The Neon Demon (Review)

The Neon Demon (Film Review) 2016

Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn
Starring Elle Fanning, Jena Malone, Keanau Reeves
Psychological Thriller

The Neon Demon, visually, is a masterpiece. Every shot is like an individual painting, meticulously coloured and set. If I was to rate the film solely on its visuals I would have give it a 10/10, but a film is more than just visual.

I don't believe the plot and theme are as complex as some choose to claim. A slightly overdone message on the dangers of vanity and industries which obsess over beauty and youth. I don't believe its disturbing scenes are gratuitous, emphasising how far the idea of beauty can influence people. There are some very interesting visual metaphors throughout the film, also.

The performances in the film were solid, but not exactly extraordinary. Elle Fanning definitely has fun in her role, but her given dialogue was bland. The same goes for the remaining cast, no performances really shone through. It is possible that the simplistic dialogue adds to the theme of vanity.

The film has another 10/10 aspect, its score. Finishing with a powerful piece from Sia, the film is littered with haunting and modern pieces which stick with the viewer. The trailer clearly displays the film's mastery of music.

The Neon Demon is an art film. I am in no way surprised by negative or positive reviews, and it seems the negative to positive review ratio seems to be about 1:1. Its visually and musically amazing, but I personally found the theme to be slightly shallow with some less than stellar dialogue. Although, the visuals and score did effect me more than the latter.

8/10.

Rated 18, runtime 117 minutes.

Drive (Review)

Drive (Film Review) 2011

Drive is a 2011 crime thriller directed by Nicolas Winding Refn and starring Ryan Gosling.

Drive follows a stunt driver (Ryan Gosling) who also works as a criminal getaway driver.

Drive is an extremely stylised film, both the cinematography and soundtrack are very unique and give the feeling of the 80s. There's definitely a great amount of attention to detail.

I found Ryan Gosling' character's cold attitude overdone and repetitive. Although his acting was good, the character brief was dull.

The plot was engaging and didn't drop in consistency. It was filled with interesting twists and dialogue.

Overall, Drive is an excellent movie. It's very entertaining and stylistic, with a good quality cast and soundtrack.

I give Drive 8/10.

Rated 18, runtime 100 minutes