Personal blog

It is a personal, post-apocalyptic reinterpretation of Noah's Ark, with fossilised animals, fishermen chasing the shadows of fish and a disaster caused by humanity's own weapons. With no explicit dialogue, the film relies on glances, ambient sound and experimental direction, but some rituals, such as the collecting of water flasks, remain incomprehensible. Difficult, at times too cryptic and heavy, it is reserved for lovers of arthouse cinema.

Thanks to a budget of around 250 million dollars, the music, costumes, performances and settings are of the highest standard, with a meticulous take on fantasy and iconic scenes such as the beached Trojan horse or Agamemnon's armour, all under one keyword: extravagant.

The plot and pace, however, are hard to follow: the first half is slow and for over an hour, amid Nolan's trademark cuts, it left me with questions and a great deal of boredom, though less than Oppenheimer. The liberties taken with the original, with a one-eyed monster that is not the Cyclops, brutes that are not the Laestrygonians and a Circe who is not the sorceress of the poem, make the story alienating and hard to swallow for fans of the epic. I am neither among those who love Nolan nor among those who hate him: to me it is a nice film, but not a masterpiece.

The problem is Lex Luthor, presented as a businessman and media figure, with a baseless campaign that, once it collapses, drives him to want to destroy the world for no reason: weak, hysterical and stupid, for the smartest man in the world. Add to that pointless anonymous villains and a jingle repeated ad nauseam, set against flawless cinematography and CGI. I appreciate the new take on Superman, but Luthor is terribly written and he is the reason I hated the film.

Compared with the first instalment it slows down and focuses on plot and dialogue, in a more Tarantino-esque style reminiscent of Reservoir Dogs. The price is a compromised pace, with scenes that are too slow and dissonant, a final scene that breaks the built-up tension and music largely reused from the previous chapter. My verdict is lukewarm: only Kill Bill fans will truly appreciate it.

Susumu Hirasawa's soundtrack, the drawings, despite a few too many 3D elements, and the narrative premise all work. The big flaw is its monotony, with the same scenes repeated and the main plot almost forgotten, to the point of risking all style and no substance. This time the characters' introspection falls short: even masters make mistakes.