Titreenp
SERIOUSLY. This is what the crap Hollywood still puts out?
Fairaher
The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.
Lollivan
It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.
Cassandra
Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.
Clifton Johnson
Nichols is a gifted filmmaker. Both "Take Shelter" and "Mud" were special movies, stories that allowed complex characters to be sucked into intense drama within real settings. And the first 2/3 of this movie felt like it was heading the same way, from the fundamentalist kickoff to the surreal twists. Unfortunately, it just did not stick the landing. Too many unanswered questions and too many cliche sci fi moments. I wanted more than just an homage to 80s Spielberg flicks, but the emotional payoff was lacking here.
Michael Ledo
May contain some plot/theme spoilers.Alton (Jaeden Lieberher) Alf would be too obvious, likes to listen to the radio...in his head. He repeats what he hears thus "speaking in tongues" which appeals to "The Ranch" a Texas cult built upon Alton's spewing including classified information which draws due diligent attention. Roy (Michael Shannon), a member of the group, absconds with his own child (adopted by the pastor) with the aide of a friend Lucas (Joel Edgerton) a policeman who is not a religious person. Mom (Kirsten Dunst) left the compound 2 years ago.Seems Alton has places to go, like Frank Lloyd Wright heaven, which appears near Pascagoula Mississippi?Now how this seemingly alien baby had human parents and had to live in the dark as an infant wasn't discussed in the film. This is a film which attempts to combine religion, spirituality and UFO sightings into one "real" explanation, although I liked "Altergeist" string theory better.The story was interesting even if the characters tilted to the stiff side and the dialogue mostly reeked as in the case of most serious sci-fi films where the script writer was too engrossed in the me-so-clever plot as to take a minute to create memorable characters.Guide: Could be viewed as going against the grain of religion. Minor PG swearing. No sex or nudity.
kb-13344
The movie is what you would call a different movie or a fresh movie from the general type of sci-fi movie. The film is an unusual story about a special powered boy and his father struggling against the world and their interpretation of the boy's power. Beautiful cinematography and some cool moments about human understanding of the unusual powers are a highlight. It's a slow paced film with a story which is not for everyone. Highly recommended for sci-fi fans who want a fresh new pick for their sci-fi appetite.
zee
I'm not entirely enthralled with this one.For one thing, I couldn't get over the idea it was an extended metaphor about death. My reading was, there are no interdimensional aliens, the kid is just dying, and this is the story of parents letting go. Yes it's couched in the science-fiction tropes, but I saw that as all symbolic. I don't think that's what the movie is about. It's about parental love, and how love sometimes means loosening your grip and letting the beloved move on, and because of the acting it works really well at that level.I could be wrong. (Or I could be right for me and no other human) anyway...lovely shots, great acting, not quite as atmospheric as his others. 6.5 stars.