Kathryn Bigelow's 2012 film "Zero Dark Thirty" was among the years most anticipated and critically acclaimed films. "Zero Dark Thirty" centered around the 10 year hunt for the worlds most notorious terrorist, Osama Bin Laden, and the men and women responsible for finding him.
Jessica Chastain stars as Maya, a young CIA operative who becomes engulfed with the task of finding and capturing Bin Laden. Throughout the decade long search Maya meets many obstacles, including colleagues who fill that there are more tasks at hand than just finding one man in a world full of terrorists. Still Maya is single minded on her task and she sees no other path to victory than bringing Osama to justice. Kyle Chandler, Jason Clarke, Chris Pratt, and Jennifer Ehle all play supporting roles in the film.
Being a huge fan of "The Hurt Locker", I eagerly awaited Zero Dark's release into theaters from the first day that I heard about this film. That being said, I have to say my first reaction to the film was disappointment. I didn't really get into it until very late into the film(a film that runs almost 3 hours I might add) and it failed to bring me on the edge of my seat. Now I have to add to that, I enjoyed this movie a great deal more the second time that I watched it. For whatever reason, I was more connected with the actors performances during my second viewing. I especially enjoyed the work by Jason Clarke and wished his character appeared in more scenes. Jessica Chastain certainly deserved praise for her strong performance as well and I look forward to future films of hers.
All in all, "Zero Dark Thirty" has some extraordinary moments in it. My advice is to at least give the film two chances like I did. The closing climax where the hunt for Bin Laden appears to finally be coming to an end is a great sequence and one that will get your heart pumping and one particular scene where Maya and a higher ranked CIA officer get into a shouting match gave me chills. While I still believe "Zero Dark Thirty" was a bit overrated and a bit too lengthy, it deserves it's spot among the years best films and should be on your short list to view in the near future. Here is the trailer for "Zero Dark Thirty"
I think you should only have to watch once to enjoy it. Too many good movies to waste time on duds.
ReplyDeleteJust my opinion.
You don't have to watch this movie twice, I know many people that enjoyed it right from the get go. For whatever reason I decided to watch the movie a second time and that is when I really got the film.
DeleteFilm making is a form of art. Like a great painting, it sometimes takes a few times looking at the picture to really appreciate and understand what the artist has created. I find many films much more enjoyable the second time around for the same reasons.
The film was a Best Picture Oscar nominee. Do you think it was worthy?
ReplyDeleteYes I do, this movie certainly ranks among the top ten favorite films of 2012. I'll be doing a full post very soon regarding my top movies of the past year.
DeleteI will add that my three favorite movies were not nominated by the Academy for best picture.
pretty accurate review.
ReplyDeletei dont think this one was quite as good as the hurt locker.
I agree, "The Hurt Locker" was terrific and I think that was why it took me a little bit to warm up to Zero Dark.
DeleteThe characters in Hurt Locker felt more real to me, and you were kept on the edge of your seat in every scene. I wouldn't be surprised if in 30 years, people still regard "The Hurt Locker" as Bigelow's best film.
I loved the movie! A little long though!
ReplyDeleteThat was my biggest grief with the movie as well. About 15 to 20 minutes less would have been ideal but still a very good film.
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