By -
This is one of those movies where I expected something, and got something totally different.  Watching the previews for Shutter Island makes it look like some sort of freaky psych ward horror story;  and the first 30 or so minutes of the movie do a great job of reaffirming just that.  But Shutter Island is far from a ghost story or horror movie.  It is the literal definition of a psychological thriller.

It is difficult to summarize the movie without ruining anything, so I will make this brief. A US Marshall who goes by the name of "Teddy" accepts a case to locate a missing inmate on an island out beyond Boston harbor where an old military fort has been retrofitted into a mental institution for the criminally insane.  Upon arrival, he meets the warden of the place who shows him around and explains the situation in more depth.  Going any further would screw the entire movie over for you, so I will stop there.

Shutter Island pulls off an excellent atmosphere.  The Island and its residence are creepy, to the point where you can tell something is way off right from the get go.  It really does pull the setting off perfectly.  The story is a bit convoluted, plagued with random flash backs that force you to think outside the box in order to follow what is actually going on.  This theme carries right up to the end, and for a lot of people leaves them completely confused.  This might be a movie you have to watch twice to fully grasp. 

If you are in the mood for a psychological thriller that forces your brain to run laps to the point of mental exhaustion, this is the perfect movie.  For everyone else, it might be worth it to check it out if only for the excellent atmosphere, acting, and characters. 

Shutter Island's unique but slightly confusing story earn it a 3/5

Comments

  1. David DavidsonSeptember 26, 2010 at 1:27 AM

    My parents watched it and were confused.

    My siblings watched it and thought it was interesting but not that great.

    Hm, I'll watch it if someone else rents it for me.

    ReplyDelete
  2. SkunkfunkSeptember 26, 2010 at 1:36 AM

    This movie was absolutely fantastic :) The story sucks you in deeply. Leo's doing really fine I must say

    ReplyDelete
  3. Stav88osSeptember 26, 2010 at 2:45 AM

    Cool Story Bro!;)

    ReplyDelete
  4. remziSeptember 26, 2010 at 3:45 AM

    Thanks for the review

    ReplyDelete
  5. ShredGuitarSeptember 26, 2010 at 5:47 AM

    Awesome!

    ReplyDelete
  6. MicheleSeptember 26, 2010 at 6:56 AM

    Cool post!
    Followin n supportin :)
    Check my blog!

    ReplyDelete
  7. THE FAV LISTSeptember 26, 2010 at 7:17 AM

    I loved this movie, but my dumb ass got tricked the whole way through.

    ReplyDelete
  8. RawrSeptember 26, 2010 at 7:41 AM

    give me one with better grades, only 3/5 :p i'm looking for some good movie for watching

    ReplyDelete
  9. MistahDramaSeptember 26, 2010 at 7:53 AM

    Dicaprio has been on his job lately, this and inception were 2 of the best moves to come out this year, hands down!

    ReplyDelete
  10. CrammarcSeptember 26, 2010 at 7:53 AM

    I have to see this one,

    ReplyDelete
  11. Jimmy VolmerSeptember 26, 2010 at 8:37 AM

    looking forward to the next update...

    ReplyDelete
  12. Mister SharafSeptember 26, 2010 at 8:45 AM

    awesome movie

    ReplyDelete
  13. AnonymousSeptember 26, 2010 at 8:45 AM

    now this was a great movie i recommend.

    ReplyDelete
  14. kurinaSeptember 26, 2010 at 9:51 AM

    Great review, thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  15. momoSeptember 26, 2010 at 9:52 AM

    thanks for this review!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Horror Movies 101September 26, 2010 at 10:59 AM

    excellent review again, tommorow <3

    ReplyDelete
  17. Loling OctopusSeptember 26, 2010 at 11:40 AM

    I heard mixed reviews about this movie, I guess I'll have to see it myself

    ReplyDelete
  18. Tommi CloxSeptember 26, 2010 at 1:27 PM

    I'm definitely going to watch this movie, I love when my brain gets exhausted from a mere motion picture. Can't wait for tomorrow's review!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Biff TannerSeptember 26, 2010 at 1:40 PM

    I didn't like this one.

    ReplyDelete
  20. OscarSeptember 26, 2010 at 3:43 PM

    i will rent

    ReplyDelete
  21. Joel C AnatoliSeptember 26, 2010 at 4:08 PM

    only 3/5.. ??? come on bro..

    ReplyDelete
  22. SethistoSeptember 26, 2010 at 4:14 PM

    @Joel C Anatoli

    I enjoyed the movie, but i've shown ot to ~10 people and most of them didn't.

    it fills its niche.

    ReplyDelete
  23. llllollllllSeptember 26, 2010 at 4:21 PM

    I'd heard bad things about this movie so I've ignored it so far. Now you got me interested in it again. I'll check it out when I get the chance.

    ReplyDelete
  24. JWilliamsSeptember 26, 2010 at 5:11 PM

    this looks sick

    ReplyDelete
  25. UnknownSeptember 26, 2010 at 6:04 PM

    I've heard a lot about this movie. People say that this is one of the best '10 movies. And now that I read your review I think I'll go to rent it. Nice review, bro, we are in touch ^_^

    ReplyDelete
  26. EldisSeptember 26, 2010 at 7:27 PM

    Would watch it, but you gave too low a score, heh. Following and waiting for more reviews!

    http://amidstallhuman.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  27. SethistoSeptember 26, 2010 at 7:38 PM

    @Eldis

    3/5 is still good. Its just not great or excellent!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Book of Eli (2010)

By -
Image
It's not very often that a good post apocalyptic film shows up.  After having to deal with crap like The Road,  it's refreshing to see a quality one like Book of Eli.  The movie takes place in the year 2042, and something unmentioned has managed to completely decimate the world.  Eli is crossing the wasteland on a religious journey to deliver one of the last remaining bibles to someone way over on the west coast.  Along the way he runs into gangs, madmen, starvation, and all sorts of other nastyness. A man named Carnegie, the leader of a small settlement of brigands and thieves, discovers what Eli is carrying, and lets lose the hounds.  This leads to some awesome action sequences.  Eli must have been trained by Les Stroud himself, because even after being shot, he still manages to find a way to continue. Fans of the Fallout series will feel at home here.  The director really did an awesome job of portraying the wasteland as a horrifically dangrous place where only the mo
Read more

City Island (2009)

By -
Image
Another movie I thought would be lame when I first saw it; but just like with books, you can't judge a movie by it's DVD box.  City Island was one of the few drama movies that really keeps the story flowing. The film is all about the convoluted, lie-filled lives of the Rizzos.  Every single family member has a massive secret that no one else knows about.   The daughter is a professional stripper, the dad goes to acting lessons under the guise of playing poker games; and everyone secretly smokes whenever no one else is looking.  When the father discovers that a new in-mate at the jail he works at is his 24 year old son from a wife he ran away from years ago, everything spirals into complete and utter chaos.  The movie is primarily drama, but the director did such a good job with pacing it really keeps the ball rolling.  Every 10 minutes another twist or lie is built up or knocked down.  It really is a fascinating look at how quickly lies can overwhelm even a small group of p
Read more