Coming back a week later to add a short review —
I have not been able to stop thinking about this film. Yes there are missteps, and some of them quite major. (I’m looking at you, overwrought handjob scene). But I can forgive it all. Pound for pound the most powerful, exciting, BIG film I’ve seen in years. The scenes that bookend the first half are just so *unbelievably* moving it feels otherworldly. Incredible incredible incredible.
It was great! Will need some time to form a coherent opinion.
Some small disappointments: (1) there were a couple of key turning points for the characters that weren’t given enough time to breathe (*cough* both scenes with the water of life *cough*); (2) I do think the success of the film turns, in part, on the success of Messiah. If Messiah fails to pull all these thematic threads together then this is fairly disappointing; alternatively, if Messiah is great…
