MovieChat Forums > Winter's Tale (2014) Discussion > Very, Very, Very Weird Movie

Very, Very, Very Weird Movie

posted 10 years ago by hoochiemoochie
4 replies | jump to latest

I went into this movie expecting to really enjoy it. I'm a deeply spiritual person and I like a lot of romantic movies...but this was just too far out there.

Spoilers Ensue:

Half the time I felt like I was missing something...they don't explain anything fully. They introduce characters left and right and don't develop any of them. We never understand why Crowe hates Peter Lake so much. What's with all the reference to the stars? Will Smith's Lucifer is a direct reference to Christianity...it's not like he's just a generic "devil"...so where's God? Do people go to a "heaven" or do they actually become stars? What was the big deal about Peter staying alive wandering around completely alone and with no memory for 100 years to save one child's life? Plus, how did he save her? Was it the bed itself? The kiss? The dead flower Willa gave him? Sigh...those and MANY more questions go unanswered.

I wanted to like this movie but it was a letdown...

P.S. Are we really supposed to buy Farrell as 21 years old? Come on...

[–] catbookss 10 years ago

I just saw it and, well, yeah.

I read the Mark Halprin book years ago and remember loving it. I still have my copy. So I thought I'd love the movie, even if it had some warts.

I was willing to be open and for a while it worked for me, but around the halfway mark, then sliding rapidly downward at the end, it simply isn't a well done movie.

The book explains why Pearly hates Peter so much. It's only very briefly touched on in the film. Peter was Pearly's protege and Peter left Pearly, forever angering him and seeking revenge. The stars I gather are a metaphor; after all, this is magical realism. Lucifer doesn't exist in the book and I don't know why they felt the need to create him.

I liked the atmosphere created by the sets and cinematography, and parts of it, but overall, yes, it was rushed, characters introduced and never fleshed out, too much left unexplained.

Also the special effects on Horse's wings were downright hokey.

I wanted to like this movie, but couldn't.

[–] EtaoinShrdlu001 9 years ago

In the book, was there no reason for Pearly to get permission to leave the 5 boroughs?

If so, who did he get it from?

I'm tired of this sig, but somebody actually said this to me in a video store, years ago. In Eng., not "Mandolin".
"I've seen so many Kung-Fu movies, I can probably speak Mandolin!"

[–] ablack90 9 years ago

I agree OP and Catbookss. Your description of the movie matches my own take on why it slipped into the C category. I love fantasy films, but this storyline was poorly fleshed out. I love flying horses, angels and miracles. But even fantasy has to follow the rules of storytelling like any other genre. And in Winter's Tale, there were too many plot points that weren't properly connected. Introducing new characters (Abby and her mother) so late in the story are known No-No's in show business or any script. Very weird.

[–] birdsoulhouse 9 years ago

I love magical realism, but excusing this movie's low energy chaos by lumping it in that category does not cut it. What the heck was this thing? Did the actors know it would turn out so piecemeal? I kept wondering why anyone signed onto it, let alone so many stars. The experience was like having a TV show on while running around the house doing things: you get an idea that all the bits you see are connected but can't really figure out how.