Under the Skin Reviews

(OK) As bizarre and unique as "Eraserhead". The scottish background of this evil angel torn comprehensive (not wanting to take a poor elephant man to the sex back hole) ...

Cliff's Notes

This is one of those movies that is hard to understand how it ends up actually getting made. It's one of those that goes over the top in trying to be "different" and "artsy". There was virtually no plot, no MacGuffin, nearly no dialog. And nothing is ever really explained. The audience is left almost entirely in the dark essentially the entire time, and almost none of the questions ever get answered.

At least David Lynch and Stanely Kubrick offer compelling scenes to get lost in, even if the viewer doesn't understand fully what's going on, or know what they watched by the end of the film.

This was like an immitation of them, but without the good stuff they bring. Every scene was way too long and slowly paced. In fact, the entire movie could have easily been a short film and the audience wouldn't have lost anything.

Good stuff

I will admit that the cinematography was pretty good, and I liked the locations and some shot choices. And the lack of dialog wasn't all bad, as the simple sounds of nature and the city added a nice element. Kind of like what was done with Cast Away (2000). The creepy music was nicely done and well placed, and was a welcome addition as well.

Scarlett Johansson was fine in her leading role as the female, and let's face it, if not for her presence (and her nudity), this film wouldn't have gotten a fraction of the tiny attention it did get.

Bad stuff

The slow pacing and lack of plot and character development and all the other issues that make this hard to watch are actually all tolerable in film...if we're given something entertaining. But this was just a pain. There was never a moment I was unaware I was watching this movie. There was never a moment I wasn't annoyed with the unnecessarily long and repetitive scenes, or the fact that so much is never explained.

A lot of people like this aspect because it gives them an opportunity to pretend to be intellectually superior to everyone else who admits that they don't get it. It's like postmodern art. When people are faced with something that is largely dumb, but is presented as a serious piece of art, many think that they'll come off as sophisticated and superior if they call it "brilliant." That's how a movie like this gets called "best film of the year" by some critics.

Bottom line

Ultimately this film functioned as basically a test of one's patience...how many minutes of meaningless scenes filled with characters you don't care about, doing things you don't understand for reasons you are unware of, can you sit through...just to see Scarlett Johansson naked?

Of course a celebrity going full frontal for the first time is certainly an initial appeal, and it is no doubt the only reason a large portion of the viewing audience for this film bothered to watch. But even aside from that, it almost became kind of a challenge in itself just to see how much of this film could I sit through.

But without the promise of A-list star nudity, or at the very least ScarJo or an equivalent attractive star lead, it's tough to say how many viewers would last for the full runtime.

I give it a 3.5 (rounded up to 4) for the visuals and Scarlett Johansson and nudity.

After almost 10 years, Jonathan Glazer was finally coming up with a new directing effort so I was quite eager to check it out. Eventually, it turned out to be a really tough watch and I'm not surprised that it didn't get much love when it was released, even though some called it one of the best movies of the year, but something similar already happened with 'Birth', his previous movie. The point is that it was visually impressive, as usual with this director, Scarlett Johansson delivered a solid performance and it was certainly bold and original but I just had  a really hard time to connect with it. I mean, the whole thing was just so silent, for the first time in my life, I was almost missing one of these obnoxious side-kicks that they always provide so that a solitary lead character still has someone to talk to. I mean, because of this approach, it was all really mysterious and usually spellbinding to watch but it was also almost impossible to connect with the main character and to care about what was going on. On top of that, it was just really repetitive: she gets in her van, rides around for hours, picks up some random guy and brings him home for diner. By the way, she would have scored much easily if she would have just walked down the streets but, maybe, there was also there some hidden agenda. Anyway, to conclude, even though it didn’t completely work for me, it was still a really original flick and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you want to see something really different.

Exceptional film. Challenges audiences on every level. The deliberate movement of the narrative might make or break someone on the fence between loving this and hating it. The imagery is compelling and the sense of dread is palpable, cold, yet strangely alluring, keeping you interested in the protagonists' plight. Something worth less than two hours of your time, if only to endure the experience and decide for yourself how it affects you.

Scarlett Johansson is hot and this role fits her perfectly. I have been wanting to see this not only for her and her assets, but it looks interesting and visually stunning. The first four minutes were hard to sit through because literally nothing happens all you hear is a voice and see a strange visual that is unidentifiable. The music is interesting and unique. I am sure if the scenes weren't so prolonged this would most likely be a short film. It is a very slow art house style film with surreal, abstract, and scenic imagery that lingers. It could be a bit confusing for the average viewer who wants everything laid out in front of them. I know I was confused at times, but by interpretation you can understand what you think is happening. It was a gift to finally see Scarlett Johansson in her birthday suit haha! Oh I had to say it. I am a guy what would you expect. It's pretty disturbing and tragic, but it is definitely a unique film.