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![]() Deathcamp. David (Osment) faces certain doom at the Flesh Fair... | |||
SHADOWS ![]() dir-scr Steven Spielberg with Haley Joel Osment, Jude Law, Frances O'Connor, Sam Robards, Jake Thomas, William Hurt, Brendan Gleeson, Chris Rock, Kelly Felix, Jack Angel, Robin Williams, Ben Kingsley release US 29.Jun.01; UK 21.Sep.01 Warners 01/US 2h24 ![]() | ||||
![]() The blending between Spielberg's childish sentiment and Kubrick's cold, hard stare is remarkable. It's so expertly made that it takes the breath away. As we'd expect, the extensive effects are virtually seamless. But the surprise is the forceful treatment of the themes--passionate and provocative, yet never pushy or obvious. And there's real drama too, most notably the mother-son stuff, but also in the realistic interplay between the "brothers" and their friends. For once, Spielberg isn't afraid to be gritty and sexy, and he uses reflective camera angles and off-beat production design to stunning effect. He also draws revelatory performances from the entire cast: Osment carries the film with nuance and even more magnetism than in The Sixth Sense. Neither he nor Law (who's very funny and lively) ever cross the line--their mechas are always machines, but they give lovely hints of soul as well. Meanwhile, O'Connor is heartbreakingly authentic, while Hurt brings an intelligent intensity to David's creator, the Geppetto character. Spielberg moves with surprising ease between confrontational imagery and the human touch, without ever drifting into schmaltz. If there's a problem it's in the final 20 minutes--a strange epilogue that seems to go on and on and gets increasingly unnecessary. Spielberg seems unable to resist that final nudge-nudge scene (see also Schindler's List and Saving Private Ryan). This ending, much like Kubrick's mind-bending final sequence in 2001, both muddles the film that went before and challenges us in a new way.
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"Great acting all round, extremely impressed by Haley Joel Osment and Jude Law (phwoar!). Love the resemblence to Pinocchio and the blatant showing of this throughout the film. Impressive special effects! Only gripe, everything which occurred after David froze. The aliens added nothing and it was better with unfulfilled wishes than with a happy ending, reflecting life. Cut out the ending for the DVD and I would buy it!" --Linz, Essex 5.Oct.01
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