid you to watch another film until you have done so. Now that we have that out of the way, let's talk about Gone Girl...
Plot:
The complexity of the trickery used throughout Gone Girl was absolutely thrilling. While the whodunnit could have been guessed at any point, there is no doubt that uncertainty would have prevailed. But, looking back on how I felt during the film, the biggest problem was that I didn't know if I could actually trust the answer to the whodunnit. Unfortunately, I think that struggle took away a bit from the revelation. However, the events that followed were so complex and thrilling that I could care less. The direction of the unfolding of the story was great, and I think the story was meant to be visualized by David Fincher. If you've never truly appreciated a director and what he or she brings to the plate in the filmmaking world, just watch Gone Girl's thrilling murder scene (also note the amazing score). That's all I can give you without spoiling everything.
Characters:
Well, let's just get down to business...
Negatives:
While Neil Patrick Harris's Desi Collings was a necessary and interesting character, I don't know that Harris was the perfect casting decision. He certainly played the character how it was meant to be played, but there was just something that wasn't quite satisfying about his performance, in my opinion. The only character that I thought was a bit misused was Emily Ratajkowski's Andie Hardy, who I cannot really discuss. Just think about it, once you figure out who she is...
Positives:
Where to start?... How about with the lovely couple! Ben Affleck's Nick and Rosamund Pike's Amazing Amy were absolutely great characters, and each of their performances were spot-on. Unfortunately, I can't talk about them too much, but be sure to let me know what you think! On a much, much smaller scale, I was greatly impressed with Scoot McNairy's performance as Tommy O'Hara. This guy has huge star-potential. He will win an Oscar, one day... Just wait and see!
My absolute favorite character, however, was Kim Dickens' Detective Rhonda Boney, who I truly anticipated that I would HATE. Her attitude annoyed the crap out of me in the trailers, but she ended up being such an amazing example of sound justice. Add to that the fact that there were crazy people running all around her, and she may just look like the most sane character of 2014.
Conclusion:
Well, if you want to quit worrying about the "problems of the world," I would suggest watching Gone Girl. Trust me, your worries will quickly refocus on your neighbors' home or maybe even YOUR VERY OWN BEDROOM! Honestly, I can't remember the last time I was so baffled at the psyche of one character. While the character in question is much different, the unbelievably real and frightening reactions of this character brought me back to the bafflement that overcame me while watching Theodore Twombly in Her. The likelihood that anybody else had that connection is minimal, but I thought it should be shared. Throughout the film, when I thought a silver lining was on its way, the clouds quickly darkened. Of course, this review has been fairly vague, in order to avoid spoiling the film, but I will say that I was on the edge of my seat throughout. If you enjoy any of David Fincher's mystery thrillers, you are sure to enjoy Gone Girl. If you have somehow managed to avoid watching any of Fincher's mystery thrillers, Gone Girl would be a great place to start (only because The Social Network is not really a mystery). The last few months of 2014 are sure to be filled with exciting films, and I hope that many of them can measure up to this awesome, awesome film. I give Gone Girl 4.02 out of 5 stars.
Plot:
The complexity of the trickery used throughout Gone Girl was absolutely thrilling. While the whodunnit could have been guessed at any point, there is no doubt that uncertainty would have prevailed. But, looking back on how I felt during the film, the biggest problem was that I didn't know if I could actually trust the answer to the whodunnit. Unfortunately, I think that struggle took away a bit from the revelation. However, the events that followed were so complex and thrilling that I could care less. The direction of the unfolding of the story was great, and I think the story was meant to be visualized by David Fincher. If you've never truly appreciated a director and what he or she brings to the plate in the filmmaking world, just watch Gone Girl's thrilling murder scene (also note the amazing score). That's all I can give you without spoiling everything.
Characters:
Well, let's just get down to business...
Negatives:
While Neil Patrick Harris's Desi Collings was a necessary and interesting character, I don't know that Harris was the perfect casting decision. He certainly played the character how it was meant to be played, but there was just something that wasn't quite satisfying about his performance, in my opinion. The only character that I thought was a bit misused was Emily Ratajkowski's Andie Hardy, who I cannot really discuss. Just think about it, once you figure out who she is...
Positives:
Where to start?... How about with the lovely couple! Ben Affleck's Nick and Rosamund Pike's Amazing Amy were absolutely great characters, and each of their performances were spot-on. Unfortunately, I can't talk about them too much, but be sure to let me know what you think! On a much, much smaller scale, I was greatly impressed with Scoot McNairy's performance as Tommy O'Hara. This guy has huge star-potential. He will win an Oscar, one day... Just wait and see!
My absolute favorite character, however, was Kim Dickens' Detective Rhonda Boney, who I truly anticipated that I would HATE. Her attitude annoyed the crap out of me in the trailers, but she ended up being such an amazing example of sound justice. Add to that the fact that there were crazy people running all around her, and she may just look like the most sane character of 2014.
Conclusion:
Well, if you want to quit worrying about the "problems of the world," I would suggest watching Gone Girl. Trust me, your worries will quickly refocus on your neighbors' home or maybe even YOUR VERY OWN BEDROOM! Honestly, I can't remember the last time I was so baffled at the psyche of one character. While the character in question is much different, the unbelievably real and frightening reactions of this character brought me back to the bafflement that overcame me while watching Theodore Twombly in Her. The likelihood that anybody else had that connection is minimal, but I thought it should be shared. Throughout the film, when I thought a silver lining was on its way, the clouds quickly darkened. Of course, this review has been fairly vague, in order to avoid spoiling the film, but I will say that I was on the edge of my seat throughout. If you enjoy any of David Fincher's mystery thrillers, you are sure to enjoy Gone Girl. If you have somehow managed to avoid watching any of Fincher's mystery thrillers, Gone Girl would be a great place to start (only because The Social Network is not really a mystery). The last few months of 2014 are sure to be filled with exciting films, and I hope that many of them can measure up to this awesome, awesome film. I give Gone Girl 4.02 out of 5 stars.
Nice review, Tanner. Definitely another good outing from Fincher, he done good with the source material, heh. The book itself was crazy enough, but Fincher went ahead and outdid it anyways. :P
ReplyDeleteThanks, man... Glad you like the film, and I have no intention of reading the book after being satisfied so thoroughly! ha
DeleteGreat review! I actually liked NPH as Desi. He made him feel a little more obsessive over Amy. I mean, he was like that in the book, but it felt so much more straight forward with NPH.
ReplyDeleteThanks! I wasn't really displeased with NPH's performance. The possibilities for that character just seemed plentiful, and the character turned out to be just OK. I agree that he was straightforward and easy to understand. Maybe that was what frustrated me, considering that everyone else in the film was so complex! That's probably it!
DeleteSweet review! I love your breakdown and especially that you address expectations. People really underestimate how much they can influence your viewing experience. Thank god for Oscar season. I couldn't agree more about the characters and the performances. So accomplished.
ReplyDeleteThank you for reading! And for realizing how important expectations are! There is nothing more powerful than a movie that exceeds expectations and nothing more disappointing than one that fails to meet them.
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