I'm voting for 96 minutes being the now-official run-time (that being the number Amazon is currently showing for the DVD-- and interesting, isn't it, that they're currently manufacturing the disc only "to order"...?). Whatever number IMDB landed (back when the film first went into production or whatever-- one-twelve was probably a first guesstimate on the part of the filmmakers [likely based on the length of the original script, one page being roughly equivalent to one minute of film, or something like that]) has since gone the way of the Edsel-- and probably for many of the same reasons. What we're experiencing here, kids, is another danger of da interwebs: we "know" far too much before reality shows up and locks the facts into place. A sort of quantum-physics free-for-all, if you will. But thoughts re: the quantum mess at hand:
(a) Aloft is a picture-perfect example of what happens when a filmmaker treks off into the wilderness (pretty literally, in this case) with a head full of concepts and not much else. "Faith," "healing," "forgiveness," and "living life to its fullest": call me when you have an actual, workable script, Claudia. Note the word "workable" back there, 'kay? It's important... especially when you're utilizing the time, money, and effort of dozens if not hundreds of people.
(b) Run-times have been changing since film (as a whole) began. When such change becomes an issue is when stuff goes missing because of overt, historical government censorship (see: Metropolis), because of the wish to restore and preserve cinema that, largely because of the danger and volatility of traditional film stock, would otherwise be lost (see: the epic efforts to restore Lawrence of Arabia and Spartacus), or because of sheer legend (see: the lost original cut of The Magnificent Ambersons). Tweaking a mess of a movie between its disastrous Berlin premiere and its subsequent public release doesn't fall into any of these categories; in the pre-internet era, Sony (or Claudia Llosa, or Buffalo Gal Films, or any of the other producers) would have re-cut Aloft without our ever knowing.
Been thinking-- BAD IDEA, I KNOW-- also about the idea of "dumbing down" a film. How, exactly, would one do that? Does the MPAA have a team of experts versed in the criteria of all levels of IQ, and, more than that, how IQ directly correlates with elements of film comprehension?
The simple answer: Nope.
Or this: What if my "dumb" is different from someone else's "dumb"? What if I, as a language-arts type, can follow the wordplay of Julie Taymor's The Tempest, but I'm not well-versed enough in auto lingo to know why Dom would tell Lettie not to push her ride past 7500 RPMs in the big drag race in Furious Seven? Wouldn't the MPAA have to "dumb down" Seven, arguably a "dumber" film than The Tempest, for my benefit?
All together, now: Nope.
And which is why (said "which" pointing rather sloppily back at why the idea of intentionally dumbing down a film is a very silly and unworkable idea indeed) the fact that the one thing that would have been the biggest dumb-down for Aloft (that is to say Jennifer Connelly's ending, let-me-spell-out-all-the-big-concepts-for-ya-okay? voiceover) is the biggest thing that got axed from the final cut is pretty darn ironic.
All that said, is it worth seeing? Said answer lands with a good solid thud in the "if you're invested in [insert name of fave performer here]" category. If you're a Jennifer Connelly fan: she puts in some solid work. Some of it flies right over the top and off into the stratosphere, but, in general, she gives it her all, and the "all" is, at times, quite good. If you're a Cillian Murphy fan: When not following Ms. Connelly into the stratosphere, he does about a B-minus version of his "damaged, unapproachable brooder" thing here, and his character is largely a dick, so, unless you're the fiercest of fans, give this a miss and veer straight over to Peaky Blinders, where you can witness his Tommy Shelby in all his damaged, brooding, and also a dick B-plus-game glory. If you're a Melanie Laurent fan: she does her "fragile but fiercely intense" thing very well-- and (bonus!) she largely manages to avoid "over-the-top" in the process. If you're a raptor fan: red-tail Mohave gets some lovely flight footage, and pretty much proves (especially when Murphy insists on stroking his chest feathers: hawks really don't like that!) he's the biggest pro on set. But, if you ask me, you'd be better served looking up raptor organizations in your area and seeing these gorgeous critters in action in the great outdoors. It's just past the peak of this year's North American migration; get out there and see 'em while you can...!
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