I've heard so much about this movie, supposed to be super scary, but nope.
I feel like I've seen this movie many times before...you know, like
- secret window
- shutter island
- hide and seek
- high tension
Why does everyone say this is brilliant? I have no idea. It's far from original and the spooks/jump scares are equivalent to movies like insidious except this is supposed to be "deep" and thought provoking. It's not. I was very disappointed.
I thought it was more sad then scary. I haven't seen high tension but in the other movies the twist was that the threat is a figment of their imagination/personality.
I felt Babadook was more symbolic/metaphorical presentation of the grief process rather than "she was the bad guy all along"
Why does everyone say this is brilliant? I have no idea.
1) Not everyone says that.
2) To get an idea, all you have to do is read what people say. Both ordinary viewers and critics aren't shy about spelling out why they think it's good, great, or whatever positive adjective you like.
3) You don't risk specifying why you claim it's not thought-provoking or deep.
4) Reductionism often hides lack of perception. Anybody can take a reductive approach and claim that X, Y and Z stories are too much the same. But there is nothing new under the sun. The challenge is to innovate with familiar materials, and the #1 way to do that is by lending a genuinely individual perspective to a story.
For example, what matters isn't that some stories share a similar twist, but what the context is informing those twists. The contexts may be quite different, and imply very different things, meant to provoke very different feelings, thoughts, insights. Reductionism doesn't touch any of that.
"You must not judge what I know by what I find words for." - Marilynne Robinson
All of the other films you mention involve a character hunting or being stalked by a bad guy who (plot twist!) turns out to be the character themselves, suffering from a split personality. It's been done in a few others you didn't mention as well, and it's usually revealed in one "gotcha!" scene where the twist is spelled out to the audience.
That's not really the case with The Babadook. It's never made completely clear whether the monster is real, imaginary or metaphorical (or all of the above) but to say it's Amelia's "split personality" would be oversimplifying things a bit. The best explanation is probably that it's a metaphor for the overwhelming stresses of her life, her sense of isolation and her deteriorating mental state. And this is never spelled out; in fact, it's left wide open to interpretation. And it's a conclusion you (might) gradually arrive at as the movie unfolds. There's certainly no "plot twist" moment where you're supposed to go "Aha! She was the monster all along!"
Perhaps, but that's about the only difference between babadook and the movies I've mentioned. Still doesn't make it original because the Idea behind all these movies are pretty similar, is it or is it not? Babadook just doesn't give you concrete answers.
shareDid you even read what you wrote?? You just spelt out how it is original and different from the rest.
shareUmm I know what I wrote. Did you read I wrote? I said just because this movie doesn't give you a concrete answer in the end doesn't mean the rest of the movie isnt similar to the ones I've mentioned. Same idea, similar premise, similar setting, a parent and a kid, etc etc.
shareHahahahaha, hahahahahaha, you are dumb buddy get a new hobbie or activity you are way too dumb to watch films.
shareCharlotte, all due respect, but you really are a dumb twat. Good day.
shareOhhhh be silent Whatlarks...you'll be lost after these annoying and pointless boards are taken down haha
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