Under the Skin
April 2014
4
4
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Synopsis
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Reviews
3.3
764 total
5 238
4 174
3 105
2 97
1 150
Liam Lacey
All this is initially fascinating, and then progressively less so.
Peter Howell
Most of Under the Skin operates on an almost subconscious level. The truth is out there in Glazer's screenplay, which he co-wrote with Walter Campbell, but it's intuitive rather than didactic.
Richard Roeper
One of the most polarizing movies in recent years.
Tom Long
A direct descendant of Nicolas Roeg's classic "The Man Who Fell to Earth," "Under the Skin" is the kind of movie people will be talking about, and dissecting and puzzling over, for years.
Calvin Wilson
Visually stunning but virtually indecipherable ...
Steven Rea
Under the Skin definitely gets under your skin.
Critic reviews
Peter Howell
Most of Under the Skin operates on an almost subconscious level. The truth is out there in Glazer's screenplay, which he co-wrote with Walter Campbell, but it's intuitive rather than didactic.
Tom Long
A direct descendant of Nicolas Roeg's classic "The Man Who Fell to Earth," "Under the Skin" is the kind of movie people will be talking about, and dissecting and puzzling over, for years.
Bill Goodykoontz
The story is at once simple and impenetrable. Visually it is arresting, when it isn't murky, and the droning, atonal soundtrack is as perfect for the film as it is annoying.
User reviews
Nonsensical Having read the book this film is VERY loosely based on, I can't begin to tell you how truly awful this film is. Wait... let me try. Regardless of the whole "the book is always better than the movie" cliche, this movie would reek regardless of its source material. A forty five second shot of Johansson bringing a bite of cake up to her mouth says it all.
Meh Some people say it's amazing others say it's horrible. The director obviously didn't make this movie thinking he would sell, because there is no way the general audience would understand it on the first go. Most of the movie I was confused as I didn't quite grasp everything. Eventually I did get the underlying message about the main characters struggle with becoming human like and I'm sure there's more underlying stuff but all in all I'm not going to watch it again to figure it out. Simply put it was boring
Unique, creative and odd You see Scarlett trolling for men in a van and leading them to their doom in some kind of alien indoor pool by enticing them to strip while they slowly sink into the floor. There are some beautiful images and an obvious love affair with the director and his crush on SJ. He might of been better off expanding some interesting scenes and left her nude routine and sexual awakening out of it. The ending is odd and pointless.
A remarkable depiction of the struggle that consumes women. A beautiful exploration of the female mind. She is subjected to the torment of the male gaze as she tries to break free of the routine that man confines her to. An order without thought of meaning. Consumed by this idea of perfection in order to survive among the animals that pursuit her. The purpose to be objects of sexual desire. In desperation we seek to escape from the manipulation in order to tear through the outer-exterior to see what we really are... Alien, to the fabricated sexuality we are all prescribed... Burned by the reality of being.
Poetry If you do not enjoy abstract or off-beat films do not bother with this one. Manage your expectations. I, however, am drawn to this sort of film. I like Aronofsky's early work, Lynch, Kubrick, Godard. This fits in well with all of these in both direction and concept. There is scant dialogue, no "action," a disjointed narrative that has more questions than answers, very creepy, and even the nudity is anything but sexy. So why do I love this film? It is beautifully directed. The themes are provocative and require you do participate in the story. You have to be awake to watch a film like this. It isn't passive, but active. Under the Skin is both a metaphor for the deepest parts of what makes us human both in body and in mind and the very "meat" that we are made of. Inside/outside, predator/prey, foreign/native, body/soul, - all of these are provoked and prodded in very uncomfortable ways. The end is disturbing and leaves you with a chilling feeling that does not go away. This is truly a film buff's kind of movie. It is art rather than entertainment. Glazer is brilliant and so is this remarkable film I will watch over and over to unpack its meaning.
one of the best. this movie is quite a bit different and won't resonate with everyone. there's not a lot of action, but the atmosphere it builds is quite unique. there are some surprising reveals. i wasn't expecting it, but my friends and i laughed out loud at few points. it's kind of neat to arrive at a well executed punch line when you don't realize you're being told a joke. overall this movie is great. the direction and cinematography are beautiful. it's paced a bit strangely, but has a good rhythm.
