Shutter Island (2010) – Movie Review – 5/10

You'll See it Coming

Set in 1954, Shutter Island is an asylum for the criminally insane. An isolated facility far off shore, where the worst of the worst can be held, and escape is impossible. Leonardo DiCaprio (Titanic, Blood Diamond, Romeo and Juliet) is a Federal Marshall by the name of Teddy Daniels, sent to the island to investigate the escape and disappearance of a female inmate. As things progress, he discovers all is not as it seems...

For director Martin Scorsese (famous for films such as Taxi Driver and Raging Bull) this is his second foray into what could loosely be described as 'Horror Movie' territory (His other being Cape Fear). Though personally I would call it a psychological thriller, it has been filmed more like it was intended to capture a horror movie atmosphere, and seems to have been classed as such. So I will cover it in that context.

It's a strangely mixed bag. The cinematography for the most part is excellent. It looks superb, but the pacing and editing never quite gel. A perfect example is the introductory scene as DiCaprio and Mark Rufullo (playing DiCaprio's sidekick, Chuck Aule) arrive at the gates to the asylum. The 'menacing' music is so over-the-top and heavy handed, not to mention jarring and unnecessary, to the point where it immediately ruins any feeling of menace, creepiness and suspicion that it is supposed engender. It is edited together and filmed in a way that feels as though someone who has never been a big fan of horror movies, thinks horror movies are made this way. A feeling that pervades the entire film.

As a result, few if any of the moments that are meant to be 'scary' or 'creepy' ever achieve their goal. The film has very much the same tone and pace from beginning to end, where the viewer feels like they are being lead by the hand very slowly through a path they can clearly see the end of, and make their own way to, much more quickly

Unfortunately this is also one of those films that succeeds or fails on the strength of its 'surprise twist' ending (If it was not intended to, it was certainly filmed and edited that way). The problem being that said-ending stands out a mile after about the first ten to fifteen minutes or so. I won't give it away, but it feels as though it were taken from a book entitled: “How to end a movies with crazy people and an asylum - Ending #1”

The conclusion, such as it is, is also drawn out and ponderous beyond need. A single line by DiCaprio's character adds an interesting note to the very final moments, but beyond that it is simply a relief to finally reach the conclusion.

DiCaprio's acting is functional, but a little forced, Ruffalo plays his part well enough, and Ben Kingsley (playing one of the head doctors) turns in a performance that, depending how you view it, could be seen as quirky or camp. Meanwhile the ever-reliable Max Von Sydow (Playing another doctor) is sorely underused.

From an artistic perspective, it would be very easy to become blind to Shutter Island's faults, and convince oneself that it is an interesting work of art. However, if one stands away and judges it objectively, you quickly realise that it is simply a predictable and drawn out mediocre thriller with a polished sheen.

Saturn 3 (1980) - Movie Review - 8/10

A Forgotten Gem

Saturn 3 is an often over-looked minor sci-fi gem. It's by no means perfect, but there's a lot to enjoy. In many ways, it initially comes over as a robotic take on Alien. This is not inaccurate, but it's a small part of it. What we have in Saturn 3 is a wide selection of themes. Love hidden away in a far-flung corner of a permissive, hedonistic society. The evils of simple lust, jealousy and envy. How man's creations can turn on him, totally dependant on how we create them, and what parts of ourselves we allow them to emulate. It's not just about the 'robot-gone-bad' scenario. Hector is a villain, only because of the worst parts of humanity that he becomes imbued with. On top of that, we have a solid, dark adventure. In fact, you'll see some scenes that look to have directly influenced James' Cameron's 'Aliens', notably the hiding-under-the-floor scene, amongst others.

Saturn 3 has some wonderful production design for the interior sets and props. Hector is a fantastic fusion of ideas. Hulking body, twisted and exposed muscle and vein-like wiring, and a set of eyes that perfectly undermine your expectations to create something rather more menacing. You expect a large, threatening head on that body. Instead you get only two searching eyes. The interior of the outpost is excellently realised. It doesn't go for the obvious route, emulating either Alien or 2001, but is somewhere between. It's own take on those. There are occasionally some obvious 70s influences, making it less timeless than a film like Alien, but they're not detrimental to the over-all film.

Unfortunately, it is badly let down by some fairly dreadful model effects, for which there was little excuse in the wake of Star Wars and Alien. Though you do get the impression this is due to budget cuts at the end of production. The design of the ships, etc, is excellent. It is simply the effects themselves that clearly lacked time and money.

To top it all off, Saturn 3 has an outstanding score by Elmer Bernstein. It is full of atmosphere, sometimes full of awe and grandeur, while at others almost demonic in its themes for Hector.

Though admittedly nobody was going to win an Oscar, Kirk Douglas delivers a solid performance, while Farrah Fawcett is functional and a suitably attractive damsel in distress. Harvey Keitel gives a fair performance as Benson, and oddly enough, despite his current stature, I feel he is more menacing with his voice dubbed by Roy Dotrice (Edited well enough, that if you didn't know Keitel, you wouldn't be able to tell). There's a lot to enjoy in Saturn 3. It's full of ideas and stands up surprisingly well (Excluding some model effects). It's one of those films where you feel, with just a little more effort, really could have been a sci-fi classic. As it stands, it's still an under-rated and excellent film.