Normally, I write my own reviews (as you know)… but this review I found speaks my thoughts exactly. Highlights and additional thoughts after the jump. (some spoilers)
This was another film I heard great things about and considered putting in my “Oscar Watch 2010” series, but decided against it…. something I’m ok with, now having seen it.
From the Reuter’s review:
Expertly acted, impeccably photographed, intelligently written, even intermittently touching, the film is also too parched and ponderous to connect with a large audience.
As Steven Farber notes, the performances by Carey Mulligan, Andrew Garfield and Kiera Knightley are truly top notch. Everything about the film is quite lovely, except the background subject matter. Now, this isn’t a 127 HOURS situation… quite the opposite. The main focus of the film is the love triangle between the three main characters. The problem is who the characters are: they are people born for the sole purpose of donating their organs to the terminally ill. This is all fine and dandy, sure, but the film takes place in a parallel universe where this is an acceptable practice… something that isn’t sufficiently laid out or explained.
The first problem with the movie is that it never completely lays out the logic of this parallel universe. The cloning process itself is shrouded in mystery. Screenwriter Alex Garland probably wanted us to share the limited knowledge of the characters, but this idea could have been maintained while providing just a touch more crucial clarity for the audience.
I couldn’t have said it better myself. As the film moved along, I felt myself annoyed that while I knew what the characters were discussing, I had no idea what they were talking about. The concept is a fascinating one, but under-developed. If the aim was to shroud the whole thing in mystery… well then it succeeded, but to the film’s detriment.
In all, NEVER LET ME GO was a major disappointment. It was, however, a breath of fresh air seeing two future Hollywood stars at the top of their games, in Mulligan and Garfield.