Interesting. but not great. Alert! Spoiler review. The filmmaker missed a great opportunity to create an awesome horroerotica movie. The intent was not to create an erotic, sci-fi, or horror film. The genres are elements of the main intent which was to create a subtle and intriguing movie about self-awareness with a sexy alien machine with bad luck. The main character is a machine programed at the beginning of the film. It has handlers (motorcycle dudes). When it falls, something goes funky with it. It is constantly having realizations: 1) a mother, a father, and a stranger risk their lives in a tragic chain event initiated by a dog getting swallowed by the sea. The machine has an epiphany, but quickly reverts to harvest male humans for some unknown reason. 2) the machine encounters a deformed man. Here, the usual pre-programmed sexual interaction does not apply and the machine needs to prod deeper into human emotions to coax the victim. The threshold is introduced by the beauty of a shore welcoming a fog wave. This scene is followed by the final epiphany where the machine takes in the beauty around it amidst the fog. Eventually, the machine’s naive nature gets it in trouble as the handlers look for her.
Introspective Abyss What is a film? What is a story? What is an ending? Under the Skin questions all these concepts normally associated with any motion picture of today. Even as I am writing this review I am thinking to myself, "What is a review?". What I am getting at is this, Under the Skin puts you on a ride of confusion, misunderstanding, and utter discomfort. However, the more it cuts to the core of you, the more emotion it invokes within oneself and the more questioning of your past, present, and future arise within. This movie isn't meant to be a glam-grim feature, but rather a film that drives question for the sake of question. Scarlett Johansson does a stellar job of portraying a character that's lost in a meaningless life. What is left? In terms of cinematography, I thought the director shot the picture with eye-capturing visuals which offered room for the audience to inhale the magnitude of each and every scene. Also, the audio work was fantastic, so be sure to watch this movie in a completely silent setting. Overall, while this film delivers on so many fronts, all in all it leaves one thinking, wondering and asking for more. That is why I am giving this movie 4 stars.
I watched the whole thing. Tons of unneeded scenes that just make the film seem like it's a test of the viewers patience. It's like they had a runetime as a goal and added scenes to fluff out the beginning of the film. It's cheap and feels like theirs was two maybe three pages of dialog in the script and the rest is just directors notes on how to film people wondering around on the streets. the film doesn't pick up until it has thirty or so minutes left. And still it just makes me feel like the artistic thought put into it isn't poetic. Instead it's what seems likely and vague that will also seem out of place.
Convoluted Story for a Linear Plot While this movie of self-discovery is undoubtably a mess all around, it's actually a pretty simple message. "Beauty is only skin deep." At least that's what I gathered. Except, the director decided to show it in a series of painfully repetitive scenes that leaves the viewer wondering what the hell is going on.
Unbelievable Astronomical. Stupendous. A testament to consummate filmmaking at its highest level. Better than any movie ever made. Quentin Tarantino-meets-Martin Scorcese-meets-Spielberg. Watched it on my smartphone and laughed and cried and cheered and mourned; wanted more. Please watch this movie!
Weird Its hard to say I disliked the movie but from the weird sounds and the way the movie makes the watcher pay close attention bc majority of the movie I was purely "LOST".... You will have a few... Hold up moments, followed by a few " Wtf moments" and a finally... I'm not going to try and watch this movie again to figure it out! It was terribly put together but have fun trying to figure out the movie, besides the obvious!!
Good movie - But strange It's strange for those people who see things in 'black and white'. The point of the film was to imbue a sense of 'alienation' so that you really feel/perceive the world as an alien. That's why it's devoid of 'normalcy' and human emotions. It was a slick movie and Scarlett portrayed the character very convincingly.
Amazing movie. Definitely not for your average person. Definitely "artsy" It leaves a lot to your imagination, and does not have a traditional closed 'end'. This movie is about exploring human nature and what it means to be human. If you are looking for a unique movie that will linger in you memory for days after, this one will do it.
Cast and credits
| Actors | Scarlett Johansson |
| Director | Jonathan Glazer |
Additional information
Rotten tomatoes® score
Audio language
Subtitles
English
Rental period
Start within 30 days, finish within 48 hours.
Info cards
Run time
108 minutes
Rating
R
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