Pynchon is the only person who understands Real America: we are subject to the machinations of a loose network of deviant dentists, real estate developers, drug-running feds, crooked cops, and rabid anti-communists who use neo nazis as foot soldiers in their quest for capital. To connect the dots, you’ve got to be a little strung out.
It is genuinely impressive that PTA was able to successfully adapt this. Also I love Joaquin.
How have I not seen this before?? The long takes are incredible and the whole thing feels scarily prescient.
This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.
Barry Keoghan is so good at being a sick little freak. People knock this movie for not having much to say, but I’m not sure if it was trying to say much in the first place (and that’s fine by me).
My two biggest gripes:
1) The revelation that Oliver had killed everyone was lame. The ambiguity would have been so much more interesting. It also kills the metaphor of Oliver “consuming” them.
2) Kinda weird to set this in…
Mark Fisher was right about the slow cancellation of the future.
There were things I liked about Romulus: hard sci-fi concepts like the gravity purge and the race against the station de-orbiting into the rings; the mobs of facehuggers; and the relationship between Rain and Andy. I really did enjoy the first half.
Unfortunately there was a lot I didn’t like as well: CGI Ian Holm (unforgivable); the surprise appearance of multiple aliens (where were they before?); and the dialogue.…
