Movie Review: Hereafter

I'm not so sure why I even saw this film. I mean, I'm not entirely a fan of Clint Eastwood as an actor - more so as a director. I've seen some of his directorial works like the forgettable Invictus, and unfortunately, Hereafter sits comfortably right next to that. It's equally uninteresting and quite flat.

It was a bit of a shame because the film seriously had an interesting and thought provoking premise that was nice to see explored. The opening sequence was really good that it almost scared the wits out of me and it actually got me into believing that this will be a one roller-coaster ride kind of film. Unfortunately, what followed wasn't as absorbing or as challenging as it ought to be. Things kind of died down after that. Everything just seemed completely insipid up until maybe the very end where a hasty attempt of tying all characters together was made.

Which brings me to my biggest problem with the film: the ending. I have to say, the last few minutes of the movie was just too weird. Seriously. It all ended in a way that left me with a confused look. Did I miss anything? The entire film felt like it was going nowhere and then all of a sudden a resolution slapped me in the face. Ha! It was just too abrupt that it almost didn't make sense.

I also had problems with a couple of things. I thought the script was weak, there was an uneven quality to the story and the pacing was awful. It's too long and too slow moving - or maybe it's too slow moving because it's too long (?). Either way, it's tedious. Good thing, the direction had a skillful elegance to it and the special effects were believable - not amazing but passable. The cinematography was also quite gorgeous.

Now, as for the acting performances, I thought it was uniformly fine. Matt Damon and Cecile De France were amazing. Bryce Dallas Howard was occasionally annoying but decent. I wasn't overly impressed with the London boy's acting though. He was stiff, rigid, emotionless and didn't hold up to the captivating presence of both Damon and De France.

Overall, this film was disappointingly okay. Maybe the film just tried too much to convey something important that it became a bit pretentious. Sad. Well, making a film about the afterlife is a very tricky subject - meaning, it's hard to do - and I can honestly say that not too many film have succeeded in this field - and yes, including this one.

RATING: 5/10